When it comes to luxurious private charter flying, most people automatically think of jets. But there’s a world of propeller-driven private aircraft that can access impossibly small airports, make solid financial sense for short trips and even land on water.
There are two main types: prop planes, which use a conventional reciprocating engine like a car, and turboprops, where the propeller is turned by a gas turbine engine. Both come in single- and twin-engine designs.
One of the most popular turboprops among Tampa-area charter operators is the Beechcraft King Air. Peter Cunzolo, CEO of ExecuJet Charter Service, calls it “the best thing that ever happened to aviation.” Nearly 8,000 King Airs have been built, making it the best-selling business turboprop. Common iterations include the later 350 series, which has a range of 1,400–1,800 miles, a cruising speed of 360 mph, seating for eight, and—importantly—an enclosed lavatory. Another contender is the Cessna Caravan, a versatile single-prop workhorse often fitted with floats for water operations.
Shea Gibbs of Elite Air highlights an important factor in choosing prop or turboprop planes: short missions. “If you’re only flying for a couple of hours, a prop plane will keep you out of crowded airport terminals at a far lower cost than a business jet.”
Ryan Gucwa of Odyssey Airways in Tampa adds another advantage: “Small airfields are perfect for our King Air, which can easily use runways off-limits to jets.”
A short runway is challenging, but the problem isn’t landing—it’s taking off. The popular Cessna Citation X business jet requires at least 5,280 feet of runway to take off, excluding it from destinations like St. Barths, where the runway is just 2,170 feet. But a Cessna Caravan, with a takeoff requirement of only 2,055 feet, can land there with ease.
King Air pilot Josh Breckeen puts it simply: “It’s a flying Suburban—it’ll fly anything you can fit into it!”
Lower cost, access to limited runways and shorter hops—there just might be a prop in your future!
Chris Caswell is an award-winning writer and the former editor of several yachting magazines. He has appeared on Oprah as a boating lifestyle expert and hosted the Marine Voyager series on the Speed Channel.
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