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.
Piper Matrix: The Second-Year Test
A year after Piper shut down the Saratoga HP, the Matrix helps pick up the slack
2010 Piper Matrix
2010 Piper Matrix Price: $819,000; $869,000 (with Garmin G1000) Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-E2A Horsepower: 350 Propeller: 3-blade Hartzell Max ramp weight (lbs.): 4358 Max takeoff weight (lbs.): 4340 Landing weight (lbs.): 4123 Empty weight (lbs.): 2937 Useful load (lbs.): 1421 Usable fuel (gals./lbs.): 120/720 Payload, full std. fuel (lbs.): 669 Wingspan (ft.): 43 Overall length: 28 […]
REDFERN NIEUPORT 21
STANDARD DATA: Gross wt. 1,391. Empty wt. 1,006. Fuel capacity 30. Wingspan 27’5″. Length 19′. Engine 145- to 165-hp Warner. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 120. Cruise mph 110. Stall mph 45. Climb rate 1,500. Takeoff run 100. Landing roll 300. Range 350. This replica of the famous World War I Nieuport 21 is powered by a […]
RENEGADE
STANDARD DATA: Gross wt. 652. Empty wt. 400. Fuel capacity 7.5. Wingspan 16′. Length 14′. PERFORMANCE: (40 hp) Top mph 130. Cruise mph 120. Stall mph 49. Climb rate 1,000. Takeoff run 560. Landing roll 400. Range 375. This Formula-V sport racer features a straight-line wing design. Its designer, Charles Lasher, chose steeltube construction for […]
RICHARD COMMUTER
STANDARD DATA: Gross wt. 1,500. Empty wt. 805. Fuel capacity 50. Wingspan 25′. Length 19’9″. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 150. Cruise mph 140. Stall mph 40. Climb rate 900. Takeoff run 1,200. Landing roll 1,500. Range 900. The Commuter is a high-wing cabin monoplane that features all-metal construction with no complicated compound-curve skin panels. The two-place […]
RLU-1 “BREEZY”
STANDARD DATA: Gross wt. 1,200. Empty wt. 700. Fuel capacity 18. Wingspan 33′. Length 22’6″ PERFORMANCE: Top mph 105. Cruise mph 75. Stall mph 25. Climb rate 500. Takeoff run 450. Landing roll 450. Range 250. Minimum structure and maximum open-air fun are the formula for the Breezy. It is a three-place airplane with two […]
ROTORWAY INTERNATIONAL “SCORPION”/”EXEC”
Exec 162F STANDARD DATA: SCORPION Gross wt. 1,250. Empty wt. 800. Fuel capacity 10. Rotor diameter 25′. Length 27′. Engine 133-hp RotorWay. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 95. Cruise mph 80-90. Climb rate 800. Range 120. Ceiling 10,000. Hover I.G.E. 6,500. STANDARD DATA: EXEC 162F Gross wt. 1500. Empty wt. 975. Fuel capacity 17. Rotor diameter 25′. […]
