Attention News Reporters: Small Plane vs. Big Plane

Aviation Lesson Number 1 for news-media reporters: Many times it gets reported that a "small plane" crashed - and then when they identify the craft involved it turns out to be a $6 million business aircraft (like today in Australia). I find this irritating. The meaning of "small plane" as used by the media seems to be "it's scary and incapable."

Little Plane

For the purposes of your education, so you don't continue to look like idiots, here are two photos. One is a small plane, or a "light" plane.

Beech Super King-Air

The other is a highly capable, turbine-powered business aircraft - while it is smaller in size than your average 757, there is little difference in capability or performance when compared to the larger aircraft - they all fly and are controlled the same way. In fact, these Beech King-Airs are quite often used as airliners. The main performance difference between the turbo-prop and a pure jet is slightly lower speed and they operate at lower flight levels than does a jet.

No one in aviation or familiar with aviation would call an aircraft like this sophisticated Beechcraft a "small" plane, like the news people routinely do, and did again today in reporting the crash in Melbourne. No owner of such an aircraft would turn anyone loose in one who was not a highly experienced and professional pilot.

Additionally, within it's realm, the small plane is capable and safe for that matter, when it is piloted by a competent pilot. But that's a fight for another day.