Aircraft for the mission: Enjoy the view

The mission: Flying frees you from the tyranny of petty problems on the ground. It calms your soul and makes you feel like anything is possible. For you, the perfect mix of pilot, machine, and nature make flying one of life’s great pleasures. Your idea of perfection is flying late on a summer afternoon, gazing over cornfields as you wander the countryside. The view and the sensory experience that flying offers are your only goals, and occasionally you like to share that experience with another person. You would like to travel only to EAA AirVenture and maybe a few local airports.

The budget: $30,000

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The options:

Cessna 140

Cessna: A name so ubiquitous in general aviation that to the nonflying public, every airplane is a Cessna. The storied Cessna 140 and its lean little brother, the Cessna 120, present you with a couple of options squarely in the budget ballpark, depending on how old-school you want to go. Both are lightweight taildraggers, but the Cessna 120 has no flaps and no electrical system, whereas the 140 has small wing flaps and an electrical system. With its high wing, the 140 provides one of the best views of the passing landscape imaginable, and if the airplane sports its original Continental 85-horsepower engine you won’t be blazing along in too much of a hurry. (If you desire a bit more speed, STCs are available for engines of up to 135 horsepower.) At 105 miles per hour you’re burning just 5 gallons per hour—what’s not to love about that?

Piper J–3 Cub or Pacer/Tri-Pacer

Are you willing to stretch that budget a bit? If you are—say, to $35,000 or more—you can own Piper’s iconic J–3 Cub. The fabric-covered taildragger is normally everyone’s answer to “What’s the best low-and-slow aircraft?” but the popularity of this enduring airplane means you’ll have to open your wallet to get one. Although the earliest models rolled off the production line with 40-horsepower engines, you’ll want something with a little more power than that, and you will likely find it as subsequent owners replaced those underpowered engines. If flying the Cub solo, the pilot sits in the rear seat of the two-seat tandem cockpit.

Alternatively, you could consider Piper’s PA–20, the Pacer, or the PA–22, the Tri-Pacer. Both fit within the $30,000 budget and check the boxes of both low and slow and great view. Pacers are tailwheel aircraft, said to have somewhat limited forward visibility. Tri-Pacers have tricycle gear, intended to introduce flying enthusiasts to an airplane that would be somewhat easier and safer to land. Their four-seat configurations may be enticing, but prudent pilots would treat them as a two-seater. Pacers generally have 125-horsepower Lycoming engines. Tri-Pacers were produced with 125-, 135-, 150-, and 160-horsepower engines, so the installed engine will affect the final cost. And, like the Cessna 140 and the J–3 Cub, the tube-and-fabric Pacer or Tri-Pacer will need a hangar to protect it from corrosion and sun damage.

Ercoupe

Any list of low-and-slow aircraft would be lacking without this happy little two-seat low-wing. Slower than a grandpa driving in the left lane of a highway with its prewar Continental 65-horsepower engine (or postwar 75-horsepower engines), the Ercoupe is perfect for the person who is in no hurry to get back to the real world. A glazed canopy provides the stunning view that a sightseeing pilot needs, and the airplane can be flown with the canopy open. Solo pilots are quite happy to toss a bag or a dog in the other seat and travel all over the United States, but a right-seater (or both occupants) would need to be on the slender side to remain under gross weight.

Ercoupes are tricycle-gear aircraft, and originally they were designed without rudder pedals to make it easier to fly them. (Landing in a crosswind? You crab into the wind, land, and straighten out on the ground.) Many owners have gone the STC route to install rudder pedals, and we suppose that satisfies some airman aesthetic. Some Ercoupe C and CD models qualify as light sport aircraft under the sport pilot rules, but others don’t meet the requirements, so that’s a consideration if your long-term goal is to fly this airplane exercising sport pilot privileges.

Let us know which aircraft you would choose!

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