In article ,
says...


VOR-DME writes:

This only "seems to be" true for someone who has not researched the
subject. In virtually every case, when a standard piston model gets a
turbocharged upgrade, the "turbo" version outsells the normally aspirated
version by a healthy margin. They are extremely popular and common.

Then why have turbos come and gone so often?
Airplanes come and go all the time - that's their purpose in life!
Seriously I don't understand the question.

A turbo version is a marketing choice manufacturers make, based on their
conviction that a particular model will have added appeal in this
configuration.For a C-172 it doesn't make a lot of sense, because it is
bought and used more for training and economic transport than for long
distance, and anyone looking at a 172 is definitely not looking in the "fast"
market. As soon as you get into a 182, people are looking for not only more
speed, but more utility. Mountain dwellers will naturally be looking into
turbos. The "fast" crowd is completely addicted. Cirrus buyers are not
looking at turbo or normally aspirated, but at "which" turbo they want - the
Tornado Alley turbonormalized package, or the Cirrus factory-built
turbocharged version.

Come and go? The turbocharged 182 has been a mainstay for decades, aside the
pre-GARA hiatus. Same for many Pipers. You won't find many of them in the
aero-club circuit, as they represent higher maintenance costs for little
added training value, but amongst owners they have been a favorite for
decades, and justifiably so.