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 multi-engine piston plane market is niche but offers a diverse range of aircraft, from dedicated flight trainers like the Piper Seminole to advanced personal and business transportation twins such as the Diamond DA62 and Beechcraft G58 Baron.
  • Featured aircraft showcase a variety of design philosophies and innovations, including highly fuel-efficient Rotax or diesel engines, modern all-digital avionics suites, and specialized configurations for utility, comfort, or enhanced performance.
  • These planes fulfill different operational niches, balancing attributes like low operating costs, cruise speed, payload capacity, and advanced safety features, catering to both new pilots and experienced personal/business travelers.
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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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