I know it's hard to be picky at that price point but I'm going to be anyway. From what I've seen there are basically three options: 1) Cessna 150; 2) Piper Tomahawk; 3) Grumman AA-1. There are also an assortment of taildraggers out there but I'm not very taken with them (although if there are some that fit the mission perfectly please do say so). I'm partial to the Grumman because it looks way-cool but I feel like there are better decision points out there.
The mission is as follows:
1 - Weekend trips of no more than 500nm (average would probably be about 350nm or less) every 4-6 weeks
2 - Occasional business trip of ~200 nm
3 - Maximum annual use of around 100-125 hours
4 - Maximum load (pax + baggage) of 450, usually closer to 400 or less; Room for two bicycles is a big plus
5 - Low fuel-burn (5 gph if possible, even better if there's an auto-gas STC out there)
6 - Don't particularly care about puttering along at 100-110 mph nor do we mind stopping on the way (so luxurious surroundings/quiet engine isn't a major factor)
7 - Resale value is somewhat important although I can see us holding on to this one for a while.
8 - Get my IFR ticket (maybe)
ANNNNNND GO!
EDIT: Tony's right. Still on my first cup of coffee....
The mission is as follows:
1 - Weekend trips of no more than 500nm (average would probably be about 350nm or less) every 4-6 weeks
2 - Occasional business trip of ~200 nm
3 - Maximum annual use of around 100-125 hours
4 - Maximum load (pax + baggage) of 450, usually closer to 400 or less; Room for two bicycles is a big plus
5 - Low fuel-burn (5 gph if possible, even better if there's an auto-gas STC out there)
6 - Don't particularly care about puttering along at 100-110 mph nor do we mind stopping on the way (so luxurious surroundings/quiet engine isn't a major factor)
7 - Resale value is somewhat important although I can see us holding on to this one for a while.
8 - Get my IFR ticket (maybe)
ANNNNNND GO!
EDIT: Tony's right. Still on my first cup of coffee....
