Cessna 172 Hawk XP
A bigger engine and more speed make the Hawk XP a favorite among ownersbored by the standard 172.
Used Aircraft Guide
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Piper Tomahawk
[IMGCAP(1)]Just as in the car industry, if the notion of sure-thing profit exists in the world of general aviation, its in high-dollar airframes, not entry level two-place designs. Thats one reason why new trainer production came to a standstill during the 1980s and 1990s and why the volume in this market continues to be low.
But it wasnt always that way. In the heyday of GA, every major manufacturer-even the staid and upper crust Beechcraft-had a trainer. Some money could be made, of course, but a driving market force was the perception that entry level pilots developed brand loyalty and would step up from a basic trainer, to a retrac to a twin, all from the same manufacturer.
S…
Beech Model 18
If you can afford the gas and hack the maintenance, the Twin Beech will haul a ton, literally. For pure panache, its unbeatable.
Cessna 172
With adequate albeit modest performance and payload, the venerable Skyhawk soldiers into the new century.
Beechcraft Sport, Sundowner and Musketeer
Cheap to buy and nice to fly, too. But don’t plan on getting there very fast and avoid short runways.
Best Time to Buy?
Ten years after leaving the factory, most new airplanes bottom out in value. But some regain value sooner than others.
Cessna 185
[IMGCAP(1)]The term working airplane has an unmistakable connotation. Theyre the workhorses of the GA fleet, doing yeomans service in hauling freight, towing gliders and banners and spraying crops.
Most manufacturers have a working airplane or two in their model line-ups but Cessna has been especially successful in the piston single realm with the 180, 185 and 206/207, each of which has carved its own market niche.Among that distinguished group, the Cessna 185 is perhaps unique for its reputation as an airborne pick-up truck easily able to haul heavy loads into and out of short, unimproved strips. And as a taildragger with plenty of power, its also a prized towplane.
History…
Beechcraft 36 Series
[IMGCAP(1)]When it comes to the inevitable airplane/automobile analogy, the Beech 36 series Bonanzas can borrow a line from Mercedes: Expensive, but worth it.
The 36s have earned a reputation that ranks them as one of the best single-engine airplanes ever built. They have an enduring appeal among pilots of all skill and income levels for their fine workmanship, excellent handling characteristics, good performance and top-grade materials and finish.
The prices, too, reflect the fact that many pilots regard the Bonanza as the ultimate flying machine. A new A36 tops $500,000 and even an early 1980s model can top $200K. In a recent issue of Trade-A-Plane, a vintage 1968 with nearly 10,00…
Feedback Wanted: Cessna 185
Our next Used Aircraft Guide will be on the Cessna 185 for the Sepember, 2001 issue of The Aviation Consumer.
We want to know what its like to own these airplanes, how much they cost to operate, maintain and insure and what theyre like to fly. If you have comments on these aircraft, we would be delighted to hear from you.
If youd like to see your airplane appear in the magazine, send us any photographs youd care to share. We can accept digital photos in the tif or jpg format, e-mailed (preferably) or on an IBM-readable disc. Also, we welcome any information on mods, support organizations or any other pertinent comments.
Please send correspondence on the Cessna 185 by July 31…
Citabria and Decathlon
A canny hybrid of rag-and-tube and modern systems, these airplanes are relatively cheap fun flyers and aerobats.
Archer or Hawk?
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If there’s such a thing as the family sedan of airplanes, it surely must be the Cessna 172. And if its not the Skyhawk, then Pipers venerable and popular Archer must, by most accounts, share first or second place.
Although the Skyhawk predates the Archer-even its earliest variants-by nearly a decade, these two aircraft have endured, serving as both entry-level trainers and family transportation for two generations of aircraft owners.Faced with buying one or the other, how do they compare across the board, in terms of performance, cost of ownership and ever elusive ramp appeal?
We recently dusted off the performance manuals, probed the logbooks, took a couple of test f…
Piper PA-34 Seneca
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Over the years, few light aircraft manufacturers have managed to get as much mileage out of existing airframes as Piper. Vero Beach produced seemingly endless variants of the basic PA-28 Cherokee-everything from simple trainers to T-tailed turbocharged retractables to light twins, all of which were recognizably based on the same airframe. Pipers larger single, the PA-32 Cherokee Six, was also transformed into several different airplanes over the years.
History
The PA-34 Seneca is, basically, what you get when you turn a Cherokee Six into a twin, sharing the trademark Hershey-bar wing, stabilator empennage and fuselage of the Cherokee Six. The Seneca had counter-…