Aviation is a wonderfully broad and varied experience. Over its history, some really cool hardware has arrived, amazed a few of us, and, in some cases, left the scene. For pilots, memorable experiences are a combination of the where and when...
For a good, all-around, do-it-all airplane, it’s tough to beat a 180 hp Cessna 172 or Piper Cherokee. These types provide a very noticeable performance boost over their 150-160 hp siblings, yet cost less to acquire and maintain than their more...
The text comes from an unknown number. “Do you own a Taylorcraft? A yellow one?” I find myself staring at the phone in disbelief. What stupid airplane antics have I recently participated in that would warrant the query? To the best...
A kit-built airplane derived from the 1950s-era Starduster, the Starduster Too incorporates a steel-tube fuselage and wooden wings, all covered in fabric. The airframe is rated to plus or minus 6 Gs and is able to perform basic aerobatics. Airframe plans,...
From short-field capability to payload to cruising speed, every aircraft is a balance of strengths and compromises. Among single-engine piston types, few manufacturers have optimized speed and efficiency as effectively as Mooney. Indeed, when designing the first examples, Al Mooney set...
General aviation is driven by myriad forces. A strong or soft market overall can dramatically influence any given airplane’s success, quite apart from how it looks or performs. Pricing, too, carries an outsized influence—get the value proposition right, even at a...
As the world’s Cessna 150 fleet approaches and even exceeds 60 years of age, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find clean, lower-time examples. It’s becoming even more difficult to find such examples that are well-kept, with nice-looking paint and lower-time engines....
The B-17 is more than just an airplane. It is a monument to a time in history where freedom itself hung in the balance. So much so that an entire generation of young men left their homes to fight both in...
With new aircraft prices starting at nearly $500,000 and very easily topping $1 million, prospective owners with modest budgets often feel resigned to owning and flying airplanes that are many decades old. Look hard enough, however, and there are some less-common...
Jason McDowell is a private pilot and Cessna 170 owner based in Madison, Wisconsin. He enjoys researching obscure aviation history and serves as a judge for the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. He can be found on Instagram as @cessnateur....
