Pistons: Enduring Investments for Capable Mounts
Piston-powered, high-performance airplanes with good utility hold their value over decades.
The Beechcraft Bonanza remains a perennial favorite among pilots—to put it in the words of Lou Seno, chairman emeritus of JSSI and a longtime F33 owner, “good ones seem to sell fast even in a bad market.” And this has not been a bad market by any stretch of the imagination.
That sentiment is echoed around the industry—piston-powered, high-performance airplanes with good utility hold their value over decades. What does this mean for pilots wanting to invest in a new Bonanza—or the like? You may pay what feels like a premium price, but your investment will remain secure, even as you fly the pants off that bird.
Jim Blessing, president of AirFleet Capital, concurs. “Our experience has been that aircraft that provide good utility have held their values well over time,” he says. Those types include the Cessna 210 and 206, Piper PA-32-series aircraft and, yes, Bonanzas, in his estimation. The numbers don’t lie—a Cessna 206 purchased new in 2004 still commands between $450,000 and $650,000, which is more than what the pilot paid for it, with a 2023 206H Stationair flying out of Wichita next year for about $775,000. The new buyer can still take advantage of attractive financing and depreciation to offset the higher purchase price. And their investment will offer more in return than just the joy of flying it.
AIRCRAFT MAKE/MODEL | MFG BASE PRICE | ENGINE | SEATS | MAX TAKEOFF WEIGHT | USEFUL LOAD | FUEL BURN | MAX SPEED | MAX RANGE | STALL SPEED | TAKEOFF DISTANCE | LANDING DISTANCE |
American Champion Scout | $302,000 (2022) | Lycoming O-360-C1G | 2 | 2,150 lb. | 810 lb. | 6.9 to 10.3 gph | 140 mph | 1,079 nm @ 55% pwr | 40 mph | 697 ft. over 50-ft. obs | 887 ft. over 50-ft. obs |
American Champion Super Decathlon | $305,000 (2022) | Lycoming AEIO-360-H1B | 2 | 1,950 lb. | 645 lb. | 9.6 gph | 155 mph | 458 nm @ 75% pwr | 57 mph | 1,061 ft. over 50-ft. obs | 1,126 ft. over 50-ft. obs |
Aviat Pitts S-2C | $436,100 | Lycoming AEIO-540 | 2 | 1,700 lb. | 470 lb. (acro) | 14 gph | 169 knots | 284 sm @ 75% pwr | 56 kias | 860 ft. over 50-ft. obs | 1,200 ft. over 50-ft. obs |
Aviat Husky A1-C-200 | $422,456 | Lycoming IO-360-A1D6 | 2 | 2,250 lb. | 930 lb. | 7.6 gph @ 55% pwr | 149 mph | 828 nm @ 55% pwr | 43 mph | 265 ft. /6 secs | 398 ft. ground roll |
Beechcraft Bonanza G36 | $999,000 | Continental IO-550-B | 6 | 3,805 lb. | 1,213 lb. | 17 gph | 174 ktas | 920 nm | 59 kcas | 1,300 ft. ground roll | 920 ft. ground roll |
Cessna Skyhawk | $454,000 | Lycoming IO-360-L2A | 4 | 2,550 lb. | 878 lb. | 10 gph | 124 ktas | 640 nm | 48 kcas | 960 ft. ground roll | 575 ft. ground roll |
Cessna Skylane | $574,000 | Lycoming IO-540-AB1A5 | 4 | 3,100 lb. | 1,110 lb. | 12.5 gph | 145 ktas | 915 nm | 49 kcas | 795 ft. ground roll | 590 ft. ground roll |
Cessna Turbo Skylane | $653,000 (2023) | Lycoming TIO-540-AK1A | 4 | 3,100 lb. | 988 lb. | 17 gph | 165 ktas | 971 nm | 49 kcas | 775 ft. ground roll | 590 ft. ground roll |
Cessna Turbo Stationair HD | $795,000 | Lycoming TIO-540-AJ1A | 6 | 3,789 lb. | 1,441 lb. | 19 gph | 161 ktas | 703 nm | 57 kcas | 1,060 ft. ground roll | 735 ft. ground roll |
Cirrus SR20 | $524,600 | Lycoming IO-390-C3B6 | 4 | 3,150 lb. | 1,028 lb. | 11.8 gph | 155 ktas | 709 nm | 57 kcas | 1,685 ft. ground roll | 853 ft. ground roll |
Cirrus SR22 G6 | $722,900 | Continental TSIO-550-K | 4 | 3,600 lb. | 1,246 lb. | 18 gph | 213 ktas | 1,021 nm | 60 kcas (with flaps) | 2,080 ft. over 50-ft. obs | 1,178 ft. ground roll |
CubCrafters XCub | $396,000 | Lycoming 0-360-C4P | 2 | 2,300 lb. | 1,084 lb. | 8.5 gph @ 60% pwr | 156 mph | 800 nm | 43 mph | 170 ft. ground roll | 170 ft. ground roll |
CubCrafters NXCub | $396,000 | Lycoming CC393i | 2 | 2,300 lb. | 1,006 lb. | 9.5 gph @ 60% pwr | 156 mph | 860 nm | 43 mph | 120 ft. ground roll | 80 ft. ground roll |
Diamond DA40 NG | $524,000 | Austro Engine AE300 (diesel) | 4 | 2,888 lb. | 950 lb. | 5.1 gph @ 60% pwr | 154 ktas | 984 nm @ 45% pwr | 58 kcas (ldg config) | 1,302 ft. ground roll | 1,043 ft. ground roll |
Extra NG | $580,000 | Lycoming AEIO-580-B1A | 2 | 2,094 lb./1,808 lb. (acro) | 408 lb. (acro) | NA | 202 ktas | NA | 50 kcas (acro) | NA | NA |
Gamebird GB1 | $515,000 | Lycoming AEIO-580-B1A | 2 | 2,200 lb. | 910 lb. | 16 gph | 235 ktas | 1,000 nm | 60 kcas | 980 ft. ground roll | 1,480 ft. ground roll |
Maule MX-7-180B | $397,000 | Lycoming O-360-C1F | 4 | 2,500 lb. | 1,030 lb. | 9 gph | 117 ktas | 932 nm | 35 kcas (ldg config) | 700 ft. over 50-ft. obs | 900 ft. over 50-ft. obs |
Piper Archer LX | $491,000 | Lycoming IO-360-B4A | 4 | 2,550 lb. | 870 lb. | 9 gph | 128 ktas | 522 nm | 45 kias | 1,608 ft. over 50-ft. obs | 1,400 ft. over 50-ft. obs |
Piper Archer DX | $554,000 | Continental CD-155 (diesel) | 4 | 2,550 lb. | 794 lb. | 6 gph | 123 ktas | 848 nm | 45 kias | 1,673 ft. over 50-ft. obs | 1,400 ft. over 50-ft. obs |
Piper M350 | $1,437,495 | Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A | 6 | 4,340 lb. | 1,212 lb. | 20 gph | 198 ktas | NA | 58 kias | 2,090 ft. over 50-ft. obs | 1,968 ft. over 50-ft. obs |
Pipistrel Panthera | 725,000 EUR | Lycoming IO-540V-V4A5 | 4 | 2,900 lb. | 1,100 lb. | 13.6 gph @ 75% pwr | 198 ktas /FL80 | 1,000 nm /155 kt/FL120 | 55 kias | 2,155 ft. over 50-ft. obs | 2,316 ft. over 50-ft. obs |
Tecnam P2010 Gran Lusso | $626,750 | Continental CD-170 (diesel) | 4 | 2,557 lb. | 805 lb. | 5.2 gph | 140 ktas | 961 nm | 53 kcas | 1,394 ft. ground roll | 886 ft. ground roll |
Vulcanair 1.0 | $369,000 | Lycoming IO-360-M1A | 4 | 2,546 lb. | 882 lb. | 11.6 gph | 128 ktas | 575 nm | 52 kcas | 1,310 ft. over 50-ft. obs | 1,575 ft. over 50-ft. obs |
There’s other excitement in the single-engine piston market that taps into a different kind of utility: backcountry- and STOL-focused aircraft, such as the CubCrafters XCub and NXCub, the Maule MX-7 series, and the Aviat Husky. While no company churns out tailwheel airplanes in huge numbers, CubCrafters launched its first investment offering at EAA AirVenture this summer towards expanding its manufacturing facilities to meet demand.
And what if you want your airplane to do more than land short and haul gear? A series of just-for-serious-fun aerobatic airplanes entices pilots, beginning with the Gamebird GB-1, which hit more than 50 units delivered earlier this summer. It’s joined by the latest Extra,the NG, and the Aviat Pitts S-2C.
As for piston twins—with both normally aspirated and turbocharged engines—the persistence of solid value also holds, if the airplane has seen improvements over the years. “When it comes to older twins, for example,” Blessing says, “from the finance perspective, we are often looking to see current technologies, such as panel upgrades, engine conversions, and even other airframe modifications. These [updates] coupled with [a strong history of value retention] help give us comfort in lending for 15 years or longer on some of these assets.” One reason why a Cessna 414 or 421 still commands a decent price is that there’s no real high-powered, pressurized piston twin on the new aircraft market to compete directly. Instead, piston twins come in a different guise altogether—such as the Diamond DA62 with two Austro Engine AE330s, sipping diesel while carrying up to seven passengers.
New buyers shopping for personal transportation look to this sustainable, technologically savvy prospect—or trade up to a single- or twin-engine turboprop. Another venue for light piston twins: the training market. For this segment, Diamond offers its DA42, and for Piper Aircraft, the tested-and-true Seminole. Also, Tecnam has delivered the P2006T into flight schools around the globe for more than 10 years—and the economics work out similarly to other modern jet-A-burning pistons. At 9 gph, that’s a lot of trips around the pattern towards a multiengine rating.
Tecnam also began delivering its turbocharged twin—the P2012 Traveller—to Cape Air in 2019, and the airline continues to add 10 aircraft each year towards the 100 units it will take to fully replace its workhorse Cessna 402s.
AIRCRAFT MAKE/MODEL | MFG BASE PRICE | ENGINE | SEATS | MAX TAKEOFF WEIGHT | USEFUL LOAD | FUEL BURN | MAX SPEED | MAX RANGE | STALL SPEED | TAKEOFF DISTANCE | LANDING DISTANCE |
Beechcraft Baron G58 | $1,599,000 | 2 x Continental IO-550-C | 6 | 5,500 lb. | 1,559 lb. | 34 gph | 202 ktas | 1,480 nm | 73 kcas | 1,391 ft. ground roll | 1,440 ft. ground roll |
Diamond DA42-VI | $979,000 | 2 x Austro AE300 (diesel) | 4 | 4,407 lb. | 1,298 lb. | 10.3 gph @ 60% pwr | 190 ktas | 1,273 nm @ 50% pwr | 61 kcas | 1,391 ft. ground roll | 1,220 ft. ground roll |
Diamond DA62 | $1,315,000 | 2 x Austro AE330 (diesel) | 7 | 5,071 lb. | 1,609 lb. | 11.8 gph @ 60% pwr | 192 ktas | 1,345 nm @ 50% pwr | 70 kcas | 1,575 ft. ground roll | 1,447 ft. ground roll |
Piper Seminole | $905,000 | 2 x Lycoming IO-360-B1G6 | 4 | 3,800 lb. | 1,191 lb. | 18 gph | 162 ktas | 700 nm | 55 kias | 2,200 ft. over 50-ft. obs | 1,490 ft. over 50-ft. obs |
Tecnam P2006T | $664,560 | 2 x Rotax 912 S3 | 4 | 2,712 lb. | 906 lb. | 9 gph | 145 ktas | 650 nm | 55 kias | 1,849 ft. ground roll | 758 ft. ground roll |
Tecnam P2012 Traveller | $2,726,650 | 2 x Lycoming TEO-540-C1A | 2 + 9 | 7,937 lb. | 3,117 lb. | 31 gph | 194 ktas | 950 nm | 65 kcas | 1,849 ft. ground roll | 1,198 ft. ground roll |
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