What Kind Of Plane Should I get??

Question

The Miles That I would Be flying is about 2374 miles ( here From California.

Single Propeller Plane

Twin engine propeller Plane

Please include how far it can go on a full tank

Include how Fast it Can go

Include how High it can go

Thank you

Answer 1

Mooney's. They are very quick and clean planes. the Acclaim S goes about 242 Knots, and have a ceiling of 25,000ft. it is a single engine plane. with a twin-turbo 280hp engine this thing moves. it holds 100 to 128 gallons of fuel. which should get you to your destination.

Answer 2

How much cargo (luggage, etc.), and how many passengers would you be carrying.  If you didn't plan on bringing anything, other than yourself, maybe one passenger, and a few items such as suitcases, etc., I'd consider getting a Lancair.  (They fly high and fast, but they're not the best for flying a lot of people or heavy payloads, as they only have 4 seats, and some smaller models have 2).

A twin engine performs better, plus probably has better range (due to holding more fuel), but it will probably be more expensive to buy and to own than a single engine airplane.  Something to keep in mind.  (A Beech Baron is a good twin-engine plane to consider).

Answer 3

Your question is pretty broad. Most any good single engine aircraft is capable of traversing the country given sufficient piloting skills, good weather, and proper maintenance. A friend and his brother recently flew from No. California to Florida over a period of about 4 days and then back again in an old Cessna 150.

Let's say for example a Cessna 182, a middle of the road single engine. Typical cruise would be around 130-140 knots. Fuel burn is around 12 gals/hr and tanks hold typically +/- 80 gals. You would obviously have to stop for fuel every few hours (and there is no built in lavatory!). Typical range would be around 650-850 miles depending upon winds. A realistic cruise ceiling would probably be around 14-16,000 ft for a non-turbocharged aircraft.

Twins are a lot more airplane. Sometimes you can find "bargains" on them because they cost a lot more to maintain and insure and burn quite a bit more fuel generally. Some twins like Beech Barons are very expensive; new they are around $1M. They also take more training to learn to fly (compared to a single engine).

If you are interested in purchasing an aircraft, I might recommend you take some lessons and see all that is involved in buying/maintaining/owning one before you jump into it. Its the only way to truly know what its all about and everything involved in making an intelligent choice about owning a plane.

Answer 4

The Spirit Of St.Louis flew accross the world....and that was a single engine plane. The Amelia Earhart plane also flew accross the world, but that was a dual turbo prop Bristol Blenhiem (I think)...and then there was this dude who flew a Sopwith-Camel with water-skis, from England to Australia attempting to do the world, I forgot the dude's name, sorry. So it's a matter of preferance really! I think...it all depends on how many times you want to land and get gas...and how fast you wanna make it. If you wanna be there in 30-40 mins, you could look into buying an old Lockheed-Martin SR71 Blackbird also knows as the HABU, rated at still unknown (civilians) speeds of MACH 4PLUS! :-)