General Aviation Aircraft

Explore Plane & Pilot Magazine’s Aircraft section for trusted reviews, detailed pilot reports, and expert comparisons. From legendary trainers to cutting-edge designs, we help pilots evaluate performance, specs, and ownership experiences to make confident decisions in the air and on the ground.

SINDLINGER “HAWKER HURRICANE”€

STANDARD DATA: Gross wt. 1,375. Empty wt. 984. Fuel capacity 32. Wingspan 25′. Length 19’8″. Engine 180-hp Lycoming. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 200. Cruise mph 170. Stall mph 62. Climb rate 1,850. Ceiling 21,000. Takeoff run 490. Landing roll 550. Range 575. Sindlinger’s 5/8-scale version of the British Hawker Hurricane first flew in 1972. The wings […]

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“SIZZLER”€

STANDARD DATA: Gross wt. 1,350. Empty wt. 950. Fuel capacity 33. Wingspan 18’4″. Length 20’7″. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 180. Cruise mph 160. Stall mph 70. Climb rate 900. Takeoff run 1,200. Landing roll 700. Range 600. The two-place Sizzler features a T-tail arrangement and gets a fair amount of lift from its fuselage. The lowwing […]

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SKYSTAR “KITFOX”€

STANDARD DATA: Seats 2. Gross wt. 1,200-1,400. Empty wt. 495-705. Fuel capacity 21-25. Engine 50-to 80-hp Rotax 503, 582, or 912. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 95-135. Cruise mph 85-125. Initial climb rate 880-1,200. Ceiling n/a. Range 170-640. Takeoff distance (50) 200. Landing distance (50′) 200-240. The SkyStar Kitfox series became one of the most popular kitplane […]

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SKYSTAR “VIXEN”€

STANDARD DATA: Seats 2. Gross wt. 1,400. Empty wt. 725. Fuel capacity 26. Engine 80-hp Rotax 912. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 123. Cruise mph 112. Initial climb rate 1,200. Ceiling n/a. Range 618. Takeoff distance (50) 230. Landing distance (50) 220. Now sold as the SkyStar Vixen, this is a two-place fixed-trigear sportplane designed to give […]

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SMITH “MINIPLANE”€

STANDARD DATA: Gross wt. 1,000. Empty wt. 616. Fuel capacity 17. Wingspan 17′. Length 15’3″. Engine 65- to 85-hp, Continental or 100- to 125-hp Lycoming. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 130. Cruise mph 122. Stall mph 56. Climb rate 1,600. Ceiling 13,000. Takeoff run 375. Landing roll 500. Range 275. The primary appeals of the Smith Miniplane […]

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SMYTH “SIDEWINDER”€

STANDARD DATA: Gross wt. 1,450. Empty wt. 867. Fuel capacity 17. Wingspan 24’10”. Length 19’4″. Engine 125-hp Lycoming. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 185. Cruise mph 160. Stall mph 55. Climb rate 900. Ceiling 15,000. Takeoff run 800. Landing roll 1,500. Range 425. In order to simplify construction of the Sidewinder, several standard components are borrowed from […]

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SONEX

STANDARD DATA: Gross wt. 1,000. Empty wt. 620. Fuel capacity 16. Wingspan 22’10”. Length 20’10”. Engine 8-hp 2180 VW. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 150. Cruise mph 110. Stall mph 40. Climb rate 800-1,000 fpm. Range 475. The Sonex is a relatively inexpensive two-seater of all metal construction. It uses a variety of engines from 80 to […]

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SORRELL “HIPERBIPE”€

STANDARD DATA: Gross wt. 1,911. Empty wt. 1,236. Fuel capacity 39. Wingspan 22’10”. Length 20’10”. Engine 180-hp Lycoming. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 170. Cruise mph 160. Stall mph 49. Climb rate 1,500. Ceiling 20,000. Takeoff run 400. Landing roll 595. Range 502. Even the most advanced aerobatic maneuvers are possible in the Hiperbipe, such as vertical […]

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SPACE SHIP ONE

STANDARD DATA: Gross wt. 6,800. Empty wt. 2,500. Engine, hybrid rocket motor, 18,000 lbs. of thrust. Initial rate of climb, 198,000 fpm. Max speed Mach 3.3. Landing distance 3,000′. Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites built the composite three-seater with a hybrid rocket propulsion system provided by SpaceDev of Poway, California. Hybrid propulsion uses nitrous oxide—also dubbed […]

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SPENCER “AIR CAR”€

STANDARD DATA: Gross wt. 3,200. Empty wt. 2,190. Fuel capacity 94. Wingspan 37’4″. Length 26’5″. Engine 285-hp Continental. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 147. Cruise mph 135. Stall mph 43. Climb rate 1,000. Takeoff time 16 sec. Range 700. The Air Car is a four-place retractable with a strong family resemblance to the old Republic Seabee. The […]

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