Many pilots enjoy talking about fuel economy because it is among the factors in aviation over which we have some degree of control. Carefully adjusting power settings and other elements of our flight profiles can cut fuel expenses significantly.
It also pays to consider fuel consumption when buying an aircraft. Like cars, some airplanes seem to sip fuel while others guzzle. More so than with cars, though, finding an airplane with a minimal appetite for fuel often comes with compromises that affect your mission or even scuttle it altogether.
Using information from operating handbooks, manufacturers’ data, pilot reports and industry analysts, including Conklin & de Decker and others, we compiled the following list of piston twins that top their categories, and their fuel economy in nautical miles per gallon.
Tecnam P2006T: 17.8 nmpg
Twin Rotax engines burning about four gallons per hour each help this twin post impressive fuel economy numbers. Many piston twins burn two to three times as much.
Diamond DA-62: 12.6 nmpg
Automotive-derived engines help this twin reach nearly 200 knots while burning only slightly more fuel than older twins with far less performance.
Piper PA44 Seminole: 12.2 nmpg
Long a standard for multiengine instruction at flight schools, the Seminole is still among the most economical twins although modern designs with advanced engines offer more speed for the same amount of fuel.
