Garmin GPSMAP 396
Fourteen years ago, when I met Tim Casey of Garmin International, we were at the Paris Air Show, and Carl …
Douglas Colby
25 Bargain Birds For 2005
Compiling any list of the 25 best bargain buys in general aviation is almost guaranteed to ruffle some feathers. Our choices aren’t always going to agree with everyone else’s. No matter how much we try to be fair and impartial, our selections have to be at least a little subjective. We’re probably as subject to partiality as the next pilot, even if we’re allowed a broader frame of reference.
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New Piper’s Saratoga II TC
Any list of general-aviation evergreens is bound to include certain airplanes: The Cessna 170 and 172 would be near …
“Star Wars!”
Okay, perhaps it’s true other countries outdo the USA when it comes to manufacturing automobiles, computers and TV sets, but there has never been any serious competition with America’s general aviation airplanes. Companies such as Piper, Cessna, Beech, Mooney, Maule, Cirrus, Lancair, American Champion, American General, Commander and Grumman-American have accounted for the vast majority of light aircraft sales in the last half-century.
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Light Sport Aircraft Are Here And Flying!
As some pilots may have heard, the FAA finally handed down its completed rulemaking regarding light sport aircraft (LSA) and sport pilots this past April 15 (perhaps, more than coincidentally, tax day) at the Sun ’n Fun Air Show in Lakeland, Fla. The LSA regulations were several years in the making, the consummation of extensive lobbying efforts by virtually all of aviation’s alphabet groups. In fact, the final rules reflect extensive input by the EAA and AOPA, an example of what can happen in that rare instance when the government actually listens to the people it represents.
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10 Most Undervalued Airplanes
Many of them are airplanes you don’t see on every ramp, but pilots in the know almost universally regard …
Saving Money On Fuel
I was told when I bought my first single-engine airplane back in the last century that I could estimate …
Piper Clipper
If you’re considering a bare-minimum, entry-level airplane, it’s tough to beat the high-wing Pipers of the late ‘40s. It seems everyone and his brother was offering a minimum, entry-level airplane following the war—Globe, Luscombe, Aeronca, Porterfield, Ercoupe, Cessna and others—but with the legacy of the Cub as a reference, Piper’s various models also are excellent choices.
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2005 Electronic Skyhawk
When Garmin premiered its G1000 do-everything glass-panel avionics system in mid-2003, the package was perceived as an extremely talented collection of electronic wizardry obviously intended for high-end general-aviation aircraft. Glass panels have been available on airline and corporate aircraft for years, but the G1000 expanded the technology to general aviation.
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Buying Your First Plane
In most cases, the first question a pilot must answer is the obvious one: How much money are you willing …
