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About Piston Single Aircraft

Long before aircraft builders began using jet engines to power their aircraft in the 1930s, piston (or reciprocating) engines propelled aircraft. With single-engine piston aircraft, one engine typically situated at the plane’s nose provides the power needed to create lift and enable flight. The principles of piston engine operation are straightforward and similar to those of engines that power automobiles; multiple cylinders containing pistons, each connected to a crankshaft, move up and down as combustion dictates, turning the crankshaft, which in turn spins the aircraft’s propeller.

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Cessna 182T Skylane Piston Single Aircraft

Common Applications

Today, both single- and twin-engine piston aircraft remain a viable, cost-effective option for numerous applications thanks to their general availability, ease of use, and friendly upfront purchase cost compared to turboprop and jet aircraft. In addition to being particularly popular with flight training schools and academies, piston singles are used to support private and recreational trips, ambulance transport, crop fertilizer and pesticide application, and other mission types. Examples of popular single-engine piston platforms include the Beechcraft Bonanza, the Cessna 182, and the Diamond DA40, as well as the Piper Malibu.

Comparisons To Other Aircraft

Although less expensive to acquire up front than turboprops and jet aircraft, single-engine pistons are smaller, often lack a pressurized cabin, transport fewer passengers (two to six), operate at lower maximum flight altitudes (generally 4,572 metres/15,000 feet or less), provide slower cruise speeds peaking at about 200 knots, and support shorter missions, often measuring 640 kilometers (400 miles) or less. Compared to piston twins, piston singles omit the redundancy of a second engine and backup components, which in some cases leads experts to prefer twin-engine planes for owners/operators who regularly fly over mountains or large water bodies, or who often experience other flight conditions where such redundancy would prove beneficial.

Piston singles also provide generally slower maximum cruise speeds, lower payload capacities, and diminished takeoff and climbing performance in comparison to piston twins, but require less long-term maintenance, overhaul, repair, and other associated costs due to having one less engine. Both aircraft types, enable pilots to access smaller airports with shorter runways, something most jet aircraft are unable to do, giving their operators access to more airfields.

Find The Piston Single Aircraft For You

You’ll find a large selection of new and used piston single aircraft for sale every day on AviationTrader.com.au from such leading brands as Beechcraft, Cessna, Cirrus, Diamond, Mooney, and Piper.