By :
Dan Pimentel
Compiling your own list of 10 favorite aircraft can be fun, and if you are like me, this will be a great way to amuse yourself for hours. It should not be a list of what you can actually ever afford, but a "dream list" of what 10 airplanes would be in your hanger if money were an unlimited resource. With that said, here is my personal "Top 10" list in descending order...enjoy:
10. LoPresti Fury: This great new airplane is the dream of notorious speed merchant Roy LoPresti, and it's fast, sexy and did I mention fast? It jumps into my Top 10 because I believe it is one of the most exciting new projects about to come out way in years. It is designed for those who define "car" as anything built by Ferrari.
9. Beechcraft Starship: Because I'd want something designed by Burt Rutan in the dream hangar. This rare beauty was panned as having horrible fuel economy, but that is completely mitigated by its museum-quality sex appeal. Sure, they are all in scrap heaps now, but friends, this is fantasyland here, so anything is possible.
8. Terrafugia Transition: Speaking of exciting projects, this "roadable airplane" from the fertile minds at MIT should be a huge hit when if comes to market. As an airplane, it delivers LSA performance, so don't expect this to be a serious cross-country vehicle. But when you factor in the capability to suck in your wings, switch power to the drive wheels, and cruise out of the airport gate to your destination, there is nothing in the air that will even come close to this breathtaking and daring concept. I have flown the transition in X-plane, and it is smooth and stable. I want one...
7. The Space Shuttle: Sure, you'll need a set of big, honkin' rockets to punch out through the stratosphere, and sure, it has the glide characteristics of a brick, but man, what a view after you get it trimmed out at it's usual cruising altitude of about a gazillion feet AGL. Plus, the Shuttle fleet is getting close to retirement, so you might be able to soon pick one up cheap on eBay.
6. North American P-51: What red-blooded pilot wouldn't have one of these V-12 powered monsters in his/her dream hanger? And nothing shouts "ramp appeal" quite like a Mustang...and I'm not talking about the one made by Cessna either. The newest Citation is very cool, but the first time a Citation 'Mustang' parks next to a real Mustang, you can bet the P-51 will walk over and kick its ass for "borrowing" it's name.
5. Air Force One: The avionics it has up front can only be described as awesome, but they pale in comparison to the nifty defensive weaponry we can only assume must be hidden down where the luggage used to ride. Damn nice furniture too, and forget about TFRs, you can take this aircraft any damned place you want. Clearance...we don't need no stinkin' clearance!
4. Three-Eight Charlie: Jerrie Mock flew this highly-modified 1953 Cessna 180 from Columbus, Ohio, around the freakin' world solo to be the first woman to make that trip since Amelia Earhart went missing with her old pal Fred. Corner me someday and I'll tell you the long story of N1538C and why this plane is so special and sadly so ignored in aviation history.
3. The DC-3: What hasn't the DC-3 done, except define the entire commercial aviation industry? Gooneys also served us well in WW2, hauling the mail (and reportedly a few live camels) over the Burma Hump a time or two. There is just something about this aircraft that makes me sweat when I am within 100 yards of one. And in the case of Duggy - the Smile in the Sky - I can't help but grin when I'm near him. If you've ever been up close and personal with Duggy, then you know what I'm sayin'. It's been confirmed that all airplanes have personalities, and Duggy's is a hoot!
2. Pilatus PC-12: This wonderful airplane has moved up to No. 2 this year because over the years, I have grown to love the seriously 'useful' useful load and mondo cargo door of the PC-12. Yes, a Citation Mustang flies higher and faster, but as Dr. Phil says, let's be real...I will never EVER get any insurance carrier to insure me to fly a Citation single pilot - regardless of premiums. But the Pilatus has a reputation as a safe, easy flier with a very low accident rate. And for some reason, when you attach a propeller to a turbine engine, premiums go down. If you've ever watched a PC-12 drop into an undeveloped patch so short that it'd feel just about right to a Piper Cub driver, then you know the short field capabilities of a Pilatus. Sign me up for one...it has it all.
1. Cirrus SR22-GTS: For the money, the best new airplane sold today. Any more glass in its spacious cockpit and you'd think you were at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This plane used to be No. 4 on the list, but now claims the top spot since I've flown one and fell farther in love. In all honesty, I have never flown the Columbia 400, which I suspect is very nice. But I was so impressed with the SR22-GTS, I cannot imagine how a four-place composite GA personal airliner could be any nicer than the Cirrus.
Author Resource:-
Author and private pilot Dan Pimentel owns a creative studio in Oregon and frequently writes about aviation and lifestyle topics at his blog, World of Flying.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlesbacklink.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
