4 Seat Piper Aircraft - The accident rate for the aircraft is quite high both due to the difficult handling characteristics of the aircraft at low speed, and at times, lack of experience of pilots who fly it. (Lancair training manual with crash statistics).
Still, the aircraft attracts very many commercial and ex-military pilots who seek out a high-performance aircraft. Socata TB represent good bang for buck. There was a plan to produce a diesel powered TB20 but production stopped in the early 2000's due to industry downturn and never bounced back.
4 Seat Piper Aircraft
It's the same company that is making the very sexy TMB 930 but that bad girl is out of the reach of this article and my wallet. The Bearhawk 4 is a kit aircraft designed by the American engineer Bob Barrows and produced in Mexico.
Seater Planes Under K
The latest version of the kit (Bearhawk 4 B) has design enhancements which have improved its structural integrity, cruise speed and slow-speed handling. Robins are supposed to be quite fast but they have weird looking wings and canopy and the fact they are made out of wood makes me want to fit a parachute before I fly one.
This is probably down to my ignorance. Pipers (Archer, Worrier, Cherokee) are almost as common as Cessna's and are easily rented. They are good trainers but most people want to step up to something a bit more sexy if they are buying.
Being a low wing, they are also more prone to vapor lock issues when using auto fuel. It seems though that there are STC's available but they usually require the installation of an additional fuel pump which needs to run all the time.
There is now a 155 HP Diesel model called the Archer DLX which is stated to get 120 knots on 25 L an hour. The perfect aircraft for me would be one that cruises fast and lands slowly, burns less than 30 liters an hour (diesel or 98), and is cheap to maintain.
Maule M Certified
Being able to also land on short bush strips and take a family of 4 on adventures would be a definite plus. Many pilots might argue that you would not be able to find a Cessna for less than 100k.
While a lot of planes from Cessna will cost considerably more than this, you can find some solid options for planes from this manufacturer that are within this budget range. As to the 225 HP or 260 HP versions (M7), they get up in the air a bit faster which would be good for float flying or landing in the backyard.
They also cruise a bit faster, but at the expense of another 10L/ hour. They have a smaller useful load that the 180 HP version (407 kg) but offer the option of an additional 5th seat at the expense of luggage space.
Unfortunately, you can't always get what you want - there are always trade-offs - usually, planes that fly fast need to land fast and hence, more runway to slow down. Low wings provide you with a better sun tan but are more likely to strike ground objects off-field.
Lancair Iv Experimental
Taildraggers take more abuse on bush strips but have poor forward visibility and can behave badly in inexperienced hands. If you have the ambition of buying yourself a top-of-the-line jetliner for 100k, you can forget about it, as these are the planes that cost a lot of money.
If you have got 100k in your budget for purchasing an aircraft, you will find that you have loads of options for buying a quality plane. In fact, you can find planes that are even half that price - or even considerably less.
When most people hear that they can buy a plane for 100k or less, they are usually in disbelief, as aviation is generally a hobby that is usually associated with people that are very rich. While there are plenty of planes that get well into the millions out there, that is by no means the case for all aircraft on the market.
Planes have many different specs, capabilities, and levels of performance and while any plane you choose should be able to deliver on certain expectations, that does not mean that you need to break the bank to get your hands on a quality airplane.
Diamond Da Ng Certified
Cirrus aircraft (SR20 SR22) are comparatively expensive to other aircraft, burn more fuel, and don't have a great useful load. They do fly a bit faster though and have the magic parachute which is intended to put our wives at ease.
Stepping away from the trainers and fast cruisers, we enter the world of Bush planes. Bang for buck, you can't get much better than a Maul for off-strip capability - built for Shot Takeoff and Landing (STOL), these aircraft are absolute workhorses.
Certified aircraft can be a lot more expensive to maintain due to the need to use licensed mechanics and certified parts but they can be a lot less of a headache in the long run and sell as they are a well-known commodity.
Certified aircraft can also be used in generating offer additional income to help offset their costs (training, rental, etc.) Diamond took the stock Mercedes OM640 diesel engine (found in A and B Class Mercedes cars) and added a turbo and full electronic engine control (FADEC).
Welcome To The Piper Archer® Lx
This system is simple to fly with just 1 lever which automatically controls the engine and constant speed propeller. In fact, you will have a hard time finding a Cirrus aircraft that is anything short of half a million dollars.
However, the Cirrus SR20 is a fantastic plane and while they are normally in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, you will be delighted to know that there are some of these incredible machines available for under 100k.
Cirrus has marketed the SR20 as an aircraft that can reach speeds of 155 KTAS, which is just under 180 miles per hour. Once you are in the air you can reach a maximum altitude of 17,500 ft. However, what we really love about the Cirrus SR20 is its impressive range.
This aircraft can reach distances of up to 721 miles away from its take-off point, which means that you cannot only use this plane for traveling across the cities and states but across the entire nation.
Certified Vs Experimental
The Piper Pacer PA-20's performance is phenomenal. This aircraft can get up to an altitude of 16,500 ft and it can reach speeds of over 140 miles per hour. In addition, it has an impressive range of 500 miles, which means that you can easily take the Piper Pacer PA-20 on long-distance trips and even across state lines.
If you are looking for a very affordable plane for under 100k, the Piper Pacer PA–20 has got you covered. We reached out to some pilots and sellers and were able to locate some incredible options for the Cirrus SR20 with the cheapest going for $95,000.
While this is still a considerable amount of money, you do really get what you pay for with this aircraft as its performance and reliability are outstanding. At the end of the day, if you have 100k in your budget for an aircraft, you might as well get the best of what you can get - and there is really no better option out there than the Cirrus SR20 at this price.
The Lancair IV-P is a 4 seater personal rocket ship. It makes it on this list for no sensitive reason other than it is super sexy and ridiculously fast. I first saw this aircraft as a teenager and have idolized it ever since.
Mooney Mj Mf
If you were to try to find yourself a Mooney M20, you would find a range of options. There are plenty of M20 series planes that are going for 200 to 300k right now, but there are some that are going for considerably cheaper.
In fact, the cheapest Mooney M20 that we were able to track down was being sold for a mere $18,000, which is dirt cheap for an aircraft - especially a Mooney. While we were able to locate a Cirrus SR20 for a mere 95k, you should know that finding this good of a deal on an aircraft of this caliber is rare.
The reality is that if you want to get your hands on a Cirrus SR20, you may need to raise your budget slightly. We found a number of incredible options that were being sold on the market for 105k to as much as 130k+.
While this may be higher than your initial budget, you should consider the amazing quality and performance of this aircraft, as it is well worth the extra money. I prefer the 180 HP version (MX7 version) pictured above because it only burns 30L/ hour of 98 fuel and has a higher useful load (467 kg).
Aircraft Not On The List And Why
This model however, has a slightly shorter cabin than the standard M7 models (12 cm shorter and 2 cm lower) to balance the lighter engine. Cruise speed is around 120 knots (220 km/h) at 75% power.
The Diamond, with its slick Composite airframe, cruises at a solid 120 knots an hour (@75% power), while sipping a mere 25 liters/hour of Jet A1. (This is the same fuel the airliners use so it is cheap, €0.99/L compared to the 100LL fuel, €2.50/L, most General Aviation (GA) aircraft are burning. In practice that turns out to be an hourly fuel bill
of €25 instead of €80. If you want to buy a good plane and have the money to do so, then the Cirrus is not going to let you down. For over 20 years Cirrus has been considered a leader when it comes to creative innovation and pushing the boundary of what aviation is.
They are pioneers in being the first to move with the times by adding sophisticated technology into their planes that is intuitive and user-friendly. Maules can take off less than 100 meters and can land in less than 300 meters.
The Cabin Above Class
Skilled pilots have been known to get them off the ground in as little as 30 meters and land them in about the same. The stall speed is very low at 35 knots. When Cirrus releases an aircraft, you can expect it to be nothing short of quality, as their track record speaks for itself.
Now, an aircraft of this caliber from Cirrus pretty much never comes close to the 100k mark, which is why we rarely see their planes in the budget-friendly zone. This aircraft would be my first choice if I only needed to visit paved runways and I wanted to get there fast (e.g. Port Macquarie to Sydney) To make it viable cost-wise, you would need to be able to offset some of the expenses to
business travel. Cessna 172's can't be faulted for their reliability but every club has got a couple and you can usually rent them cheaper than you could own one. Cessna 182's are a great workhorse of a plane with a useful load of around 500 kg, but they burn a lot of fuel (50-60L/hour) and if you don't need the extra useful load or speed (+22 knots)
, you would do better with a 172. There are a handful of amazing options from the M20 series that are priced very reasonably between 50k and 100k - with our favorite being the Mooney M20J.
This aircraft was launched in the mid-70s and is a phenomenal piece of machinery that has stood the test of time. We found a Mooney M20J that was going for just $70,000, which is an amazing price for this plane.
These aircraft use Lycoming engines, either a Carbureted 180 HP or 225 HP model that can run on 98 auto fuel, or a Fuel-injected 225 HP or 260 HP version that runs on only 100LL fuel.
While the Lancair does not hit the target fuel burn of 20 liters per hour, it gets places very fast saving in overall fuel burn. The aircraft's carbon fiber composite airframe moves through the air with very little friction, but the cockpit is tight.
With that being said, we were also able to find some Piper Pacer PA–20s that were even cheaper than this - with some going for just a mere $22,000. A price this low for a classic plane like this seems almost too good to be true - and in some cases - it may just be.
If you see an incredible plane being sold this cheaply, you should always have your guard up and be sure to do a proper and thorough inspection of the aircraft. There is no guarantee that there is something wrong with it, but you do run a higher risk of that being the case with such a low price.
While you may feel a bit wary about flying an aircraft that is this old, you should consider that there is a reason that these planes are still in the air to this day. The Piper Pacer PA-20 has an amazing design and performance to back it up, as this is one great aircraft.
And most importantly - you can get one for less than 100k. At the top of the list is the Austrian produced (now Chinese owned) Diamond DA40 NG. This is the aircraft I used to obtain my Private Pilot's License.
It is an excellent modern training platform/family commuter if you can afford it.
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