So, The Best We've Seen So Far Is... The Cirrus SR20 Our top bird of the year is not the wonderfully heavy-horsed 310 HP SR22, oh no. Yeah, we love that thing all to blazes... and the lovely kick in the ass you get when you drop the hammer on all those ponies is certainly worth the price of admission. But, we're trying to meet a lot of specs when we name the very best in a field that is populated by some very good competition. And as much as we like the SR22, there is no getting away from the fact that it's little brother, the SR20, is a hell of a value and our unequivocal selection as 'Plane of the Year.' Run all the numbers, balance price and performance AND add to that the fact that this thing now comes STANDARD with an Avidyne Entegra (the very height of aeronautical coo

It Could Have Been Worse... (Part One of Two) Elsewhere, Aero-News has recapped the stories that were important in 2003. In some ways, the stories that didn't happen were just as important - especially the many things that didn't happen, but that we expected to see. Here are the top stories that didn't happen in 2003...

While we first discussed these choices in our Oshkosh coverage, it behooves us to revisit our selection of these birds, and see if they still hold up for the duration of the year as 2003 comes to a close. While this year has actually produced several NEW aircraft on the GA front, a number of other promising projects are finally maturing to the point where you can step up, lay your money on the table, and (sooner or later) fly your new bird to your home-drome. Herewith; our FINAL take on what REALLY impresses us as the BEST of the available general aviation fleet for 2003.

The Runners-Up:

Diamond C-1 Eclipse

Extra 500 

Piper 6X/6XT

Lancair Columbia 400

It Could Have Been Worse... (Part Two of Two) Elsewhere, Aero-News has recapped the stories that were important in 2003. In some ways, the stories that didn't happen were just as important - especially the many things that didn't happen, but that we expected to see. Here are the top stories that didn't happen in 2003...

Well, here it is -- year end. Many who love to fly for fun are turning blue from holding their breath for FAA to release sport pilot and light sport aircraft--and we're not done yet. Quick History Lesson These proposed rules have been in development for, ahhh, very long. Actually, sport pilot history reaches into the 1980's when FAA painfully produced the Recreational Pilot certificate program, then Primary Category aircraft airworthiness program. Many do not even remember them because of the non-impact. A core issue in Recreational Pilot was the proposal to stop requiring FAA medicals for pilots. The final rule did require all pilots to pass an FAA medical which, many said, had defeated the main purpose. We will see another run at deleting the FAA medical

A Life So Short... An Impression So Great One of the true tragedies of time is that as it passes, so do the lives and spirits of the many who have come to mean so much to us, in so many ways. This year, 2003, we lost a number of outstanding members of our small brother/sisterhood of aviators (or finally became aware of their fate, as in the case of a number of of our brave military flyers) and while we will miss them until our times comes to 'go west,' their personal contributions and overall impact stay with us, perceptibly, every time we take flight. Here are just a few of those we will miss. God Bless Them All...

"Commander Rick Husband, Pilot Willie McCool, Mission Specialists Dave Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Michael Anderson and Laurel Clark, and Israeli Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon have all gone west. Godspeed to all of them. They will never be forgotten." Source: ANN's ultimate commentary on the loss of the brave crew of the Shuttle Columbia.