General Aircraft

The Beechcraft Model 76 Duchess is an American twin-engined monoplane built by Beechcraft intended partly as a low cost introduction to twin-engine aircraft.

The Model 76 was designed as an economical twin-engine trainer for the Beech Aero Centers and to compete with the similar Gulfstream Cougar as well as the Cessna 310. The Duchess is an all-metal low-wing monoplane with retractable tricycle landing gear and a T-tail. It seats four.

The Model 76 incorporates right and left “handed” Lycoming O-360 engines that turn in different directions to eliminate the critical engine during single engine operation.

The Duchess wing is of aluminum honeycomb construction fastened by bonding, rather than rivets, to reduce cost and produce a smoother aerodynamic surface.

It is powered by 2 × Lycoming O-360-A1G6D air-cooled flat-four engines, 180 hp (130 kW) each

The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of light aircraft built by Piper Aircraft and designed for flight training, air taxi and personal use. The PA-28 family of aircraft comprises all-metal, unpressurized, single-engined, piston-powered airplanes with low-mounted wings and tricycle landing gear. They have a single door on the right side, which is entered by stepping on the wing.The first PA-28 received its type certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration in 1960 and the series remains in production to this day. Current models are the Warrior, Arrow, and Archer TX and LX and the Pilot 100 and i100.

The PA-28 series competes with the high-winged Cessna 172 and the similarly low-winged Grumman American AA-5 series and Beechcraft Musketeer designs.

VH-NRM is a four-place, fixed landing gear landplane, Lycoming O-360-A4M or O-360-A4A engine of 180 hp (134 kW), gross weight 2,550 lb (1,157 kg). First certified on 8 July 1975. Changes from the PA-28-180 include a tapered wing.

This third iteration of the Archer was introduced in late 1994 as a 1995 model. Big changes on the outside are the stylish new cowling with axisymmetric air intakes and a single, aft-exiting exhaust stack. Landing and taxi lights are now in the wing tips, where they are isolated from the filament-breaking vibration experienced by the single landing light located in the cowling on Archer IIs. Slightly redesigned windows, flush-fit locking fuel caps, and other minor cosmetic touches round out the redesign from an exterior point of view.

Piper made the most dramatic and welcome changes inside the cockpit and cabin.

A new instrument panel – befitting of the company’s higher-end airplanes like the Saratoga and Malibu Mirage. Stylish yokes impart the look and feel of a more substantial airplane as well. Powering the panel is a new 28-volt electrical system, which replaced the previous-generation Archer’s 14-volt system in 1995. It provides enough oomph to power all the goodies a pilot could cram into the airplane, including air conditioning.

Overhead switches for the battery, alternator, magnetos, and lights, among others, free space in the panel for avionics and lend a big-airplane feel to the Archer. Front seats are vertically adjustable, and all four seats have inflatable lumbar supports. The rear seats are a little cramped in the headroom department for tall riders, but a reclining feature does wonders to solve that dilemma. However, the low-wing design floods the Archer’s cabin with daylight, minimizing any claustrophobic feelings.

The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engined light airplane, built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats, installed in the baggage area.

Introduced in 1956, the 182 has been produced in a number of variants, including a version with retractable landing gear, and is the second most popular Cessna model still in production, after the 172.

VH-MJB was built in 2007 and is a four-seat light aircraft with fixed landing gear, powered by a fuel-injected 230 hp (172 kW) Lycoming IO-540-AB1A5 piston engine, gross weight of 3,100 lb (1,406 kg) for take-off and 2,950 lb (1,338 kg) for landing. It was certified on 23 February 2001 and, as of July 2015, it is the only variant in production.