October 2002
Queries: 10/02
Subscribers Only Fastest Single? I’ve been looking through the archives for this answer. Which single-engine airplane would you consider to be the fastest IFR airplane. I own a 1979 T182RG and I’m looking for more speed. I have considered moving up to a Mooney Bravo as you can get the TKS feature, but is it the fastest? -Craig Tankersley Littleton, Colorado If you’re limiting yourself to certified piston airplanes currently in production, the Bravo—a 200-knot plus airplane—is arguably the fastest, if you can stomach the fuel bill. Running a few knots slower is the Beechcraft B36TC. If new isn’t a must, Rocket Engineering’s conversion of the K-model Mooney to a Co...
This is War
Subscribers Only How Toyota plans to seize the world GA market. Cessna and Piper should be listening; these guys may be serious.
The Glass Revolution
Subscribers Only No one would call them cheap but primary flight displays with solid-state gyros are now real hardware.
Logbook Programs
Subscribers Only We think AeroLog offers the best value, with Logbook Pro as a close second.
Bargain Headsets
Subscribers Only Who can afford expensive ANR for every seat? LightSPEED’s QFR and SoftComm’s Phoenix are top values.
Garmin Datalink
Subscribers Only The GDL49, using Orbcomm satellites, finally hits the market. It delivers slow but steady weather imagery.
Which Oil is Best?
Subscribers Only We’re most impressed with the anti-wear properties of AeroShell’s W100Plus and 15W50. We’ll look at anti-corrosion next.
Letters: 10/02
Diesel Pro/Con In case you didn’t know, diesels are not good for airplanes because they are too heavy. We are going to read a stream of articles in which researchers will be obfuscating the weight (“comparable to a typical....”) or fudging the power (“125 HP, but it is just as good as..”) Of course, what counts is the sum of the weight of the powerplant and the fuel, and that brings us to the next point. The fuel economy of a diesel under constant load is only marginally better than that of a gasoline engine. (Remember the Continental Malibu burning 14 GPH when extreme leaned?) If we are doing this because we have to burn Jet-A, someone should whip up a 150 HP gas turb...