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.
If you fly long enough, you’re eventually going to have an airplane break when you’re far from home. When you scale up the factor to the level of the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-in, statistically there will be a lot of airplanes needing the loving touch of a mechanic’s hand before they can fly back home. more »
A Saturday admission armband for Sun n’ Fun packs a two-for-one punch: Instead of heading for the exits and jamming the roads when the last performer lands in the afternoon airshow, it’s worth sticking around for dinner on the grounds and waiting for the sun to set. Pilots speak of night flight in hushed tones. more »
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels arrived at the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In Thursday in spectacular fashion. The demonstration team’s arrival on a show site is a performance in and of itself, as the team circles the field from a number of angles while they set their timing marks. The full formation circled the field from more »
There are many milestone numbers an aviator may log in the course of their career. Flying through the first 10-hour block of aircraft rental seems like a big commitment at the time. Hitting 100 hours so the insurance companies quit hanging up when you call. Going through four digits at the thousand-hour mark. Professional pilots more »
When Wayne Toddun and Jean d’Assonville checked in with SoCal departure for flight following in the predawn hours, the controllers likely thought they were being played in an elaborate, if one day early, April Fool’s prank. Was the Sling TSi on their radar scope really requesting VFR flight following nonstop from Compton, California to Lakeland, more »
What do you get when you put a turbine engine on one of the most versatile of all bush planes? A pretty epic race-winning STOL aircraft, and this year’s winner of the 2018 High Sierra STOL Drag competition. Brainchild of self-taught engineer and successful entrepreneur Mike Patey, Draco is the ultimate backcountry airplane. With its more »
What do you get when you put a turbine engine on one of the most versatile of all bush planes? A pretty epic race-winning STOL aircraft, and this year’s winner of the 2018 High Sierra STOL Drag competition. Brainchild of self-taught engineer and successful entrepreneur Mike Patey, Draco is the ultimate backcountry airplane. With its more »
Where the Fire Boss is needed most, there are no runways. So how does this highly-modified crop duster, capable of delivering 800 gallons of water to remote wildfires, secure its H20 cargo? Here’s the scoop: The Fire Boss, a revamped Air Tractor AT-802, stores its water load in about 15 seconds by skimming the surface more »
Several upgrades to the Cirrus Vision Jet Generation 2 make the latest single-engine jet a whole new experience.
When Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Premier Aircraft Sales introduced its Premier Edition Piper Dakota in late 2017, the company was understandably curious to see how the market would respond. In theory, there would be great interest. The idea was compelling: By taking low-time PA-28-235 airframes and performing an extensive restoration, Premier could offer buyers an airplane more »
It’s probably not all that often that an airplane owner brings their plane in for an annual inspection and leaves with a smile. However, for seven years I was lucky enough to have that experience. During that time, I lived in Delaware, and the shop I used for my annual was located a short flight more »
In an iconic piece of aviation advertising, Belford D. Maule, universally known as B.D., used to tail his demonstrator ship deep into his Moultrie, Georgia, hangar. In a blast of noise and a cloud of dust, he shot out the front door with the nose angling sharply to the sky, the giant “MAULE” letters on more »
Plane & Pilot Magazine named the Mooney Ovation Ultra its 2018 Plane of the Year, a recognition given for the most impressive design in light GA.
Team SocialFlight shares give a peek inside their build of a three-quarter scale P-51D.
Plane & Pilot flew the Quest Kodiak Series II, find out why we love this plane and describe it as “hands down the best Kodiak ever.”
The German marvel is back and slicker than ever.
A look at if, when, what and how this might all happen.
How much a plane costs and how well it performs are only small parts of the turbine aircraft ownership picture.