What is The Best New Private Airplane

A380

"Overall practical for pivate use" and even fuel efficiency are highly dependant on intended application, target environment, and other issues. It is not all that simple.

There are lists of "best private planes" online which you have probably seen.

Hi Transcendian,

As per my knowledge Cessna is popular now days. I think safety is most important consideration which should be main criteria. Good luck Rich man.

Suresh Sharma.

I haven't flown in a couple of years myself. My advice to start would be to go to your local flight school and get some dual instruction and get up to date with your skills and regulation/airspace changes. Being a competent, safe pilot is really more important than which airplane. The basics have not changed. That said, the new Cessna's are nice, and the Cirrus SR22 seems to be a leading new generation plane. The biggest changes in most planes is in the avionics, with GPS, moving maps, etc. As with cars, if you want fuel efficient and practical, smaller engines and fewer gizmos is the way to go. You can do that in a Cessna 152, a Tomahawk, or even a Cub if you want to learn to fly a tailwheel.

Expensive, but if you have the means, the new Mooneys are very sweet airplanes.

Mooney Aircraft

I'm impressed by the Diamonds, with the DA40 being a nice, efficient, all around 4 place. Kind of like a modernized Piper Cherokee or Cessna 172. For someone who hasn't flown in a while (like me) these new planes seem hideously expensive ($350,000+).

So for practicality, if I buy a plane to use in teaching my daughter to fly, it will be one of the ones you are already familiar with. It is still possible to buy a serviceable aircraft with a lot of time left on the engine, for $20,000.

Tried to look up the specs of the Diamonds and had a failure after seeing the picture.

Wow, as far as the picture. The Mooney looked cramped, and I have to admit I'll slow down for some room in the cockpit.

Truly I've been fortunate enough to have had the experience of walking around in a DC6, or sitting in a lawn chair at take off in a DC4.

Those old recip pigs can't be beat for some comfortable madness. Walked around looking out the window at the engines feeling the R2800s run. -Nice sunny day on the way to Schenectady, NY. from Fll and back.

Wonder what Freighters are around cheap now?

5 times 20 is 100.

Truly it is a luxury to have a private airplane and just go places in it with your family and friends. I've stroked a Beech Staggerwing while giving it fuel.

One of the biggest electric shock bites I ever got was off the tip tank of a Learjet.

The Tomahawk I flew mostly was a bit scary as far as the tail was concerned.

I could handle that plane in good weather since I was sitting on the wing.

Hell if my Screenplay sells I probably would put some money in a freight hauler.

Really sweet you think of flying with your daughter to teach her to do that.

Some of us are no good hanging from the wing and need the ground effect feel at landing to do it right.

The 172 really is amazing but I don't know how you would make any money with one.

Of course being able to fly to work is good for your mental health and expenditures on that score ought not be dismissed.

One night I ran across the FAA listing of safety records of various aircraft. I was looking for some with really bad records. What I recall, was the Cessna 172 had a remarkably good safety record.

Lots of good 172s of various years on the market at any given time. Not exciting, but safe.

Trascendian,

I've read all the other replies and they're all good. However, flying should be FUN too.

If I had my time over again I'd look out for an old Cessna 336 (fixed gear) or 337 (retractable), be heavily involved in the restoration of it, then go fly the hell out of it.

Tough old bird.

There!

Cheers,

Stu.

Been reading on Wikepedia. Wasn't the 336 a twin inline? Only highwing I enjoyed flying years ago was a 182RG, since it had a heavy nose which I found easier to trim. I one time bounced the hell out of a 152 thinking I could make a tailwind landing as the tower requested. The Piper Seneca and the Cessna 310 made sense to me and though the Baron is beautiful and fast, it is awful cramped inside. Last time I was up was in a 172. So far there doesn't seem to be all that much new. As one posted the panel is more where the improvements are. Seems odd, though might have something to do with insurance and bank check ferry flights of the night.

As said, the question just crossed my mind, and I posted it.

Truly I had some fun in the past, and am glad I did what I did.

Possibly the design parameters ought to be reduced to 2 gallons an hour for 700 pound useful load with a 600 mile full fuel range, and 1200 foot sea level runway. Maybe Rutan made a machine kit like that already. Possibly the question ought to be what is the best engine around to build a plane around?

Yep! Inline push-pull twin. Capable on one, if not too heavily laden. Can be fitted with a belly pod to increase freight capacity.

Rutan's a genius. ANYTHING he produces will be good.

He was involved in the STARSHIP a while ago. Magnificent plane downed by dickhead burocrats. There's a whole bunch of them not allowed to fly. I still have a set of brochures. I have an acquaintance who flew them and he said it was the best riding bird he's flown. And from him, that's gospel.

There is a plethora of wonderful fun lightweight stuff around these days too, if you insist on buying new. Over there where you are they're called 'homebuilts', but you can have them built for you by accredited people. Mind you they're small, but they run cheap. All hard bodies, some aluminum, some composite, fun to fly (if not only because in the back of your mind you know that you're getting nearly automotive mpg figures) and very forgiving. Google will have you hooked in.

Here there are guys doing exciting stuff like 80% Supermarine Spitfire with automotive V8 engines. There is a long waitlist tho'. What a buzz that would be. That leads into the other replica warbirds.

Leads on to the turbine powered stuff, both new and retro fit. If you want performance that's the way to go.

Good luck,

Cheers,

Stu

My dad was building a kit RV-6 for several years and finally bought a completed RV-6. He got a good deal on the RV and it flies like a dream and cruises around 160 KIAS up around 10,000 feet. You can pick used versions of the RV-6 for a deal just by googling as my dad did.