Many of us fly, or have flown, some rather capable high-performance single-engine airplanes providing excellent long-distance transportation value and utility. Flying a Cirrus, Centurion, Bonanza or Mooney and cruising between 150-180 knots allows you to operate over the entire country on a practical basis. You can, however, achieve almost as much utility from simple fixed-gear airplanes, providing you know and account for their limitations, your “utility envelope” and certain associated risks.
Utility in this instance means transportation. By that I mean real transportation that can get you from A to B for personal and business purposes. If you’re just flying for recreation or making 40-mile trips for $100 hamburgers, just about anything with wings will do. On the other hand, if your main purpose is to travel hundreds of miles or more on something resembling a schedule, then most recreational airplanes don’t meet the requirements.
