Multi & Twin Engine Piston Airplanes for Sale

AvPay offers a multitude of new and used multi & twin engine piston airplanes for sale, including top manufactures such as Beechcraft, Cessna, Diamond & Piper. Our twin piston aircraft for sale arevery desirable due to the lower operating costs, lower maintenance cost and mission adaptability into smaller airports and shorter runways.

A Twin Engine Piston Aircraft (also referred to as a Multi Engine Piston Aircraft) is an airplane that’s powered by an internal combustion engine that uses a number of pistons to convert reciprocation motion into rotational motion. At the top of the piston is a combustion chamber, where a mixture of fuel and air is ignited by a sparkplug. The ignition forces the piston in a downwards motion, which rotates the crankshaft. The crankshaft is connected to a propeller shaft which is connected to the propeller. The more fuel and air you burn in the combustion chamber, the quicker the engine runs and the raster the propeller’s revolutions per minute (RPM) become.

The World’s First Four Engine Piston Aircraft is said to be the S21 Le Grand, which was designed by Alexander Sikorsky back in 1911. The aircraft took its first test flight the year before the First World War broke-out, in 1913.

A Single Engine Piston Aircraft is powered by a single piston engine. The engine is usually positioned at the front of the aircraft however some aircraft adopt a “Pusher Prop” configuration, which means the engine and the propeller are at the back of the aircraft. Pusher props were used in the First World War by aircraft such as the Royal Aircraft Factory FE2, before engineers had figured out how to time machine guns to fire between the propellers. Some float planes are also of a pusher prop design, such as the Lake Buccaneer and the Republic Seabee. Pusher props in multi engine aircraft can be more efficient than puller props, as they do not affect the laminar flow over the wing.

A Twin Engine Piston Aircraft is fitted with two piston engines. While twin engine aircraft usually have an engine on each wing, some aircraft (such as the Dornier 335 Pfeil and the Cessna 337 Skymaster) are fitted with one engine at the front of the aircraft and another at the rear. The advantages of this design include improved laminar flow over the wings, reduced drag and better flying characteristics, should one of the engines fail. The disadvantage of the push-pull design is that the rear engine operates in the turbulent airflow caused by the front propeller, which can reduce its efficiency.

A Multi Engine Aircraft refers to one that has more than one engine, which also includes Twin Engine Aircraft. A few multi engine aircraft of note include the Messerschmitt Me323 Gigant, which was a transport aircraft used by the Luftwaffe in the Second World War. The aircraft was fitted with 6 engines, had a wingspan of 55 metres and had an empty weight of over 27,000 kg. Bigger still was the Hughes H4 Hercules, which was fitted with 8 engines, which had a wingspan of 97 metres and an empty weight of over 113,000 kg!

• Beechcraft Baron.

The Beechcraft Baron (sometimes referred to as the Beech Baron) is a twin engine piston aircraft that first flew in 1960. Since then, over 6,800 variants of the model have been built, which include the Baron 55, Baron 56 and the Baron 58, among others.

• Piper PA44 Seminole

The PA44 Seminole is a twin engine piston aircraft which first flew in 1976. The aircraft was a development of the Piper PA28 Cherokee’s design and over 900 models have been built. The Seminole is distinguishable from other Piper designs with its T-Tail.

• Piper PA34 Seneca

The Piper Seneca is a twin engine piston aircraft that has proven very popular with flying schools over the years. Since being first flown in 1967 over 5,000 Senecas have been built across a multitude of variants, including the Seneca II, Seneca III, Seneca IV and the Seneca V.

• Diamond DA42 Twin Star

The DA42 Twin Star is a twin engine piston aircraft built by Diamond Aircraft, in Austria. The aircraft first flew in 2002 and since then over 600 have been built. The spacious cabin mixed with the glass cockpit has made the Twin Star very popular with flying schools. The DA42 is widely used in the special mission role, for tasks such as searching for migrants crossing the Mediterranean in small boats, law enforcement and airborne sensing.

• Tecnam P2006T

The Tecnam P2006T is a twin engine piston aircraft built in Italy. First introduced in 2010, over 578 aircraft have been produced including civilian and military variants. The P2006T’s high wing provides excellent visibility for both passengers and pilots alike, making it an idea platform for missions such as maritime patrol.

• Vulcanair P68

The P68 is an Italian-designed, high wing twin engine piston that was first introduced in 1970. Originally built by Partenavia, over 400 have been built. The Observer variant of the P68 is highly distinguishable as it features a fully transparent nose, which provides the pilots with excellent visibility. For this reason, the P68 is frequently used by various law enforcement agencies throughout the world.

• Piper PA23

The PA23 is a twin engine piston aircraft developed initially by the Stinson Aircraft Company back in the 1950s. Since being produced in 1952 over 6,000 aircraft have been built. Variants of the PA23 include the Twin Stinson, the PA23 Apache and the Piper Aztec.

• Cessna 310

The Cessna 310 is a four-seat twin engine piston aircraft, first introduced in 1954. Over 5,000 of the type have been built and the aircraft is easily recognisable from its rather small size and its tip tanks, which are capable of carrying 380 litres of fuel.

• Cessna 340

The Cessna 340 is a pressurised, twin engine piston aircraft originally built in 1972. The aircraft is a development on the popular 310 and since being introduced, over 1,300 have been built. The unpressurised version of the Cessna 340 was called the Cessna 335. 

What makes an aircraft the best in its category wholly depends on what’s important to you. If you’re looking for a piston twin with a roomy cabin, you might like the Piper PA31 Navajo, as it can hold between 6 and 8 passengers. The Britten Norman BN2 Islander has an even bigger interior, being able to carry 9 passengers. Given its roomy interior, the Islander has proven to be a popular survey aircraft. If speed is important to you, you might want to consider something a little sportier such as the Aerostar 702, which is capable of cruising at 210 knots. Arguably one of the best twin engine piston aircraft to have served in the Royal Air Force, the DeHavilland Mosquito was capable of flying at speeds north of 400 mph. Of wooden construction, the assistance of piano makers was sought in the production of this aircraft!

While manufacturers do give an idea of an aircraft’s maximum range, it will be affected by certain factors such as payload, fuel onboard, winds aloft and any external modifications. If you want to get the best range out of your aircraft you should “Fly it lean and keep it clean!”. You should lean the engine’s mixture the higher you fly to get the best fuel to air ratio and you should keep the aircraft’s surface clean and polished, to reduce the skin friction drag. A Piper PA34 Seneca has a range of around 870 NM, a Diamond DA42 Twin Star 1,210 NM and the Piper PA31 Navajo 1,012 NM. Interestingly, the addition of drop-tanks to the P38 Lightning Second World War Fighter increased its range from 1,100 NM to 2,900 NM!

The price of an aircraft depends on a variety of factors such as total time, inspection status, condition, damage history and logbooks. In June 2022 for example the prices of Piper Navajos varied from $225,000 - $425,000 and the price of a Piper Seneca varied from $115,000 - $550,000.