Aviation Consumer Used Aircraft Guide

I'm sure this book was indispensable when it was new, but with the information now over 12 years old, it's very dated. Even so, it still offers valuable information that will be helpful, even to the current day aircraft buyer, such as "break-up" problems with V-Tail Beech aircraft or skin problems with some of the Cessnas. I would love to see a newer edition from the same author, but I don't think your research would be complete without some sort of newer reference in hand.

This is a wonderful book, but the new, eighth edition is to be published in 1999. Hold Off!

(There is a more recent, two-volume, version of this published by Belvoir. I believe a new version comes out every year.) I have used this set of books to evaluate and purchase light airplanes. The evaluations are short (5-10 pages) and structured enough so it is easy to compare and contrast the popular production airplanes available. Single-engine and light twin-engine airplanes are covered. Each evaluation provides a discussion of production history, operation, maintenance, and performance issues, and a graph of prices over the years. Owner comments are provided at the end of each evaluation. For the prospective aircraft owner, this is the Sears catalog of airplanes.

This book is provides an excellant evaluation of the aircraft that it covers. The aircraft are devided into logical groups like single engine land - 2 seater. It covers airworthiness directives (ADs), owner comments, performance, and resale value trends. The only drawbacks is the limited number of aircraft that it covers (no experimentals or low production run aircraft) and the date of the revision (1985).