This 1972 SOCATA MS.894A Is a Short-Field, Backcountry ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

1972 SOCATA MS.894A [Courtesy: Collin Klopfenstein]

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1972 SOCATA MS.894A.

It seems that we have featured a lot of SOCATAs here recently, but this one is a departure.

Mainstream pilots in the U.S. began to get acquainted with the French-built SOCATA line of GA aircraft when the modern, stylish TB series made inroads during the early 1980s. More recently the company, now called Daher-SOCATA, or simply Daher, has gained significant recognition and praise for its fast, luxurious TBM turboprop singles. In contrast, the Rallye family of airplanes that formed the company’s early entries in the U.S. market remains a curiosity.

The Rallye models warrant your attention, though, especially if you are shopping for an aircraft with STOL capability and distinctive styling. Rallyes feature full-span leading-edge slats that deploy aerodynamically. This wing design, which is unusual on small personal aircraft, provides extreme low-speed and short-field performance. The aircraft for sale here also has trailing-link landing gear and extra prop clearance for operating from rough strips.

While the MS.894 has four seats, it functions more like a “2+2” sports car in which the rear seats are more practical as supplemental luggage space than as passenger accommodations. The seller describes the airplane as an ideal platform for air camping with two people, which seems like an accurate characterization. In some ways this airplane is the French interpretation of a Maule M-7 or a Piper Super Cub.

This SOCATA MS.894A has 1,626 hours on the airframe, 36 hours on its 220 hp Franklin 6A-350-C1 engine since overhaul, and 315 hours on its Hartzell propeller since overhaul. The VFR panel features a Garmin GNS 430 in addition to traditional round analog instruments. Control is via dual sticks.

Pilots looking for a low-wing personal aircraft with true STOL performance and a number of unusual and thoughtful design characteristics should consider this 1972 SOCATA MS.894, which is available for $63,000 on AircraftForSale.

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