Aircraft Review

The first piston-powered plane with Garmin’s Emergency Autoland and a servo throttle, there’s more safety backstop than any other single.

The 2025 Cirrus SR G7+ adds Garmin Emergency Autoland and servo throttle, redefining safety in piston aircraft.

What started as a cabin-class, pressurized piston single has evolved into one of the fastest, most sophisticated turboprops in the sky.

Consider that in the early part of 2016, a 1979 Cessna 152 II had a typical retail price of $24,000, according to Aircraft Bluebook. At press time (January 2022) the same airplane is shown at $40,000, and there’s no sign of a downward price trend. Moreover, we’ll cared for 150s and 152s with good engines, […]

First, the good news. Since the earliest 36-series Bonanza entered the market in 1968 (and is still in limited production today as the G36), there are a variety of used models at multiple price points to choose from. The bad news for buyers in the current market is that prices are up—way up—for all models. […]

There’s so much buzz around the emergence of electric airplanes that it’s easy to forget what animates most of the enterprise is press releases. New airplane announcements fly fast and furious; the airplanes themselves, not so much. Cutting through this background noise is the innovative Slovenian company, Pipistrel. Last year, as it promised it would, […]

Diamond’s DA40 is one of the more desirable used piston singles around. It works as a trainer, moves right along for traveling, and for those who might eventually step up to a Diamond twin, the DA40’s systems are a good primer. But a big draw is the airplane’s sleek composite design and styling.  If you […]

Talk with a Grumman Tiger or Cheetah owner and you’ll hear them boast of the airplane’s crisp and responsive handling, respectable climb rates and cruise speeds, plus a relatively easy and affordable ownership experience. This checks mostly all of the important boxes when searching the market for a four-place, fixed-gear single. The other good news […]

After a one-year hiatus, the big airplanes and pilots who fly them came to Las Vegas for the 2021 NBAA-BACE gathering. The mood was positive, and not unlike the lower-end piston market, things are hopping in the bizjet and turboprop world.  New airplane announcements, new avionics projects and certification, retrofit programs for old jets and […]

It’s no surprise that the U.S. fleet of GA turbines will fall short of the upcoming ADS-B equipage mandate. At press time, 70 percent of small jets and turboprops comply. Some call this the forgotten part of the market-the category between pistons and mid- to large-size bizjets and airliners. And if you’re ready to pull the trigger on the purchase of a small step-up turbine that isn’t ADS-B equipped, you’ll have a problem flying in the ADS-B airspace in a couple of months.

And shops we talk with say ADS-B sales remain brisk, while scheduling remains a challenge. If you’ve waited until now, we wish you luck. It’s as long as nine months to get on some schedules, and while some of the shops I talk with say they are installing primarily Garmin transponder-based solutions, I know a handful of A&P mechanics who have been busy installing the uAvionix skyBeacon wingtip ADS-B Out unit, which has LED position and strobe lighting.

One important trait we’ve always favored is the Clarity’s durable build quality. Remember, the idea of an ITE model is to make the wearing experience a minimalist one. It’s all about freedom from the intrusive nature of circumaural or even supra-aural designs. But to succeed the set has to be lightweight, yet durable enough to survive the abuse a typical pilot asks of them. Bend them, sit on them, step on them and drop them. And those thin wires-they’re asking to break. We’ve tried all of the above and still can’t break the Clarity.