Aircraft

A dream had just come true. Cessna invited me to spend a couple days with its new Mustang. I would pick the trips that looked interesting, and do the flying on my own. Cessna’s top instructor and Mustang designated pilot examiner, Kirby Ortega, would be in the right seat to offer the occasional suggestion, and […]

It would be unfair to say that Gulfstream people have a swagger, but they do exude confidence. And why not. Gulfstreams are the world leader in large cabin, extremely long-range business jets, and with the new midsize G150 in service, they are now setting new performance and comfort standards in that category, too. I had […]

The Catalina was born on the frigid shores of Lake Erie in 1928 when Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, then located in Buffalo, assembled the XPY-1 prototype of a long-range flying patrol boat for the U.S. Navy. It’s ironic that the airplane that would become a symbol of World War II in the South Pacific couldn’t even […]

The Beech King Air 350 is for people who want to make their airplane budget in ink, not pencil. Its rugged design, more than 40 years of heritage and robust systems make the 350 one of the most dependable and predictable turbine airplanes around. The entire King Air fleet has logged an estimated 40 million […]

The Continental IO-550P engine with what are called “cross-flow” heads is the latest in piston engine technology. Versions of the engine are used in new Cirrus and Columbia airplanes where they have become legendary for their power output. Now Atlantic Aero in Greensboro, North Carolina, is offering what they call 550 Tuned Induction Conversions for […]

Four of the last five airplanes that I bought were new. The one that wasn’t new had but 500 hours on it. That was years ago, the last being in 1979. Still, I know the real thrill that comes from getting a brand-new airplane and being the only person, other than the test pilot, who […]

Some readers might remember that starting back about five years I wrote a series of articles about my experiences flying with two separate small airplane fractional ownership operations: OurPlane and AirShares Elite. The experiences were very positive, and I came to believe that shared ownership (as it came to be called) would be a major […]

Whenever I’m around a Pilatus PC-12, either standing on the ramp, or inside the cockpit or cabin, I am dazzled by the size of this turboprop single. The wingspan is more than 53 feet. The tail is 14 feet above the pavement. And the cabin is as roomy as some midsize business jets. The PC-12 […]

The best way that I can think of to describe Cessna’s new light jet Mustang is that it is, in all respects, a Citation. That means it has pleasant and predictable flying qualities, uncomplicated and robust systems, good payload and range, and it delivers on all of the promises Cessna made when it introduced the […]