Great Machines: Aircraft - Trinidad GT TB 21
June 2, 2003
The ownership of a personal aircraft, and the possession of the skills to fly it, is a romantic notion that is fast becoming a practical necessity for many business owners. In an effort to regain the advantages of on-demand travel, many entrepreneurs have entered flight training as a prelude to acquiring a personal aircraft that is useful for that 500-mile-or-less, same-day-return business trip.
Still, many would-be pilots are put off by the tiny, flimsy-feeling training aircraft with their tight cockpits, claustrophobic seating, and noisy, vibration-rich learning environment.
One way around this is to buy a new high-performance, single-engine aircraft and learn to fly in it. Thousands of business pilots have chosen to fly faster, more complex aircraft like the Bonanza, Mooney, larger Cessna or Piper Arrow, all of them offering better equipment, speed, comfort, and utility than the planes that student pilots typically encounter.
Those looking for a stylish, useful, and rewarding first aircraft should consider the Trinidad GT, a high-performance, four-passenger single-engine with retractable landing gear. Perhaps the most pilot-friendly and comfortable personal aircraft available, the Trinidad GT is a product of French aircraft manufacturing giant Socata.
Sporty and practical gullwing doors access the 50-inch-wide, Alcantara-lined cockpit. Designed with a distinctly automotive feel, the instrument panel has a logical layout, with flight instruments grouped in one section in front of the pilot, and avionics and engine gauges in the center section along with the electrical control panel switch gear. The power control quadrant and the trim and fuel controls are always adjusted in flight, and are located close at hand in the center console. Redundant flight instruments are located on the copilot/passenger side. Even the heater/defroster controls are automotive in their quadrant design. Thoughtful positioning of the glare shield and well-placed leather-upholstered seats combine to offer excellent visibility for pilots from 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 5 inches in height.
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