Talk with a Grumman Tiger or Cheetah owner and you’ll hear them boast of the airplane’s crisp and responsive handling, respectable climb rates and cruise speeds, plus a relatively easy and affordable ownership experience. This checks mostly all of the important boxes when searching the market for a four-place, fixed-gear single. The other good news […]
We usually revisit the majority of the aircraft in our Used Aircraft Guide every three years, but with aircraft like the Warrior—increasing in value seemingly by the month—we’re revising our data reports and market scans more often. Indeed, clean, well-cared-for PA-28-161 models are in demand and the market prices are proof. From our own recent […]
Despite our determination to do better, we pilots are human. Frustratingly, because of that we make mistakes. Fortunately, most of those mistakes damage only our self-image as steely-eyed superior beings although from time to time they result in damage to our airplanes. We’ve been trained to keep an aircraft right side up and on the […]
The Cessna 414 may not be the ultimate piston twin, and like others in its class, there are compromises. Combining spacious pressurized cabins and relatively small, efficient engines, the 414 series can carry lots of fuel or a small crowd with their belongings—but not both. All told, Cessna built nearly 1000 of the airplanes—roughly a […]
Ready to go shopping for a pre-owned taildragger? Our advice hasn’t changed. Before buying anything, have a real conversation with your insurance broker to identify potential deal breakers and what an insurer will demand for training. Think practically. Insurers tell us that complex, high-horsepower machines in the hands of newly endorsed pilots (older ones, too) […]
They have a cool factor that entices and can utterly disable the ability to make a rational purchase decision. More than a few pilots you hang with claim that you’re not a real pilot until you fly tailwheel. Plus, watching one slip down final to a deliciously soft touchdown on a grass runway just plain […]
Like most other used aircraft, resale values for well-kept and nicely restored J-3 Cubs are up. We’ve been watching prices of classic Cubs climb steadily over the past several years, and it’s easy to draw parallels to the classic car market. Meticulously restored models are often worth as much as someone is willing to pay […]
If a new or used Cirrus Vision Jet isn’t in the cards, there are other choices that could make good sense. The only obstacles (other than money) might be the tricky insurance market, and finding an aging turbine that won’t end up a hangar queen. We went shopping to see what some popular turbine singles […]
Want to start a fight at a gathering of pilots? Just innocently ask, “Hey, what’s the best backcountry airplane?” Go hide. Then come back in 10 minutes and watch the chairs flying. Backcountry flying and the airplanes designed for it have powerful allure that, combined with the adrenaline factor of STOL operations, often causes any […]
MORE SUPPLY WOES Larry Anglisano’s First Word commentary in the August 2021 issue of Aviation Consumer hits very close to home. I’m a 2004 Cirrus SR22 owner who has spent about half of the last 12 months AOG due to parts availability problems. I had tried the SureFly magneto replacement at the last annual inspection, […]
Without question, after all these years the venerable Cessna 172 Skyhawk still delivers enormous practical value. There isn’t a mechanic around that can’t wrench one, parts are plentiful, it carries a reasonable load and it’s stone simple to fly. These desirable traits only scratch the surface. But, it used to be that you could get […]
We started to learn about the rapid deterioration of instrument skills and knowledge as we worked on the rating. If we laid off from training for more than a week, we found that we had to do more than a little review during the next lesson to unfog our brains on procedures and focus extra […]
