And a double correction - it's not an SSDR. Last post for the evening, I think.
I think Backpackers angle, fuel, is the key - as it automatically compares apples to apples.
C182 diesel is cheaper to fly than a C182 avgas... etc.
Fly safe, Sam.
I would say it also depends where in the world you are flying. In the US, for example, the price difference between Avgas and Jet-A isn't great, if it exists at all. In Europe, this is a completely different story, of course.
The new C182 JT-A surely is a contender. According to FLYING Mag, it burns 11 USG/h @ 150Kts, IOW 0.0733 USG/nautical mile.
As an aside, this might well be the ideal a/c for a RTW trip (which I still dream of doing one day)!
I had a friend who always said he would choose the slowest aircraft. His logic was that he enjoyed flying so he got more flying (and hence pleasure) by going slowly on any given trip.
I think that the first aeroplane I'd look at for a baseline of £/nm would be a second hand CT2K.
They're going for around £25k, cruise around 115kn with -12 flap, burning around 16 litres/hr, and are a lot of fun to fly as well. That and on a microlight permit and MOGAS, very cheap to operate.
G
I believe that the most cost effective aircraft is one that you like.
You can decide your primary mission profile i.e. bimbling, touring, vfr, ifr, but unless the sep is a business tool many factors other than plain costs come in to play.
However AfricanEagle, the OP said...
[quote]which Single engine aircraft has the lowest price per NM (on average without wind)?[/quote]
Which was the question I was trying to answer.
G
If you throttle a 1978-built Vari-Eze back to the same fuel consumption as a Rotax, you'll be going 20 kts faster than the CT2K... With maybe another 20 kts capability beyond that when you open the throttle to normal cruise power. The limitation of the Eze is the need for paved runways but that wasn't part of the original question either 
Hi,
I am quite chuffed with 5,5 US Gallons per hour, 95Kts Rotax 914 2-seater. Truth be told, at US$2,- a Gallon for MoGas where I am, I`m laughing anyway.
Cheers,
Ultra Long Hauler
I expect "as light as possible" and smallest engine will be cheapest to run, but usually the cost of the plane, especially new aerodynamically clean and retractable, will make it a bit expensive. I heard a claim that you can fly a shark on 16 liters/hour of gas station petrol at 120 knots cruise, which comes to car territory of 35 (or so) mpg.
