Socata’s TB20 gains a little speed in the turbocharged TB21 version. For reasons not clear to us, the TB21 carries the highest turbo price premimum of the models we examined.

While it’s a given that owning a turbocharged airplane costs more—in purchase price, in fuel and in maintenance—just how many additional dollars are involved? And what do you get out of the deal? In other words, is the additional speed and capability worth the expenditure or are you better off with the equivalent normally aspirated model?

Price/value judgments are in the eye of the beholder. When “airplane economics” are applied to the buying decision, emotion often rules over logic. If you feel the need for speed and forays into the flight levels, maybe you don’t care—or even want to know—how much it really costs. On the other hand, maybe you’ve…