The Perfect Single-Engine Piston Airplane for You

Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 04:28 PM ET

Verified

A great first airplane for many budgets is the new Texas Aircraft Colt. Texas Aircraft

Key Takeaways:

When you and your bank account finally decide it is time to buy a new airplane, the choices vary widely in price, features and mission. Every make and model has specific mission capabilities that offer the owner-pilot the most efficient return on investment, and where you settle on the “mission” question ultimately determines the price you pay and the feature set you require.

Dan Pimentel

Dan Pimentel is an instrument-rated private pilot and former airplane owner who has been flying since 1996. As an aviation journalist and photographer, he has covered all aspects of the general and business aviation communities for a long list of major aviation magazines, newspapers and websites. He has never met a flying machine that he didn’t like, and has written about his love of aviation for years on his Airplanista blog. For 10 years until 2019, he hosted the popular ‘Oshbash’ social media meetup events at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.