Plane & Pilot 2017 Buyer’s Guide: Piston Twins

Looking for a piston multi? You've come to the right place.

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The market for multi-engine piston planes is limited in options but diverse, ranging from dedicated training aircraft like the Piper Seminole and Tecnam P2006T to advanced personal and business transportation models.
  • Modern offerings include fuel-efficient diesel twins such as the Diamond DA42 and the high-performance DA62, alongside traditional powerful options like the Piper Seneca V, Vulcanair Vr, and the iconic Beechcraft G58 Baron.
  • Aircraft in this segment prioritize specific niches, with many featuring advanced avionics like Garmin G1000 suites, impressive payloads, varying speeds, and capabilities for purposes from cost-effective training to long-range, multi-passenger travel.
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Piper Seneca
Piper Seneca

Piper Seneca V

Piper’s signature twin, the Seneca V, has been around for years, and in some ways it’s been a forgotten part of Piper’s fleet, with more visible, popular platforms in the PA46 lineup. But the Seneca is a terrific personal airplane—it’s fast, has a good payload, can go a long way and has the kind of friendly flying manners common to Piper aircraft. The Seneca’s turbocharged Continental TSIO-360Bs produce 220 hp each (160 fewer ponies than the Baron, its main competitor), but it makes the most of that power with a sleek aerodynamic design and big wing that create a similar end result arrived at in a different way. The Seneca is fast (200 knots at high cruise), roomy and boasts the G1000 integrated flat-panel avionics suite with a host of safety features. It’s available with flight into known icing capability, onboard weather radar, and air-conditioning, built-in oxygen and satellite communications.

Niche: Transportation

Base Price: $999,900

Competitors: Beech G58 Baron, Diamond DA62, Vulcanair Vr

Piper Seneca VSpecifications

Learn more at Piper Aircraft.

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