Fixed-Gear, Utility Class Singles
Fixed-gear single-engine turboprops are reliable load haulers that are favorites for air cargo and backcountry operations. If you need to operate on water or haul a load out to that dirt strip on the ranch, one of these models might just be the ticket.

Cessna Caravans
First delivered in 1985, the immensely successful Cessna Caravan series has racked up over 15 million fleet hours and an impressive safety record. It's a testament to the versatility of the design that the Caravan is now offered in four different configurations to address a wide range of missions. Three of those, the 675, Amphibian and the new Grand Caravan EX, are probably the most interesting to owner-pilots. All are three-screen G1000 equipped, have a fuel capacity of 335 gallons and direct operating cost around $464/hour. Contact: www.cessna.com.

Caravan 675. This is the original model that seats eight to 14 and has a maximum cruise speed of 186 KTAS with a maximum range of 949 nm. Powered by a P&WC PT6A-114A 675 shp engine, it can carry 1,071 pounds of payload with full fuel. Typical price is $2.132 million.

Caravan Amphibian. Basically an amphibian 675, there's seating for eight to 14, with extra cargo volume (in the floats) that can handle a total of 725 pounds of baggage. Maximum speed is 162 KTAS with a maximum range of 820 nm. Top the tanks, and the Amphibian can handle 561 pounds of payload. The typical price is $2.254 million.

Grand Caravan EX. New this year, the Grand EX features an increase in power with a PT6A-140 that delivers 867 hp. With its stretched fuselage, this is the biggest Caravan of all, seating 10 to 14. At 10,000 feet, maximum speed is 194 KTAS with a range of 960 nm. Load it up with full fuel, and you can carry an impressive 2,038 pounds of payload. Typically equipped pricing is $2.436 million.

Quest Kodiak
Designed to handle rough backcountry strips, the Kodiak is aimed squarely at the rugged utility turboprop market. Power is supplied by a P&WC PT6A-34 750 hp engine with a 4,000-hour TBO. The cabin can accommodate up to 10 seats or 248 cubic feet of cargo that can be loaded through the front cockpit doors or the large rear 49x49-inch cargo door. Fuel capacity is 320 gallons, which gives a maximum range of 1,132 nm (at 135 knots). Top speed is 183 KTAS. At full gross weight, the Kodiak can get airborne after only 934 feet of ground roll, and it touches down and stops within 705 feet without using reverse. Up front, a three-screen Garmin G1000 avionics package provides state-of-the art navigation capability. Options include XM weather, GWX onboard radar, Stormscope, a large cargo pod, amphibious floats and a couple of interior seating packages. New for 2013 are updated versions of the basic "Timberline" and more upscale "Tundra" interior options, along with a new "Summit" executive interior package with club seating and a drop-down table that will debut sometime mid-2013. Base price is $1.775 million, and typically equipped Kodiaks go for about $1.95 million. Contact: www.questaircraft.com.

High-Speed SETP Cruisers
Single-engine retractable turboprops are fast, economical and have a good safety record. These are serious traveling machines with single-engine operating economics and performance that make them very popular with owner-pilots.

Extra 500
Designed by Walter Extra and built in Germany, the Extra 500 is a composite, six-place, pressurized, high-wing traveling machine with a slightly different take on turbine power. The design philosophy trades high speed and cruise altitude for turbine reliability combined with very low operating economics and long range. Powered by a 450 hp Allison/Rolls-Royce 250-B17F engine, the 500 is certified to a maximum altitude of FL 250. The engine has a critical altitude of 16,000 feet, which produces a top speed of 226 KTAS while drinking only 21 gph. Fill the tanks with 172 gallons of Jet A (max useable), cruise at max range power, and the 500 will cover 1,600 nm, though it will take about seven hours to do it. Up front, the panel is outfitted with a two-screen Avidyne Entegra R9 avionics package coupled to an S-Tek 55X autopilot. In back, there's club-style seating for four in a bright and spacious European-styled cabin. Full fuel payload is 357 pounds. The current base price is $1.795 million. Contact: www.extraaircraft.com.

Piper Meridian
The 2013 Piper Meridian features a new exterior paint scheme, four new standard interior colors and a three-screen G1000 avionics suite with synthetic vision. As an entry-level turboprop, the Meridian combines low acquisition and operating costs with impressive performance. The six-place cabin features leather seats and ample space behind the rear seats for baggage. Fill the tanks with 170 gallons of Jet A, take on 559 pounds of payload, and you'll cover 1,000 nm with a 45-minute reserve. The maximum certified altitude of FL 300 makes it easy to top most weather. Cruising in the mid-20s, the Meridian achieves a top speed of 260 KTAS. The Meridian can clear a 50-foot obstacle to get in and out of a 2,438-foot field. Garmin GWX 68 onboard weather radar, GFC 700 autopilot and deice boots are standard. Options include data-link weather, TAWS and traffic warning systems. The 2013 base price is $2.176 million and, typically, equipped prices run $2.3 million. Contact: www.piper.com and www.mmopa.org.

Socata-Daher TBM 850 Elite
The new TBM 850 Elite adds even more cabin flexibility to last year's TBM 850 model. By turning the middle row of rear-facing seats around to face forward, the normal six-place cabin can be converted to a four-place aircraft with a very large baggage area in the rear cabin. This configuration creates room for an impressive 507 pounds of cargo in the designated baggage areas. An optional pilot door and the standard large rear cargo door makes loading easy. Top the tanks with full fuel (291 gallons useable), load 931 pounds of people and baggage, and you'll cover 1410 nm at max cruise. Climb to the certified ceiling of FL 310, slow to 252 KTAS and you'll cover an impressive 1,585 nm (with a 45-minute reserve) between fill- ups. Maximum speed at FL 260 is a jet-like 320 KTAS, and yet the TBM 850 can still comfortably operate out of runways as short as 2,840 feet (with a 50-foot obstacle.) Standard avionics include the three-screen Garmin G1000 with GFC 700 autopilot, Garmin GTS 820 traffic warning system, Garmin TAWS , on-board GWX 68 weather radar and XM data weather link. The TBM fleet is over 600 with nearly a million operating hours. Current base price is $3.251 million with an average equipped price of $3.414 million. Prices include a comprehensive five-year maintenance and warranty program. Contact: www.tbm850.com and www.tbmowners.org.

Pilatus PC-12/47 NG
The newest PC-12/47 NG features a 532-pound increase in useful load over earlier PC-12 models. New this year is the SmartView synthetic vision system integrated into the four-screen Honeywell Primus Apex avionics system. With a fleet size of over 1,200, the PC-12 has been a very successful aircraft, and it's easy to understand why. First, it will go a long way between fill-ups. The maximum range is 1,573 nm at the max cruise speed of 280 KTAS and nearly 2000 nm if slowed to 250 KTAS. Second, it's indeed a great big airplane. Its huge cabin can accommodate up to nine passengers and a lot of stuff, so it's well suited to a wide range of missions, like executive transport, air cargo, air ambulance and special government missions. The PC-12/47 NG also features a forward passenger air-stair door, an enclosed lavatory and a large 52x52-inch rear cargo door. It can carry 1,029 pounds of payload with full fuel (402 gallons) and still operate out of a 2,650-foot runway while clearing a 50-foot obstacle. The maximum certified altitude is a weather-topping FL 300. Base price is $3.810 million, and typically equipped executive versions go for $4.582 million. Contact: www.pilatus-aircraft.com and www.pilatusowners.com.

Mutli-Engine Turboprops
If you feel the need for a spare engine, multi-engine turboprops offer even more cabin space and more capability than turbine singles.

Beechcraft King Air C90GTx
With the recent 7,000th King Air delivery, Beechcraft has produced one of the most successful GA turbine aircraft in history. The C90GTx is the latest iteration of the popular C90 series, taking payload and performance to new levels. This year's model now sports composite winglets that look great and improve both climb performance and fuel efficiency. With dual PT6A-135 550 hp engines, the C90GTx turns in a respectable 272 KTAS top speed and can transport four passengers 1,236 nm with NBAA reserves. Payload with the tanks filled with 384 gallons of Jet A is an impressive 937 pounds. At MTOW, the C90GTx can operate out of runways as short as 2,552 feet. The spacious cabin can accommodate eight to nine, and features a large 48-cubic-foot rear baggage area that can handle up to 350 pounds and be accessed during flight. Throughout the cabin, 26 dynamic sound dampers are electronically tuned to damp propeller noise and produce an amazingly quiet ride. Passengers are treated to large, fully adjustable leather seats with plenty of shoulder room, light and luxury. Up front, the cockpit features the capable three-screen Rockwell Collins Proline 21 avionics package along with TWR-850 weather radar with four-color, six-range capability. The C90 fleet is over 2,000 aircraft, and 2013 prices start at $3.834 million. Contact: www.hawkerbeechcraft.com.

Piaggio P180 Avanti II
The Italian-made Piaggio P-180 Avanti II demonstrates that form really does follow function. With three lifting surfaces (the rear wings, forward wings and fuselage), everything on the uniquely designed Piaggio is there for a good reason---namely, to provide a spacious cabin, reduce drag and go as fast as possible. The resulting low-drag/high-lift configuration makes the Piaggio the fastest, most efficient twin turboprop in the sky with an impressive top speed of 402 KTAS. The certified ceiling is a jet-like FL 410 that helps produce a maximum range of 1,498 nm. The twin pusher PT6A-66B engines send exhaust and noise out the back, so that prop deicing is unnecessary and the cabin stays extraordinarily quiet. Fill the tanks with 418 gallons, and you can still load an impressive 1,498 pounds of payload and get in and out of a 3,282-foot runway. At a base price of $7.195 million, the P-180 competes with higher-end light jets in price, size and performance. Contact: www.piaggioaero.com.

Jets
If you've got the means and the need for speed, there's a lot to choose from in the light-jet market. All of these jets are single-pilot certified, equipped with more technology than many airliners and provide a whole new level of comfort for long-distance travel.

Eclipse Aerospace EA-550
The new Eclipse EA-550 is the most efficient twin jet on the market. With the ability to climb directly to FL 410, the EA-550 will cruise at 375 KTAS while burning a total of only 59 gph. Load full fuel (251 gal) and you can carry a payload of 636 pounds and travel 1,125 nm with NBAA IFR reserves. The Eclipse can get in and out of a 2,790-foot field (clearing a 50-foot obstacle), and now sports anti-skid brakes for powerful stopping power while protecting the tires. The interior features five leather seats with a dedicated 16-cubic-foot baggage area inside the pressure bulkhead behind the seats. Up front, the panel sports the Avio IFMS avionics suite that features dual FMS panels, full system synoptics along with support for integrated auto throttles, synthetic vision and EVS (enhanced vision system). Base price is $2.695 million, and deliveries are expected to start in 2013. Contact: www.eclipse.aero and www.eclipse500club.org.

Cessna Citation Mustang
The Citation Mustang may be Cessna's smallest jet, but it's a real jet and pilots agree that it handles just like a Citation. With leather club seating for four in back and a curtained lavatory, the Mustang is a favorite with passengers. Top the tanks with 385 gallons, load 765 pounds of payload and the Mustang can climb directly to its maximum certified altitude of FL 410 in 27 minutes. Maximum range at the normal cruise speed of 340 KTAS is 1,150 nm with NBAA reserves. Baggage areas in the nose, cabin and tail provide 63 cubic feet of space that can hold a maximum of 718 pounds. Up front, the cockpit features a three-screen G1000 system with the GFC 700 autopilot. Deice boots keep the airframe free of ice while the GWX 68 weather radar and XM weather link capability provide weather data. For 2013, Cessna is also introducing a specialized air-ambulance Mustang optimized for air-evac missions. Typically equipped price is $3.367 million. Contact: www.cessna.com and www.citationjetpilots.com.

Cessna Citation M2
The new Citation M2 blends the best features of the Mustang and the (now discontinued) CJ1+ with winglets, and the result is one of the best-looking, most advanced CJs ever produced. Aerodynamic improvements and new Williams FJ44-1AP-21 engines with 1,965 pounds of thrust produce a maximum cruise speed of 400 KTAS with a range of 1,300 nm. The M2 can climb directly to its maximum certified ceiling of FL 410 in only 24 minutes. Full fuel payload is 700 pounds, with seating for up to eight and baggage capacity up to 725 pounds. The cabin features a fully enclosed rear lavatory, fully adjustable leather seating and the optional Heads Up "Clairity" integrated audio/video entertainment system. New options also include provisions for both global and domestic inflight Internet service. The panel features the newest three-screen Garmin G3000 Intrinzic avionics package with dual touch screen keypads. The M2 is single-pilot certified, and deliveries are expected to begin in Q3, 2013. Base price is $4.2 million. Contact: www.cessna.com and www.citationjetpilots.com.

Phenom 100
The Phenom 100 is a six-to-eight-place entry-level jet from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer with more than entry-level performance. The Phenom 100 features P&WC PW617F-E engines with 1,615 pounds of thrust, turning in a top speed of 390 KTAS. Fill the tanks with 419 gallons of Jet A, load up 780 pounds of payload, climb directly to the maximum certified altitude of FL 410, and the Phenom 100 can cover up to 1,178 nm with 100 nm NBAA reserves. Dedicated cargo space measuring 73 cubic feet of dedicated cargo space provides plenty of room for bags. The modern interior design created with BMW Designworks USA features leather club seating in the cabin with side tables and a fully enclosed rear lavatory. Up front, the easily accessible cockpit features the capable Garmin G1000 Prodigy flight deck with three 12.4-inch interchangeable screens. Wing and tail deice boots provide ice protection. Now made in the U.S., the 2013 base price is $4.08 million and typically equipped about $4.28 million. Contact: www.embraerexecutivejets.com and www.phenom.aero.