Today’s Top Pick is a 2019 Cessna T206H.

When Cessna resumed production of certain single-engine piston aircraft during the 1990s, it was no surprise that the 206 was one of the models the company brought back.

While the Cessna 172 and 182 were clear choices for covering the market for trainers and basic personal aircraft, some customers would need more cabin space, power, and utility than those four-place models could provide. The 206 brought two additional seats, double doors on the right rear to ease cargo and passenger loading, more horsepower, and a high-lift wing for hauling heavy loads from short strips.

The aircraft for sale here retains the traits that have made 206s popular since their introduction in the 1960s. As a nearly new 2019 model, though, it adds an upgraded interior, modern integrated avionics, and the range of capabilities that come with advanced automation.

This 2019 Cessna T206H has 743 hours on the airframe and 636 hours since new on its Lycoming TIO-540 engine and heated McCauley propeller.

The aircraft’s panel features the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics suite with Garmin Flight Stream 510, GMA 1360 digital audio panel with marker beacon and intercom, GTX 345R transponder with ADS-B In and Out, dual GIA 64W GPS/Nav/Comms with glideslope, GDU 1054B PFD and MFD, GEA 71B engine/airframe computer, GSU 75 AHRS, GDC 74A air data computer, GI 275 electronic standby flight instrument, and GFC-700 autopilot.    

Pilots who are interested in a well-equipped, versatile aircraft with six seats and a generous useful load should consider this 2019 Cessna T206H, which is available for $889,000 on AircraftForSale.

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

• FLYING Magazine: We Fly: Cessna 206
• FLYING Magazine: Cessna 206 Stationair
• FLYING Magazine: FLYING’s Air Compare: Cessna 206 vs. Cessna 210
• Plane & Pilot: Textron Aviation Launches Cessna T206 Turbo Stationair HD
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Cessna 206 Stationair

The post This 2019 Cessna T206H Is an Ultra-Utilitarian ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1978 Cessna U206G.

From the time it rolled out of the factory as a 1964 model, Cessna’s big, brawny 206 was a hit with pilots who had big loads to carry, perhaps to inhospitable places. The airplane was available in utility (U206) and passenger (P206) versions with the former soon eclipsing the latter. Pilots preferred the utility model largely because of its double rear cargo doors that eased loading. Cessna built the 206 until the company halted piston aircraft production in 1986. The model returned in 1998 and remains in production today.   

This Cessna U206G has 3,061 hours on the airframe and 1,440 hours on the 285 hp Continental IO-520-F engine since overhaul. The panel includes a Garmin G G500TXi touchscreen PFD/MFD, Garmin GTN750TXi and GTN650TXi GPS/Nav/Coms, GMA350C audio panel, GFC 500 autopilot, dual G5s, L3 NGT9000 transponder with ADS-B and active traffic, synthetic vision, and EI MVP50P engine monitor.

Additional equipment includes a new MT composite propeller, Safe Flight AOA instrument, electronic ignition, Rosen sun visors, three-point front seat harnesses, 40-amp standby alternator, and rear club seating.

Pilots in the market for the airborne equivalent of a three-row SUV that is sufficiently rugged to operate from rough strips and off airport should consider this 1978 Cessna U206G, which is available for $389,900 on AircraftForSale.

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

• FLYING Magazine: FLYING’s Air Compare: Cessna 206 vs. Cessna 210
• FLYING Magazine: New Five-Blade Propeller Gains FAA STC for Cessna 206 Series
• FLYING Magazine: We Fly: Cessna 206
• Plane & Pilot: 2017 Cessna 206 Turbo Stationair HD
• Plane & Pilot: Soloy Cessna 206 Mark II
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Cessna 206 Stationair

The post This 1978 Cessna U206G Is a Heavy-Hauling ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

• READ MORE: The Great Smoky Mountains: A Fly-Over and Fly-In That Fills the Senses

Packing Up the Family: Cessna 206

Cessna targeted its Model 206 Stationair as a utility upgrade to the popular 182—and it flies similarly though it can carry a whole lot more. The 206 has been in production since 1962 (originally as a 205 that was basically a 210 with fixed gear), so there are a lot of versions out there flying—with evolutions over the years that move along with the state of the art in engines and avionics.

The average 206 has six seats (including the pilot) and the base model has been in and out of production since 1964. In 1998, it went back into production as the 206H, powered by a 310 hp Lycoming IO-540-AC1A. The model has a rear clamshell door that allows for the loading of a wide range of recreational equipment, ideal for outdoor adventures.

With a useful load around 1,400 pounds, a takeoff distance of about 2,000 feet, and a landing distance of less than 1,500 feet (over a 50-foot obstacle, at maximum gross weight), the 206 can carry a lot in and out of relatively short strips.

The 206’s service ceiling in turbocharged models runs to 26,000 feet msl, and it will cruise anywhere from 150 to 161 ktas.

A Truck-Full: Piper Cherokee Six

Another popular six-seater over the years is the Piper Cherokee Six. If you can find a good example, you’ll likely have to pry the control wheel from its owner’s hands—its solid performance as a reliable hauler is not just legend, but reality.

• READ MORE: Great Smokies: How To Get There

You’ll find two options to put into your home hangar based on the engine up front—the PA-32-260 with a 260 hp Lycoming O-540, and the PA-32-300 with the 300 hp fuel-injected Lycoming IO-540. The model has morphed into the Piper Saratoga. Between those options you still have the same large rear door in which to stuff your gear, people, and luggage—and the family pet. With a useful load of up to 1,600 pounds at maximum gross weight of 3,400 pounds, you run between 1,400 to 1,500 feet in takeoff distance, and about 1,000 feet on landing (over a 50-foot obstacle).

The Six ranges out to 700 nm with a 94-gallon capacity (somewhat less on older models), and at a typical 148 ktas cruise speed at 75 percent power, you have enough to come to the Southeast to play from a good distance away.

Speed & Efficiency: Epic E1000 GX

Not your parents’ six-seater, indeed: The E1000 GX from Epic Aircraft looks fast standing still—with the use of carbon fiber throughout its airframe, the single-engine turboprop plays the part well. And it delivers that speed (333 ktas or better) with astounding efficiency.

Once it’s cruising at altitude, the E1000’s Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A sips as little as 40 gph and still hits up to 300 ktas. With 264 gallons of fuel on board, you can fly into the Smokies from far away, indeed.

With that speed and range flexibility, you also get significant useful load with the E1000 GX. It tops out at 2,860 pounds, with a full-fuel payload of 1,100 pounds. There’s room in the cabin too, with more than 31 inches of floor space lengthwise between the four club-configured seats in the rear.

You can get in and out of a lot of places with the E1000 GX as well. Its takeoff distance over a 50-foot obstacle is 2,254 feet, with a landing distance (also over the 50-foot obstacle) of 2,399 feet.

From that runway length, you can climb out at rates of up to 4,000 fpm to the Epic’s maximum altitude of 34,000 feet. With that kind of performance, it’s a truly flexible flyer.

This article was first published in the 2022 Southeast Adventure Guide of FLYING Magazine.

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