Who says world tour says diversity of landscapes, reliefs and meteorological conditions. So, you need an aircraft capable of dealing with all these elements.
The goal is also to be able to navigate in VFR, and to admire the landscapes. This is why a high-winged aircraft would be ideal.
This leads us to the following selection:
Cessna 152
I included it in my potential choices because, in addition to the fact that it has high wings, it allows you to go everywhere. But, it is his only quality for this adventure. For the rest, whether it is the autonomy, the flight ceiling or the speed, it is clearly not a suitable device.
Cessna 172 Skyhawk
To be honest, it was my heart’s choice. I know him well and he could have done the trick. But, its limitation in terms of flight ceiling, would force me to take another plane for the mountainous areas. So I didn’t pick it up.
CubCraters XCub
Like the Cessna 172, this XCub could have been the lucky one. It has sufficient autonomy. Correct cruising speed. But, there again, its flight ceiling of 14,000 ft is really too tight.
Cirrus SR-22
This model is responsible for a period of doubt for me. It is THE single-engine traveler. It has a powerful engine, a cruising speed beyond the necessary and a good range, all with premium comfort. But, even if its flight ceiling is higher than the planes we have seen so far, it is still too tight for mountainous areas.
Pilatus PC-6
With this PC-6 we abandon the piston engine for the turboprop. This offers much higher performance and reliability. But having a turbine is not everything. Its very small range, 450 NM, is purely and simply prohibitive.
Cessna 208B
With this model, we are approaching the ideal aircraft. Can’t really fault him. But it’s the comparison with one of its competitors that I didn’t choose it. This is played out to within 160 NM. It may not seem like much, but on certain links, it will make all the difference.
Kodiak 100
Here is the one with whom I will team up throughout this adventure.
There is still a small problem : I have never flown on this aircraft. So I will have to set up a little training program before I start, just to have it well in hand.
