Explore the world of general aviation aircraft with our reviews. Written from a pilot’s perspective, these reviews provide fantastic insight into what these general aviation planes are really like.
The airplane flown for this report was the first production model in the United States. It was outfitted with all equipment as seen in the accompanying photos with commonly ordered avionics (a wide variety is available and can be installed in the USA). Exterior paint and interior finish are standard for the Outback Shock, though more »
For those of you who have actually finished an amateur-built plane, you get the old saying that the last 20 percent of any big job takes half the time. When it comes to homebuilding, that last 20 percent of the job is typically associated with installing the engine, applying paint and, yes, installing avionics. That more »
The Piper Cub is coming up on 80 years young. Expect to see lots of them, plus a number of Cub-related special events, at this year’s Oshkosh AirVenture. As you know if you’ve been reading my views on things for very long, I’m not a big fan of anniversaries, but if there’s a purpose to more »
It’s no secret that we pilots love airplanes, though the reasons why we do are, well, not so much mysterious as wide ranging and, at times, hard to pin down precisely. We love airplanes for what they are, where they can take us, and for reasons that are more related to aesthetics than utility. We more »
Even though we’re less than halfway through it, this year’s Oshkosh AirVenture has been one for the ages. There are some incredible airplanes…see them here…for sure, but even more than that, this year’s show has been characterized by an enthusiasm for personal flying, from ultralights to single-pilot jets, that defies easy understanding. Despite challenges for more »
The 2017 edition of Oshkosh AirVenture is off to a great start, and we’ve got the numbers to prove it. EAA president Jack Pelton said that general aviation camping…and the rest of the airplane camping areas at OSH, had filled to the brim by early Sunday, the earliest he’d ever seen those areas fill up. more »
Up where we were, it was smooth, cruising along at Flight Level 270, Utah’s Painted Desert, swaths of reds, browns and golds panning behind us as we flew. Just like the light, we were, as they say, golden, with pilots in other planes at altitudes both below us and above squawking nonstop about the rough more »
The Cirrus SFR50 Vision Jet we flew for this report was a nicely equipped 2016 factory demonstrator outfitted with TCAS, TAWS, Vertical Situation Display, Garmin color weather radar, Iridium satellite communications, envelope protection, and much more. Price: $1.96 million Main Construction: Composite Engine: Williams International FJ33-5A, 1,800 lbs. thrust Avionics: Cirrus Perspective Touch by Garmin more »
This article is the first in a series about bringing a good used airplane up to more modern standards. Our test subject is a 1964 Cessna 182G with a beautiful airframe, passable but old interior, avionics in dire need of updating and the original engine that has good compression and relatively low time since an more »
The plane we flew for this report was the first factory production model and was outfitted with the standard Garmin G1000 NXi avionics suite. Optional equipment included the Garmin FlightStream connected cockpit solution and SurfaceWatch and factory air conditioning. Base Price: $438,000 Price as tested: approx. $465,000 Main Construction: Metal Engine: Continental CD-155 Horsepower: 155 more »
Base Price: $412,645 Main Construction: Metal Engine/HP: Continental CD-155/155 hp Propeller: MT, 3-blade, composite, constant speed, 71” diameter Avionics: Garmin G1000 Top Cruise Speed: 123 kts Stall, Landing Configuration: 49 kts Max Range: 848 nm (45-minute reserve) Max Takeoff Weight: 2,550 lbs. Payload (full fuel): 488 lbs. Useful Load: 794 lbs. Takeoff/Landing Distance: 1,673 ft./1,400 more »
The FAA approved a program last September to encourage private aircraft owners to install ADS-B Out equipment as soon as possible by providing a monetary incentive. Unfortunately, the program is only authorized to last for one year, and the last date to register for a rebate is September 18, 2017. This program will send you more »
Two words that will strike fear into any general aviation aircraft owner are “annual inspection.” Face it, most of us fly airplanes from the golden age of general aviation, so your airplane is probably at least 30 years old. My airplane is getting ready to celebrate 47 candles. Since it comes around every year, and more »
Six seats. Big doors. Club seating. Retractable gear. Substantial feel. Metal construction. Those are the bullet points for the Beech G36 Bonanza, but if you stopped there, you’d be missing the point entirely. People who fly one of Beechcraft’s planes, from Bonanza to King Air, know this already. This is the 70th anniversary of the more »
The airplane we flew for this report was an early model production Bonanza G36 outfitted with the Garmin G1000 NXi flat-panel avionics suite with redundant dual-color displays, Garmin GFC 700 integrated autopilot, dual ADAHRS, standard ADS-B In and Out, enhanced digital HSI, Vertical Situation Display, Visual Approach capability, Surface Watch ground operations utility, SiriusXM Weather more »
You’ll be reading a lot about the Cirrus Jet (officially, the SF50 Vision Jet) in the weeks and months to come, but nowhere except in Plane & Pilot will you read the real story behind the story. Look for our coverage of this remarkable little jet in our upcoming August issue. And for now, a quick more »
It seems like the Skylane is everyone’s friend. It’s certainly one of mine. The Cessna 182 was the first honest four-seater I flew after earning my license, and I loved it. If you’re like me, you’re probably among the thousands of Skylane enthusiasts. That’s not surprising, as the Skylane exemplifies the primary qualities that have more »
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote my first check to my finance company for my not-so-new Cessna 182. The airplane, a 1964 G-model, is exactly the kind of plane that’s today benefiting from a revolution in aircraft electronics, with the FAA enthusiastically working to bring new avionics into the cockpits of light, relatively inexpensive planes, more »