In Your Opinion, Which Aircraft Manufacturer is the Best?

[AircraftOwner Online]

 

In Your Opinion, Which Aircraft Manufacturer is the Best?

There have been many aircraft manufactures throughout the years. One’s that were one hit wonders, if you will, and others that have stood the test of time… well, in name at least.

But if you had to pick your all time favorite would it be Piper who brought us the legendary Cub? Cessna who brought us the beloved 172? How about Fairchild who brought us the P-19, or maybe a relatively new brand like ICON who brought the LSA category to life?

We have barely scratched the surface with what we have mentioned here, but you get the point. Please let us know below which brand is your favorite and why. 

[Don Jonas]

By all means, the Cessna 170B. I have a 1954.  A great airplane. It does everything I need to do in my retirement years. I was a corperate and charter pilot for 45 years. I live on an airpark with a 2800 ft grass runway in Foristell Mo.

Don J.

 

[Donn Borden]

In terms of airworthiness directives I'd vote for the Rockwell AeroCommander 200, affectionately known as the Meyers 200.  After that would follow the Navion, from North American through Ryan to the Navion Corp.

[Dean Bird]

FORD TRI-MOTOR !!  Grand ole plane and some still barnstorming. Been up in three and briefly flown one. "Coast To Coast in 48 hours by plane and train!" First to fly over the South Pole.  Etc....

Riddle for the day: In 1937, my mother flew in  Ford Tri-Motor on a transcontinental flight - coast to coast in one half hour!!  (Yes...."ONE HALF HOUR!!) How did was this possible?

[Alfred Don McInturff]

I became a pilot because of my first love "Skydiving" While living on Long Island I was a member of a jump Club Long Island Skydivers and they were sometimes short a pilot and a couple of us decided to share flying duties.  Any way I became hooked.  So most of my flying was high wings c-180, 185, 172  and 152.  I currently own and recently had rebilt a CR182 (RG).  With the 300Hp I0-540  and wing modifications plus new avionics I love my Skylane.  I have a few hours in Mooneys, 1S1 Pitts, Howards, Ryans, prop-jet C207 and even a Repeat(while I was at the Rutherford Lab in the UK in the 70's).  I Love my roomy fairly fast carry anything you can shut the door on Skylane!! Al McInturff D1955, Comm, instr, 1880529

[Mark Stefanov]

I have owned a 69 C150, 74 C182, 62 C310, 78 C152, and now a 65 M20E. I learned in a Piper Cherokee 140, have flown a C-141 simulator, Huey with twin pack, King B90, plus a few more. By far the best for my "personal" types of missions is my current Mooney.

[Lee N. Robinson]

I must mention 2. My first plane was a '47 TCraft BC-12D, 65 hp, no electrical, which I flew for almost 6 years. It was a great plane, very efficient for its era. The 2nd is the Grumman American aircraft, for which I was a dealer. Another great plane, with half the roll rate of a Pitts! I soloed my own wife in a TR-2 when she was a 51 yr old Grandma!! Am still awaiting my giant HERO medal!! The Traveler, 150 hp could outrun a 180 Cherokee!! Once when flying a Mooney up near Atlanta, I was PASSED by a Traveler, which I learned later was a factory test model with 200 hp!

[brent bunch]

Stinson 108, I had one while I lived in Alaska. It's a go anywhere, do anything, aircraft.

[Ted a. Larsen]

Piper.  Have flown many of them over the years and I much prefer their low wing.

[David Montgomery]

Grumman AA-5B Tiger