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Mooneys have always been associated with efficient cross-country transportation. Speed is the priority, and Mooney owners tend to view utility in terms of getting from Point A to Point B ASAP rather than load lifting or roomy accommodations.

Non-turbo cross-country usefulness is hampered, however, by an inability to get up high and avoid some of the weather, and the only way to do that is with turbocharging. Get a slick airframe like the Mooney up in the flight levels, and it can really show its stuff.

It wasnt until fairly late in the game that Mooney offered a viable turbocharged airplane. That aircraft, the M20K, overcame some initial teething troubles to evolve into…

[IMGCAP(1)]The Duke is like some luxury cars: It projects a definite image. The profile is sleek and shark-nosed, and it really looks the part of the corporate transport. It undoubtedly has impressed many clients with that solid, professional image. Beech used to nurture this, pitching the Duke in advertisements as an integral part of the lifestyle of attractive, successful people who are on the move.

The price tag reinforced this high-profile image-the last Duke was built in 1982 and went for about $600,000 equipped. The Duke also carries Beechs reputation for good workmanship and high parts costs. Its little wonder, then, that some owners fondly refer to their airplanes as the Merce…

[IMGCAP(1)]As this book goes to press, the on-again, off-again production history of the Grumman-American/American General AA-5 appears to be on again. Tiger Aircraft LLC has opened a new factory in Martinsburg, W.Va., and has installed and refurbished original tooling for the aircraft. Production of new Tigers was planned to begin in April 1999, then it was pushed back to November 2000. At this time, there is no word on when completed airplanes may roll out.

New production is good news for fans of this virtuous single, which offers simplicity (that means low maintenance cost and reliability), good looks and performance thats among the best in its class-better, even, than some retractab…

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The 421 Golden Eagle stands at the head of Cessnas 400-series piston twins. Its roomy and relatively quiet, fast and efficient. Performance approaches that of some turboprops, but purchase and operating costs are considerably lower (though still considerable – they only look good when compared to propjets).

However, the 421 uses unusual geared engines that must be operated with care, and have seriously high overhaul costs.

History
The 421, which shares its basic airframe with most of the other 400-series Cessna twins, was introduced in 1968. Cessna aimed it at buyers who wanted better carrying capacity and performance than other piston twins offered, but who…

[IMGCAP(1)]Bush planes are a breed apart, with design criteria that are distinctly different from the average light airplane. A premium is placed on short-field capability and ruggedness, at the expense of speed, creature comfort and snappy handling. These airplanes are built to be routinely operated in environments considered hostile: short, rough strips, and low-level flight. Typical uses are pipeline patrol, ranch surveying and traffic spotting.

Airplanes like the Piper Super Cub, Maule and American Champion Scout are all intended to meet this mission. All are relatively old designs that have changed little over the years, but then this is mature technology: it works, so there’s no…

[IMGCAP(1)]If one where to liken the Beech line of airplanes to a human family, there would be considerable wonder about the parentage of the Sport and Sundowner. Its hard to believe at times that the same company that brought us the epitome of single-engine class in the form of the Bonanza and the dashing elan and good looks of the Baron could also make aircraft as dowdy, frumpy and ill-performing as the Sport and Sundowner. Yet, there they stand on ramps across America, bearing the Beech name.

At the same time, these aircraft represent a sort of shopping paradox for those in the market for a used aircraft. Sure, you can pick them up at pretty good prices these days. But will you be ab…

[IMGCAP(1)]If the Mooneys are at one end of the retractable spectrum (small inside, but very fast and efficient) the Beech Sierra surely must be at the other end (very comfortable, but awfully slow). When trying to describe the Sierra, words like sexy, good-looking, or speedy are not the ones that first leap to mind. Most would select adjectives more along the lines of dowdy, slow, and utilitarian, with a goodly measure of comfort thrown in. To be sure, no matter how you slice it, the Sierra will never be known for its mass appeal. Indeed, it might better be likened to an old woody wagon than to any sort of sports car.

And like the woody wagon, the Sierra has a certain appeal for those i…

[IMGCAP(1)]The 33 Bonanza is one of the few piston singles to survive the great general aviation slump of the 1980s. The quintessential doctor/lawyer single, it even outlived the previous archetype, the Model 35 V-tail Bonanza.

Owners love its flying qualities, performance, comfort and sturdy construction. However, they also have some words on the high cost of parts and maintenance, typical of Beech aircraft. Also, there are a few things to be careful of when operating a Bonanza.

History
Beech practically invented the modern retractable single just after WWII, when it introduced the original Bonanza. There was really no competition for it for years: in the late 1940s Cessna…

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Much is made of the resurgence of Cessna and Piper in recent years. Less-often acknowledged, however, is the fact that a number of airplanes either weathered the storm or returned to production several years ago. One of the latter is the Commander 114. With a small but steady level of production, Commander is evidently here to stay for the immediate future. Thats due at least in part to the deep-pocket backing enjoyed by Commander Aircraft. Much of the company is owned by interests in Kuwait, and a fair number of the new airplanes have been sold there.

The new Commander is several notches above the older version in terms of price, and to date about 120 have been built. Thu…

[IMGCAP(1)]Since its introduction in the late 1940s, the Beechcraft Bonanza has enjoyed a reputation as a sweet-handling speedster ideal for the pilot wishing to fly long cross countries while hauling a reasonable load.

That said, the airplane has not been without serious troubles. In the 1980s, a string of fatal crashes was traced to failure of the signature tail surfaces. After initially denying the problem, Beechcraft developed a fix to beef up the structure, which virtually every V-tail has. These were mandated by AD.

The program of tail strengthening, combined with a campaign to find and fix any latent empennage afflictions has produced stunning results. The number of in-flight…

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Boats or floats? Thats the first question many pilots wishing to operate off the water ask. Boats, of course, are airplanes with displacement hulls while float planes are conventional designs fitted with heavy and draggy pontoons.

For those who opt for boats, the practical choice narrows to one airplane: The venerable Lake Amphibian, an airplane that has become an icon for off-the-water flying.

Homebuilts aside, the Lake is the only displacement-hull amphibian being built today and, frankly, not many are rolling off the line. About a dozen new Lakesare built for civil use each year, plus an unknown number of the Seawolf, a military/utility variant. But there are plenty…

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It may not be sleek, sexy or fast, but the relatively new Maule MXT-7-180 does deliver typically good Maule short-field performance for a relatively low price, while leaving the bugaboo of taildragger ground handling behind.

The tri-gear Maule is the companys first attempt at direct competition with mainstream four-place, fixed-gear singles. Introduced in 1991, at about the same time as the AGAC Tiger, the airplane didnt exactly turn the industry around…but then, no design has done all that well; the days of producing hundreds of airplanes a year are long gone. It bears noting that Maule is still in business, and still producing MXT-7-180s, while AGAC is history.

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