5 aircraft I wish I could own
The following is a guest post from fellow blogger and friend Vincent of PlasticPilot.net about 5 aircraft he wishes he could own, and why.
1 – Piper SuperCub or Husky
I flew it only as passenger and it’s a really cool aircraft. Two seats in tandem, great visibility on both sides, amazing take-off performance and the ability to land almost everywhere, there is a lot of fun in the SuperCub. The club where I learned to fly in Geneva (Switzerland) had one with skis, for glacier landings. The website is in French only, but the pictures say more than the text.
2 – Piper PA32 Saratoga
This high performance single engine aircraft makes real travel possible. With 150 knots in cruise, up to 140 knots on final approach, it can easily integrate in the IFR system even at busy airports. The 300 HP engine sips a lot but gives some extra options if required. With 6 seats it’s also a great family vehicle. Read my review of it on my blog.
3 – Cirrus Perspective
The last born of the Cirrus family has all what a great aircraft needs: lot of power, speed in the 180 knots range (despite fixed gear), anti-ice, and a G1000 with synthetic vision. I flew once in an SR22 as passenger and saw a Perspective in the factory, but I never flew it. This is probably the state of the art in modern general aviation.
4 -Piper PA46 Malibu
The Saratoga’s big sister. Twin turbo, pressurization, de-ice boots, but still able to land on a short grass runway. The Malibu’s safety record shows some issues, but it’s mostly because some pilot did not understand the autopilot…
5 – Pilatus PC-12
Probably the ultimate aircraft for private pilots. This single engine turboprop can carry up to 12 passengers, flies in the FL250 range, and is equipped with top notch glass cockpits. It has full de-icing, a weather radar, and the turbine relability. It’s rugged enough to operate on rough terrain and has the performance to make any short runway usable.
Choosing only five was a heartbreaker, so let me list some other: DA40 and DA42, Mooney Ovation, Cessna P210, Cessna 400, TBM 850, and from the non-release yet series, the DA50 and the Cirrus Jet.
