Aircraft

Aircraft Stats Based on FAA Registry

Some observations before we dive into different segments:

More than 90% of the roughly 220,000 civil aircraft registered in the United States are general aviation aircraft.
The No.1 Cessna and No.3 Beechcraft are both subsidiaries of Textron Aviation.
Cessna 172 and Piper PA-28 are the most popular aircraft for training, so no surprise that Cessna and Piper are the top 2. However the absolute numbers of both brands are decreasing.
Cirrus is climbing fast, with the help of the best selling SR22.

Brand	Single Piston	Twin Piston	Single Turboprop	Twin Turoboprop	Single Jet	Twin Jet
Cessna	172/182/206		208	408		Citation
Beechcraft	G36	G58	Denali	King Air
Piper	PA-28	PA-34/44	M500/M600
Cirrus	SR20/22				SF50
Diamond	DA40 / DA50 RG	DA42 / DA62
Daher			TBM / Kodiak
Pilatus			PC-12NG			PC-24
Epic			Epic E1000

Class of Aircraft

Class 1 or 2 aircraft typically include piston aircraft weighing 6,000 lbs or less, while Class 3 aircraft typically include piston or turbine aircraft weighing between 6,001 lbs and 12,500 lbs.

Certification Categories

normal: no acrobatics (e.g. SR22 3.8G to -1.52G).
utility: limited acrobatics (e.g. C172 4.4G to -1.76G).
acrobatic: full range of acrobatics (e.g. Pitts S-2B 6G to -3G).

Piston

2-seater Trainers

Cessna 150/152
Piper PA-28-140
Piper PA-38 Tomahawk
DA20

4-seater Single Piston

6-seater Single Piston

In Production

Cessna 206 Stationair
Beechcraft Bonanza

Ceased production

Cessna 210
Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six

Twin Piston

Twin pistons are losing popularity.

In production models:

PA-44-180 Seminole (mostly for training) and Baron G58 are the only twin piston still in production in the US.
Outside of the US, Tecnam has P2006T and P2012, Diamond has DA42 (a diesel twin, burning jet fuel instead of avgas, Austro Engine AE300) and DA62.

Cessna used to build quite a few different twin piston models (310 / 320 / 401 / 402 / 404 / 411, etc), now Cessna builds none.

Reasons for the decline? New single pistons like Cirrus SR22 are more powerful and can climb and cruise similar to twins. More advanced twins are being replaced by turbine engines.

Cape air tried to find a replacement for their Cessna 402 but Cessna was not interested in developing another twin piston aircraft; the order went to Tecnam P2012 Traveller (9 pax).

Light Sport Aircraft (LSA)

MTOW: 1,320 lbs (600 kg) or 1,430 lbs for seaplanes (650 kg); max speed 120 knots; max 2 seats; max 1 engine, unpressurized cabin, fixed landing gear, fixed-pitch, two-blade.

CubCrafters Carbon Cub SS
Cessna 162
Icon A5

Homebuilt, not certificated, licensed Experimental under FAA or similar local regulations.

Van's Aircraft: https://www.vansaircraft.com/
Kitfox
Glasair: composite
Lancair: composite

Biplanes

Biplanes are commonly used in aerobatics because they have greater maneuverability and usually deliver a faster roll rate than monoplanes.

Biplanes in production:

Aviat Pitts Special
Aviat Eagle: originally designed to compete with the Pitts Special.
Waco YMF-5
Waco Great Lakes

Turboprops

Single-engine Turboprops (SETP)

Beechcraft Denali
Cessna Grand Caravan
Pilatus PC-12NG
Daher TBM
Daher Kodiak 100
Piper M500/M600
Epic E1000

Twin Turboprops

In Production

Beechcraft King Air
Piaggio P.180 Avanti: 9-seat, Italian, twin-engine, turboprop
Cessna 408 SkyCourier
ATR 42/72
Dash 8 Q400
AVIC MA60/MA600/MA700

Out of Production

SAAB 340
Cessna 441/425

Jets

Very Light Jets

Very light jets: MTOW around or under 10,000 pounds (4,540 kg), seating 4 to 8.

Eclipse 500 was the first one in this category, 260 were built between 2006 and 2008; then Eclipse 550 was produced between 2014 and 2018.

Current only 4 models in production:

Cirrus Vision SF 50: since 2016, single engine.
HongdaJet: since 2015.
Cessna Citation M2: since 2013, MTOW 10,700 lb (4,853 kg); the smaller Citation Mustang stopped production in 2017.
Embraer Phenom 100: since 2008, MTOW 10,582 lb (4,800 kg).

Business Jets

Cessna Citation
Gulfstream
Dassault Falcon
Bombardier
Hawker
Embraer
Learjet

Airliners

Mainline:

Airbus (Europe)
Boeing (U.S.)
Comac C919 (China)
Yakovlev MC-21 (Russia)

Regional:

Embraer E-Jets
CRJ700/900/1000
ARJ21
Sukhoi Superjet
Mitsubishi MRJ70/90

More details: Airliners

Electric

Electric Aircraft

By Brands

For airliners, check Airliners page. Here focuses on general aviation.

Diamond

https://www.diamondaircraft.com/en/

Based in Austria, Chinese-owned.

DA20: 2-seat, single-engine.
DA40: 4-seat, single-engine, composite airframe.
- DA40 NG: Austro Engine AE 300, Jet fuel.
- DA40 XLT: Lycoming IO-360, Avgas.
DA42: 4-seat, twin-engine; 2x Austro Engine AE 300 turbocharged diesel engine.
DA50 RG: 5-seat, single-engine, RG = Retractable Gear.
DA62: 7-seat, twin-engine.

Pilatus

https://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/en

Pilatus PC-6: single-engined STOL utility aircraft, with both piston and turboprop versions. After 604 deliveries in 63 years, Pilatus ended production in 2022.
Pilatus PC-12: single-engined turboprop
Pilatus PC-24: twin-engined jet
Pilatus PC-21: single-engined turboprop (fighter) trainer

Daher

https://www.daher.com/en/

Both Kodiak and TBM are turboprops. The only thing the Kodiak and the TBM have in common is the PT6 turbo prop.

Kodiak 100/900: for air-taxi, 10-seat, unpressurized, capable of operating from rough and short trips (STOL).
TBM 960/910: for business. 960 and 910 are in production. Cruises at roughly twice the speed of the Kodiak and happily operates 10,000' higher than the Kodiak.
- TBM 960 (2022): Replaced 940. Garmin G3000, PT6E, digitally-controlled turboprop engine.
- TBM 940 (2019): Garmin G3000 + autothrottle; autoland. Replaced 930.
- TBM 930 (2016).
- TBM 910: Garmin G1000 NXi. PT6A.

De Havilland Canada

https://dehavilland.com/en

Currently only producing Dash 8-400.

Some of the seaplanes are still in service:

DHC-2 Beaver: 5-6 PAX
DHC-3 Otter: 10-14 PAX
DHC-6 Twin Otter: 18 PAX

Harbour Air Seaplanes operates DHC-2, DHC-3 and DHC-6, for tours and private charters.

Viking Air

https://www.vikingair.com/

Vikingair aquired of de Havilland Canada designs: DHC-1 through DHC-7. In May 2005, the company subsequently purchased the parts and service business for all the older de Havilland Canada aircraft from Bombardier Aerospace.

The company produces new versions of the DHC-6 Twin Otter, upgraded versions of the DHC-2 Beaver, spare parts for older de Havilland Canada aircraft.

Viking DHC-2T Turbo Beaver: Remanufactured Beavers by Viking Air, upgraded with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 680 hp (507 kW) turboprop engine.

Tecnam

https://tecnam.com/

P2008: 2-seat.
P2010: 4-seat, high wing piston; composite fuselage, metal wing and landing gear; competing with Cessna 172/182.
P2006T: the only Rotax powered twin. Rotax has lower fuel burn, often used for training.
Astore: 2-seat, low-wing, replacing P2002 Sierra. MTOW 600 kg (1,323 lb).
P2012 Traveller: 11-seat, designed based on Cape Air's request. Cape Air ordered 100 to replace its fleet of Cessna 402.

Gulfstream

https://www.gulfstream.com/en/

The names reflect the max ranges:

G800: 8,000 nm (14,816 km) range the longest range of any currently announced business jet.
G700: 7,500 nm
G650/G650ER
G600: 6,600 nm
G500: 5,300 nm
G400: 4,200 nm, the entry point into Gulfstream's large-cabin family.
G280: 3,600 nm

Notes:

G800 will have the same fuselage as the G650ER but borrows many of the elements designed for the G700. That included the cabin seats, cabinetry, and lighting, in addition to the aforementioned Symmetry flight deck, wing, tail, and Rolls engines. When the G800 eventually replaces the G650ER, all of Gulfstream’s large-cabin jets will have common flight decks—notably Honeywell Epic-based Symmetry avionics and BAE Systems active control sidesticks—that will make it easier for pilots to transition between these fly-by-wire aircraft.
the G400 through G600 will have a common pilot type rating; the G700 and G800 will also have a common pilot rating.
G400, G500, and G600 will share the same tail and fuselage cross-section but have slightly different variants of the Pratt & Whitney PW800-series engine. All three of these jets will be made at the Northwest manufacturing facility at Gulfstream’s Savannah campus. the exterior length of the G400 is about 10 feet shorter than its G500 sibling
G700 and G800 will share a wing, tail, and fuselage cross-section, in addition to the Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 turbofans, which are on track to receive FAA certification early next year. These ultra-long-range airplanes will be manufactured at the current G650ER production facility in Savannah; G650ER production is in the process of being moved a few doors down to the former G450/550 manufacturing facility.

Dassault

https://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/

Headquarters in Paris, France.

Falcon 10X: in development, 2025. To compete with the Bombardier Global 7500 and the Gulfstream G700. Range: 7,500 nm
Falcon 8X / 7X: trijet, developed from Falcon 900
Falcon 6X: twinjet; range: 5,500 nm
Falcon 2000LXS (long-range) / 2000S (short-field)
Falcon 900LX: trijet

Embraer

https://executive.embraer.com/global/en/home

Phenom 100: a very light business jet (VLJ), MTOW 4,800 kg (10,582 lb)
Phenom 300: MTOW 8,414.59 kg (18,551 lb)
Praetor 500/600: mid-size
Legacy 600/650: production ended in 2020.
Lineage 1000: a variant of E190; production ended in 2020.

Bombardier

https://businessaircraft.bombardier.com/

Global 5500
Global 6500
Global 7500
Global 8000
Challenger 350
Challenger 3500
Challenger 650

HondaJet

https://www.hondajet.com/

aircraft	Max. Cruise Speed	Max. Cruise Altitude	Max Range
HondaJet	422 KTAS	FL430	1223 nm
HondaJet Elite II	422 KTAS	FL430	1547 nm
HondaJet Echelon	450 KTAS	FL470	2625 nm

HondaJet 2600 would be the longest-range single-pilot business aircraft.

Maule

https://mauleairinc.com/

Maule Air, Inc. is a manufacturer of light, single-engined, short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft, based in Moultrie, Georgia, U.S.

In production: M-7, MX-7 and M-9.

X in the model name indicates a slightly smaller fuselage, and the presence of a T indicates a tricycle-gear configuration.

Pipistrel

Slovenian.

Panthera: lightweight, all-composite, highly efficient four-seat aircraft.
Velis Electro: full-electric.

Van's RVs

RV-3: single seat, tailwheel. Developed from Stits Playboy.
RV-4: a tandem 2-seat RV-3, tailwheel.
RV-6: a side-by-side 2-seat RV-4; tailwheel (RV-6A nose-wheel). No longer sold.
RV-7/RV-7A: replacing RV-6 and RV-6A.
RV-8: tandem 2-seat, similar to RV-4 but larger.
RV-9: similar to RV-6/RV-7.
RV-10: 4-seat (the first 4-seat plane in RV series).
RV-12: 2-seat, E-LSA (E for experimental rules)
RV-14: 2-seat, derived from RV-10.

Elixir

French.

Elixir 912iS: two-seat light aircraft.

Epic

Epic E1000: all composite, started delivery in 2020, 1200 hp, over 330 knots, will be the fastest single-engine civil aircraft. E1000 is currently the only offering. Headquartered in Bend, Oregon, owned by the Russian company S7 Technics.

Extra

German.

Extra NG: two-seat aerobatic monoplane.

Flight Design

German.

Flight Design CT: high-wing, tricycle undercarriage, two seat, ultralight and light-sport aircraft.

Game Composites

British.

Game Composites GB1 GameBird: single-engine, tandem two-seat, aerobatic, composite structure.

Long-EZ and Derivatives

Rutan VariViggen (1972) => Rutan VariEze (1975) => Rutan Long-EZ (1979) => Cozy MK III (1982) / Cozy MK IV (1991) / Velocity (1995)

The Long-EZ: a scaled-up redesign of the VariEze predecessor.
Velocity: a four-seat homebuilt aircraft based on the Long-EZ design. https://www.velocityaircraft.com/
Berkut: derived from the Rutan Long-EZ, with the primary differences being retractable main landing gear, dual canopies, and molded fuselage, strakes, and wing spar.
Cozy: derived from Rutan Long-EZ, 4-seat.

Canard: a wing configuration in which a small forewing or foreplane is placed forward of the main wing of a fixed-wing aircraft.

Sling

South Africa.

STOL. GT500, GT1000

Britten Norman

https://britten-norman.com/

Air Tractor

Agriculture / Firefighting Aircraft

https://airtractor.com/

AERO VODOCHODY

From Czech. Jet trainers:

Aero L-29 Delfín
Aero L-39 Albatros
Aero L-59 Super Albatros
Aero L-159 Alca

Jet Trainers

Aero L-39 Albatros: produced by Aero Vodochody in the Czech Republic. A successor to the Aero L-29 Delfín.
SIAI-Marchetti S.211

Discontinued / Defunct

Stinson: sold to Piper.
- S108: Four primary subtypes were available: the 108 (or “straight 108”), 108-1, 108-2 and 108-3.
The One Aviation Corporation, stylized as ONE Aviation, was a company formed in 2015 to merge the aircraft manufacturers Eclipse Aerospace and Kestrel Aircraft.

North American

North American T-28 Trojan, designed to replace the T-6 Texan.
North American P-51: a long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War
- The Titan T-51 Mustang is a three-quarter scale replica of the P-51 Mustang
North American F-86 Sabre: first flight 1947

How are they different?

Piston

All small piston aircraft look the same, but under the hood they can be very different:

number of seats: 2 (side-by-side like C152 or tandem like Citabria), 4 (like a C172), 6 or more
category: normal (no acrobatic), utility (limited acrobatics), acrobatic.
engine: lycoming or continental or rotax
with or without carb heat: no carb heat for fuel injected engines (IO engines)
propeller:
- fixed pitch or constant speed
- number of blades
with or without flaps.
round gauges or G1000
static ports: some have 1, some have 2 (e.g. Citabria gets 2 on each side, since it does not have flaps, it uses forward slips to slow down and lose altitude)
nose wheel or tail wheel
LSA or not
wings
- with tip tank? e.g. some Bonanza
- high wing or low wing
- monoplane or biplane
fuel selector: no fuel selector (e.g. Citabria); LEFT / RIGHT; LEFT / RIGHT / BOTH
fabric vs metal

Traildraggers

A good book to read: The Compleat Taildragger Pilot.

Cubs and Champs

2 very popular groups of aircraft: cubs and champs.

Champ is nearly a foot shorter than the Cub, but the cabin area is longer and wider.
Champ offers far better visibility than the Cub.
Champ's gear is four inches narrower.
Champ’s tail is a lot heavier to lift.
Champ is less bouncing during landing. (Easier to land.)

Canards

Canard: a wing configuration in which a small forewing or foreplane is placed forward of the main wing of a fixed-wing aircraft or a weapon.

The word "canard" is "duck" in French. Duck has its neck stretched out in flight.

E.g. Piaggio P.180 Avanti; Cozy.

Stats

GAMA (General Aviation Manufacturers Association): Aircraft Shipment and Billing Report

Companies

Textron

Owns

Cessna.
Beechcraft.
Pipistrel: electric aircraft. https://www.pipistrel-aircraft.com/.
Bell: helicopter.
Lycoming: engine.

Propellers

Sensenich
Hartzell: used on Cirrus SR22T.
McCauley: https://mccauley.txtav.com/

Engine

Lycoming
Continental Aerospace Technologies, now part of AVIC
Rotax

Aircraft

Aircraft Stats Based on FAA Registry

Class of Aircraft

Certification Categories

Piston

2-seater Trainers

4-seater Single Piston

6-seater Single Piston

Twin Piston

Light Sport Aircraft (LSA)

Biplanes

Turboprops

Single-engine Turboprops (SETP)

Twin Turboprops

Jets

Very Light Jets

Business Jets

Airliners

Electric

By Brands

Diamond

Pilatus

Daher

De Havilland Canada

Viking Air

Tecnam

Gulfstream

Dassault

Embraer

Bombardier

HondaJet

Maule

Pipistrel

Van's RVs

Elixir

Epic

Extra

Flight Design

Game Composites

Long-EZ and Derivatives

Sling

Kitfox

Zenith

Sherpa

Britten Norman

Air Tractor

AERO VODOCHODY

Jet Trainers

Discontinued / Defunct

North American

How are they different?

Piston

Traildraggers

Cubs and Champs

Canards

Stats

Companies

Textron

Propellers

Engine