Today’s Top Pick is a 1973 Cessna T310Q.

Decades ago I spotted a Cessna 310 POH at a used-book sale and had to have it. I picked up a hardcover copy of Chuck Yeager’s autobiography at the same sale and learned a lot about flying from both books.

While I will never approach Yeager’s rarified level of pilotage, I may yet manage to own a 310 someday. Right now, I want this one.

The 310 has been a favorite of mine since childhood when I became aware of airplanes flying over our suburban New Jersey home. Wingtip-mounted main tanks made this light twin easy to spot and added to an already gorgeous design. My father called it an example of “Buck Rogers styling.” He said the same about the mid-1960s Chevrolet Corvette Stingrays that I coveted.

It is natural for pilots to be attracted by the promise of speed. This particular 310, which has undergone a Riley Turbostream conversion, is more prepared than most light piston twins to keep the promise.

Aviation innovator Jack Riley was famous for conversions that coaxed truly impressive performance from Cessnas and other makes. The 310 Turbostream swapped the aircraft’s original Continental engines for larger, turbocharged, intercooled, counter-rotating Lycoming 540s generating 350 hp each.

With that much power, legend has it, the Turbostream can reach 260 ktas, or about 300 mph. How I would love to give that a try.

Not long ago I read about the aircraft for sale here in an article on the Cessna Owner Organization website. I thought about how airplanes like this seem to never show up on the used market but now here it is for sale. It is hard to resist.

This 1973 Cessna T310Q has 4,400 hours on the airframe, 415 hours since overhaul on each of its 350 hp Lycoming TIO-540-N2BD engines, and 428 hours since overhaul on its Hartzell heated three-blade propellers.

The IFR panel includes a garmin GTN 750 GPS/nav/comm, Bendix King KX 165 nav/comm, dual Garmin G5s, dual Garmin GI 275 engine instruments, Garmin GTX 345 transponder with ADS-B In and Out, and Garmin GMA 345 audio panel, Bendix 82 color radar, and Cessna 400A autopilot with yaw damper.

Pilots looking for a sleek, roomy light twin with hot-rod performance and cross-country practicality should consider this 1973 Cessna T310Q, which is available for $295,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use their airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Things to Think About When Moving Up to a Light Twin
• FLYING Magazine: Cessna 310 ‘Songbird III’ Still Attracts the Fans
• FLYING Magazine: Garmin Achieves STC for GFC 600 for Cessna 310R, Pilatus PC-12/47
• FLYING Magazine: Flight Simulator’s Cessna 310 Offers Up Realistic Weather Lesson
• Plane & Pilot: Cessna 310
• Plane & Pilot: Cessna 310
• AVweb: Jimmy Stewart Cessna 310 Monument Dedicated
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Cessna 310

The post This 1973 Cessna T310Q Is a Souped-Up ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2024 Cessna T206H.

Ever since its arrival in the mid-1960s, the Cessna 206 has been desirable for its versatility.

The aircraft is known for its double cargo doors, designed to allow the loading of a 55-gallon drum and other heavy, awkward items, but that big cabin has always been an inviting place for passengers as well. Over time this utility design has evolved to become an all-around personal aircraft capable of moving furniture to a new home or transporting your family on a luxury vacation.

If the easiest route—or possibly the only route—to your next destination includes a backcountry turf strip, the T206H is the right airplane for the job. It also fits right in when rolling up to a posh FBO serving high-end resorts.

With a  maximum takeoff weight of 3,600 pounds, the T206H can lift more people and cargo than most piston singles while still providing solid cross-country cruising speed. While pilots will appreciate this aircraft’s short-field capability and easy handling, passengers will remember its comfortable seats, legroom, and factory air conditioning.

When they say the airplane is just like an SUV, they mean it as a compliment.  

This 2024 Cessna 206 is close to brand-new, having logged just 50 hours. The aircraft is equipped with a 310 hp Textron Lycoming TIO-540-AJ1A engine and a heated three-blade McCauley propeller.

The IFR panel features the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics suite with ADS-B In and Out, wireless database and flight plan loading, Garmin Electronic Stability Protection, integrated VFR sectional charts, IFR high and low charts with Night Mode, vertical situation display, and selectable visual approaches.

Pilots looking for a roomy, powerful and capable late-model load carrier that is ideal for family and business travel should consider this 2024 Cessna T206H, which is available for $1.15 million on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use their airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: We Fly: Cessna 206
• FLYING Magazine: Cessna 206 Stationair
• FLYING Magazine: Cessna Turbo 206 on Amphibious Floats
• FLYING Magazine: FLYING’s Air Compare: Cessna 206 vs. Cessna 210
• Plane & Pilot: Soloy Cessna 206 Mark II
• Plane & Pilot: Cessna 206 Stationair
• AVweb: Cessna Gains Approval for Unleaded/VLL Fuels for Three Models
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Cessna 206 Stationair

The post This 2024 Cessna T206H Is a Load-Lifting, Nearly New ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1990 SOCATA TB-21 Trinidad.

French design tends to stand out whether we are looking at tableware, furniture, cars, or aircraft. Even nonpilots probably would recognize the SOCATA TB-21 Trinidad’s European styling, especially when comparing its interior with contemporary models from the U.S.

The TB-21’s cabin reminds me of Citroen sedans from the 1970s and ’80s, which seemed at the time to be a decade or two ahead of anything in, say, the General Motors stable.

Beyond decor and perhaps more important when considering the Trinidad’s cabin is its roominess, especially in width. Pilots are unlikely to rub shoulders with passengers in any of SOCATA’s TB series models, which include the fixed-gear TB-9 and TB-10, and the normally aspirated TB-20.

And let’s not forget the top-hinged, gull-wing doors that make getting in and out of TB models particularly easy. Those doors also look extremely cool to onlookers at the airport, and some of that flair is bound to rub off on the pilot. 

This 1990 SOCATA TB-21 Trinidad has 3,065 hours on the airframe, 232 hours since overhaul on its Lycoming TIO-540 engine, and 232 hours on its Hartzell two-blade propeller. The one panel includes Dual Aspen 2000 Pro displays for PFD and MFD, Garmin GTN 650W GPS/nav/comm, King KLN 90 GPS, KN74 transponder, with ADS-B, TCAS, and Bendix-King KFC 150 autopilot. The aircraft is also equipped with TKS ice protection, factory oxygen system, and air conditioning.

Pilots who would like a stylish, comfortable aircraft that stands out on the ramp and is somewhat rare should consider this 1990 SOCATA TB-21 Trinidad, which  is available for $259,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use their airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: A Fellow New Airplane Owner Starts With an Unusual Choice
• FLYING Magazine: Panic Over Pacific Thunderstorms
• FLYING Magazine: Daher-SOCATA’s Caribbean Line Gets Glass Cockpits
• Plane & Pilot: SOCATA Trinidad GT
• Plane & Pilot: SOCATA Trinidad TB-20 GT/Trinidad TC/Trinidad TB-21 GT
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: SOCATA TB-20 Trinidad

The post This 1990 SOCATA TB-21 Trinidad is an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick With European Swagger appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2016 Piper PA-46R-350T M350.

For many pilots who are looking to step up from their four-seat piston singles, turboprops are the stuff of dreams. Often, though, a turbocharged piston with a pressurized cabin is closer to reality.

Besides, many of us prefer the familiarity and relative budget friendliness of pistons. We just want to fly a bit higher and faster. Piper’s long-running range of PA-46 models was developed with this market in mind.

One of the best things about the PA-46 might be that it was designed to please passengers as much as pilots. Those of us who like to load up our families for long trips know how important it is to keep everyone comfortable and at ease.

A large, smooth-flying aircraft with a roomy six-seat cabin is a good place to start. Adding pressurization means you can operate at 20,000 feet and above without having to breath supplemental oxygen through cannulas—something few passengers enjoy. Turbocharging helps keep the pace high as altitude tries to sap the engine’s power. A robust climate control system can keep just about everyone comfortable.

Like many aircraft, especially complex models, the PA-46 has benefited from continuous improvement during its 40 years on the market, so later models like this M350 have long had the “bugs” worked out.

This 2016 PA-46 M350 has 735 hours on the airframe, its 350 hp Lycoming TIO-540 engine, and Hartzell propeller. The aircraft has a useful load of 1,170 pounds and carries 120 gallons of fuel.

The panel features a Garmin G1000 avionics suite with an Aspen standby EFD 1000, Garmin GTX33ES transponder, GMA 350C audio panel, GWX weather radar, GFC 700 autopilot, Jeppesen Chartview Flite Charts, Synthetic Vision, TAWS-B terrain warning system, Safe Taxi, dual AHRS computers, XM Satellite Weather, and WX500 Stormscope

The aircraft is FIKI-equipped and comes with an automatic wings-level mode, enhanced stability protection, speedbrakes, integrated digital cabin pressurization, air conditioning, pulse oximeter, executive writing table, 110-volt paper outlets, USB outlets, and relief tube.

Pilots who want to treat family and friends to an airline-style experience in a roomy, pressurized cabin traveling in the flight levels should consider this 2016 Piper M350, which is available for $975,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use its airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Piper Launches M600 and M350
• FLYING Magazine: Garmin’s G1000 NXi Now Certified on Piper M350 and M500
• FLYING Magazine: We Fly: Piper M600/SLS Halo
• Plane & Pilot: Choosing a Six-Seat Single
• Plane & Pilot: Piper Malibu & Cessna 210N, 1978
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Piper PA-46 Malibu/Mirage/Matrix
• AVweb: Aero: Piper’s M-Class Sales Strong, Factory Bulks Up

The post This 2016 Piper PA-46R-350T Is a Stable, Passenger-Pleasing ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1979 Piper PA-32RT-300T Turbo Lance II.

Piper is famous for morphing its basic PA-28 Cherokee airframe into a full and diverse fleet of aircraft including two-, four- and six-place singles, light twins, trainers, and high-performance models. The retractable Lance and Turbo Lance were evolutions of the company’s six-place, fixed-gear Cherokee Six, which served as a flying family SUV.

For many years the Turbo Lance has offered pilots an economical way to cut their travel time using the advantages of turbocharging which, along with improved aerodynamics, boosted the airplane’s speed, especially at higher altitudes. The T-tail that appeared on this model and some other Pipers in the late 1970s gives it speedy looks to go with its improved performance.

This 1979 Piper PA-32RT-300T Turbo Lance II has 9,278 hours on the airframe and 595 hours on its Lycoming TIO-540-SIAD engine since overhaul.

The panel includes an Apollo MX20 MFD with moving map, Apollo GX50 and GX55, dual King KX155 nav/coms, KT76A transponder, ADF, Insight graphic engine monitor, King HSI, Altimatic autopilot, Shadin fuel flow, and Davtron DC voltmeter.

Pilots seeking a turbocharged path to speedy, high-altitude travel with a roomy, six-seat cabin should consider this 1979 Piper Turbo Lance, which is available for $147,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Air Compare: Piper Lance vs. Saratoga
• FLYING Magazine: The Practical Endurance of the Piper Cherokee Six
• Plane & Pilot: Piper Lance/Turbo Lance
• Plane & Pilot: Piper Saratoga II TC: It‘s All About Comfort

The post This 1979 Piper PA-32RT-300T Turbo Lance II Is a High-Altitude ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2017 GippsAero GA8 Airvan.

GippsAero got its start during the 1970s as Gippsland Aeronautics, an Australian company specializing in maintaining and modifying aircraft. During the late 1980s, the company developed an agricultural crop-spraying aircraft called the GA200 followed by the GA8 utility aircraft, which first flew in 1995. Indian industrial conglomerate Mahindra Group acquired a controlling stake in GippsAero in 2009 but halted production in 2020. Last week, company co-founder George Morgan announced that he had bought out Mahindra’s interest and plans to restart production in Australia.

Airvans are rare sights in the U.S., but I spotted one last summer on the ramp at Hancock County/Bar Harbor Airport (KBHB) in Maine. Its wide fuselage and high, strut-braced wing helped it blend in with the Cessna Caravans and 206s operating there. That seems appropriate as the GA8 was designed to fill a perceived gap in the market between the six-seat piston 206 and 10-seat turboprop Caravan.

This 2017 GA8 has 1,000 hours on the airframe, its Lycoming TIO-540 engine and its Hartzell propeller. The panel includes Garmin G500 flight display, GTN 750, GTN 650, and an engine analyzer. The aircraft’s interior is set up in an eight-seat configuration for passengers.    

Commercial operators can find many uses for the GippsAero GA8 easily, but so can everyday pilots. If you want an airplane that can haul your immediate family plus a few cousins or close friends, or a family of four with lots of baggage, you should consider this 2017 GippsAero GA8 Airvan, which is available for $800,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: GippsAero GA8 Airvan
• FLYING Magazine: Mahindra’s Airvan 10 Turboprop Certified
• FLYING Magazine: Caravan-Lite: Gippsland GA-8 Airvan
• Plane & Pilot: Gipps Airvan: Don‘t Call It A Caravan
• Plane & Pilot: Micro AeroDynamics Offers VG Kits For Airvan
• Plane & Pilot: GippsAero Airvan Gets the Axe
• AVweb: GippsAero Founder Buys Back Company

The post The 2017 GippsAero GA8 Airvan Is a Utilitarian ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.