Today’s Top Pick is a 2016 Piper PA-46R-350T M350.

For many pilots who are looking to step up from their four-seat piston singles, turboprops are the stuff of dreams. Often, though, a turbocharged piston with a pressurized cabin is closer to reality.

Besides, many of us prefer the familiarity and relative budget friendliness of pistons. We just want to fly a bit higher and faster. Piper’s long-running range of PA-46 models was developed with this market in mind.

One of the best things about the PA-46 might be that it was designed to please passengers as much as pilots. Those of us who like to load up our families for long trips know how important it is to keep everyone comfortable and at ease.

A large, smooth-flying aircraft with a roomy six-seat cabin is a good place to start. Adding pressurization means you can operate at 20,000 feet and above without having to breath supplemental oxygen through cannulas—something few passengers enjoy. Turbocharging helps keep the pace high as altitude tries to sap the engine’s power. A robust climate control system can keep just about everyone comfortable.

Like many aircraft, especially complex models, the PA-46 has benefited from continuous improvement during its 40 years on the market, so later models like this M350 have long had the “bugs” worked out.

This 2016 PA-46 M350 has 735 hours on the airframe, its 350 hp Lycoming TIO-540 engine, and Hartzell propeller. The aircraft has a useful load of 1,170 pounds and carries 120 gallons of fuel.

The panel features a Garmin G1000 avionics suite with an Aspen standby EFD 1000, Garmin GTX33ES transponder, GMA 350C audio panel, GWX weather radar, GFC 700 autopilot, Jeppesen Chartview Flite Charts, Synthetic Vision, TAWS-B terrain warning system, Safe Taxi, dual AHRS computers, XM Satellite Weather, and WX500 Stormscope

The aircraft is FIKI-equipped and comes with an automatic wings-level mode, enhanced stability protection, speedbrakes, integrated digital cabin pressurization, air conditioning, pulse oximeter, executive writing table, 110-volt paper outlets, USB outlets, and relief tube.

Pilots who want to treat family and friends to an airline-style experience in a roomy, pressurized cabin traveling in the flight levels should consider this 2016 Piper M350, which is available for $975,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use its airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Piper Launches M600 and M350
• FLYING Magazine: Garmin’s G1000 NXi Now Certified on Piper M350 and M500
• FLYING Magazine: We Fly: Piper M600/SLS Halo
• Plane & Pilot: Choosing a Six-Seat Single
• Plane & Pilot: Piper Malibu & Cessna 210N, 1978
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Piper PA-46 Malibu/Mirage/Matrix
• AVweb: Aero: Piper’s M-Class Sales Strong, Factory Bulks Up

The post This 2016 Piper PA-46R-350T Is a Stable, Passenger-Pleasing ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1979 Piper PA-32RT-300T Turbo Lance II.

Piper is famous for morphing its basic PA-28 Cherokee airframe into a full and diverse fleet of aircraft including two-, four- and six-place singles, light twins, trainers, and high-performance models. The retractable Lance and Turbo Lance were evolutions of the company’s six-place, fixed-gear Cherokee Six, which served as a flying family SUV.

For many years the Turbo Lance has offered pilots an economical way to cut their travel time using the advantages of turbocharging which, along with improved aerodynamics, boosted the airplane’s speed, especially at higher altitudes. The T-tail that appeared on this model and some other Pipers in the late 1970s gives it speedy looks to go with its improved performance.

This 1979 Piper PA-32RT-300T Turbo Lance II has 9,278 hours on the airframe and 595 hours on its Lycoming TIO-540-SIAD engine since overhaul.

The panel includes an Apollo MX20 MFD with moving map, Apollo GX50 and GX55, dual King KX155 nav/coms, KT76A transponder, ADF, Insight graphic engine monitor, King HSI, Altimatic autopilot, Shadin fuel flow, and Davtron DC voltmeter.

Pilots seeking a turbocharged path to speedy, high-altitude travel with a roomy, six-seat cabin should consider this 1979 Piper Turbo Lance, which is available for $147,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Air Compare: Piper Lance vs. Saratoga
• FLYING Magazine: The Practical Endurance of the Piper Cherokee Six
• Plane & Pilot: Piper Lance/Turbo Lance
• Plane & Pilot: Piper Saratoga II TC: It‘s All About Comfort

The post This 1979 Piper PA-32RT-300T Turbo Lance II Is a High-Altitude ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2017 GippsAero GA8 Airvan.

GippsAero got its start during the 1970s as Gippsland Aeronautics, an Australian company specializing in maintaining and modifying aircraft. During the late 1980s, the company developed an agricultural crop-spraying aircraft called the GA200 followed by the GA8 utility aircraft, which first flew in 1995. Indian industrial conglomerate Mahindra Group acquired a controlling stake in GippsAero in 2009 but halted production in 2020. Last week, company co-founder George Morgan announced that he had bought out Mahindra’s interest and plans to restart production in Australia.

Airvans are rare sights in the U.S., but I spotted one last summer on the ramp at Hancock County/Bar Harbor Airport (KBHB) in Maine. Its wide fuselage and high, strut-braced wing helped it blend in with the Cessna Caravans and 206s operating there. That seems appropriate as the GA8 was designed to fill a perceived gap in the market between the six-seat piston 206 and 10-seat turboprop Caravan.

This 2017 GA8 has 1,000 hours on the airframe, its Lycoming TIO-540 engine and its Hartzell propeller. The panel includes Garmin G500 flight display, GTN 750, GTN 650, and an engine analyzer. The aircraft’s interior is set up in an eight-seat configuration for passengers.    

Commercial operators can find many uses for the GippsAero GA8 easily, but so can everyday pilots. If you want an airplane that can haul your immediate family plus a few cousins or close friends, or a family of four with lots of baggage, you should consider this 2017 GippsAero GA8 Airvan, which is available for $800,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: GippsAero GA8 Airvan
• FLYING Magazine: Mahindra’s Airvan 10 Turboprop Certified
• FLYING Magazine: Caravan-Lite: Gippsland GA-8 Airvan
• Plane & Pilot: Gipps Airvan: Don‘t Call It A Caravan
• Plane & Pilot: Micro AeroDynamics Offers VG Kits For Airvan
• Plane & Pilot: GippsAero Airvan Gets the Axe
• AVweb: GippsAero Founder Buys Back Company

The post The 2017 GippsAero GA8 Airvan Is a Utilitarian ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.