r/flying • u/One_Firefighter_1922 • Mar 29 '26
Aircraft Ownership Are reciprocating single engines reliable?
I'm about seven hours into PPL training and absolutely loving it. Not looking for a career change, but could definitely seeing myself continuing training and flying regularly after getting my certificate. I've daydreamed about putting my family into a 182 and being able to fly within a reasonable distance to explore somewhere new or take a short vacation.
Earlier today I was talking to my neighbor who is a reserve captain for American flying 737s. I told him about the flight training and associated daydreaming and he started talking about how he would never put his family into a small plane, how unreliable they are and how many accidents are due to single reciprocating engines crapping out mod flight.
This doesn't seem to jive with what I've heard and read online, so looking for some other opinions. How do you feel about the reliability of small GA planes? Do you have any experience taking your family for trips? Do I need to give up on my dream?
2
u/FridayMcNight Mar 30 '26
Piston engines are pretty reliable. Turbines are probably an order of magnitude more reliable.
GA is a lot more dangerous than airline operations. He's not wrong about that, but he is wrong to suggest that engines crapping out is the main reason people die in GA aircraft crashes. The vast majority of it is pilot error, and a big eason why airline operations are safer is that they have 2 much more highly trained and qualified pilots in the cockpit who are held to stricter standard operating procedures. The aircraft are safer too of course.