Real World Pilots....which GA plane....

[MarkW 1,479]

would you buy if money was not a problem.  Now I would like to keep it reasonable, no private G5's or anything, I am talking about a typical GA aircraft.  Would you buy a single engine or twin?  I am not a real pilot so this is difficult for me to answer but I was thinking that the Beechcraft Baron G58 might be a great choice in terms of reliability, range and safety (although I am sure many would argue that a twin is not always as safe as a single).  Interested in your comments on this.

[Manny 1,293]

Real Air..All their aircrafts

[LeeL 272]

He's talking about RL planes not flightsim addons.

[Manny 1,293]

He's talking about RL planes not flightsim addons.

 

Ah OK.

 

Tsk Tsk

 

Real life...I would get the SR22 GTS? with the Garmin G1000

 

Although I would like like a twin with a cabin seating at the back, most Twins are old Twins retrofitted with the G1000. Not sure if there are any truly modern Twins.. 

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

I would buy a Beech Bonanza B)

 

...not that I have a PPL, only finished ground school and a couple of flying lessons..

[Michael63 20]

Beech Bonanza A36 with Bendix King Avionics and autopilot along with a Garmin GPS.

[Mijitman 147]

If I'm not going G6 but I could still have something with money as no object, I think a Phenom 100 would be pretty great.

[Lowflyer 97]

I'd get an RV-7, and if money were no object I'd still get an RV-7 first. In terms of fun factor I have a hard time thinking about anything that comes close. Standard PA-28 or C172? Got a couple of hundreds of hours in those and I can honestly say they're nothing special. Very safe and reliable like a Volvo 240 but not much fun and you can borrow one at pretty much any flying club if you like. C172RG or piper Arrow? Better for travelling than the standard ones but totally devoid of any fun factor. Lancair Legacy? It may be the darling of the FSX GA community, but not mine. While it is probably better than the RV in pretty much every way I find it too serious and too soulless. I like to think of it like this: If the Legacy and the RV-7 would go an a long and boring bus ride together the Legacy would spend it's time trying to solve global warming while the RV-7 would pass it's time mooning passing motorists. While I'd be very happy if someone managed to work out the worlds environmental issues I still wouldn't want to spend my holiday with him. However if you don't have a clue what I'm on about I wholeheartedly recommend the Legacy.

 

That said if I stumbled upon a J-3 Cub in good shape I'd probably get that instead. And then I'd rip out the Garmin 295 that the previous owner has surely defiled the panel with and run it over with my car.

[ryanbatc 12,770]

Lancair Legacy is my dream plane.  It's not very practical for carrying people and luggage but it would be the ultimate fun touring plane with a friend (or your lucky spouse lol!)

 

Oddly enough I'd love mine to have steam gauges 6 pack... basically I want it to look just like the RealAir version except I'd like the RMI to be placed where the NAV2 gauge is.

[Wendall 50]

A C337. Not sure why, it just looks interesting and would surely get some looks at the local field. Hauls enough people and goods around for me too.

[Rations 102]

The Lancair Legacy does seem inexpensive compared to other GA aircraft and fun. Rodrigo David uploaded an excellent video featuring some Piper aircraft, but has since removed all videos from his channel.

[Cessnaflyer 56]

Either a C172 or 182 because they are much cheaper to maintain than anything else.

[ViperPilot 81]

It all depends on the mission; X-C capability, speed, hauling px & gear, fuel burn, TBO, insurance. But, given the OP's parameters and my personal needs, I would say...

 

1) DHC-2 Anik -- it has everything except the speed, but a lineage second to none.

 

2) The Rutan M-202 Boomerang -- Yeah, she's a one off. But, she's faster than a Baron, and has the legs to go from San Francisco to Honolulu non stop. And, you can also say "bye bye" to the Asymmetrical Thrust issue.

 

[tttocs 301]

How real do you want to be?  It's one thing to play "If I won Powerball" and pretend training and insurance are irrelevant, and another to do a more realistic assessment of what I could quasi-realistically do.

 

When I did buy, the decision process was long, and involved a lot of research, analysis of various potential aircraft types, their capabilities, my capabilities and hours, real world maintenance costs, insurance costs, training time required, my current and potential future flying needs and desires, availability in the marketplace, avionics, financial planning and so on.  Oh, and yes - a bit of "but I just LIKE that kind of plane", but only a bit.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that having gone through the process, it's hard to simply say "here's what I'd get", knowing the realities of what's actually involved.  Yeah, I know.  I'm no fun.  :(

 

Remove a few real-world constraints and practicalities, and I'd probably give you different answers depending on current mood and day of the week.

 

Scott

[pilottj 198]

I would probably have two planes....the point A-B plane and the fun plane.

While my heart says Beech 18, my brain says Diamond DA-42-VI. 

http://www.air-alliance.de/index.php?article_id=473&clang=1

 

Single engine service ceiling of FL180!...with fuel burn similar to a IO-540 powered single.  :Hypnotized:   I would happily cross the Rockies at night in a DA-42-VI :biggrin:

 

That being said, I know the DA-42 is a glass panel bird with all the latest gadgets which are great for safety.  I do believe it is very important to get your multi training in something older with steam gauges, six levers in front of you (2 throttle, 2 prop, 2 mixture) and learn how to deal with engine out situations the old fashioned way.  The DA-42 makes it engine out practice too easy. 

 

My 'fun' plane would probably be an RV too.  I am in complete agreement with Rolf about the RV-7.  While the Legacy is a magnificent addon, I just enjoy the RV's style a little more.  It combines the abilities of my two favorite RealAir aircraft (STOL ability of the Scout with speedy aerobatic x-country SF260)  As far as efficiency, yes the Legacy is very excellent, but it isn't like the RV is some lumbering gas guzzler, it is quite efficient itself.   160kt cruise on a 180hp Lyc O-360 is very good.  That nice cruise speed with great STOL and aerobatic capabilities.

 

Since the DA-42-VI would be all glass, I would make sure the fun plane is all steam gauges so I would not become a slave to the magenta line.

 

Cheers
TJ