Even in the US, the Skymasters are an economical disaster, you get them for the price of the aluminium. I know one shop owner around the corner here that owns a 337. He uses the free labor of his maintenance shop to keep it going.
The aircraft is dog slow and it eats you alive. I agree, the looks are super cool 
Seminole: They are probably the absolute cheapest way to do an ME PPL / CPL / IR, or to revalidate one. They are slow but that's good if you want to pass the test.
And there is a logical progression Archer -> Arrow > Seminole. The aeroplane remains basically the same, but there are a few extra levers and controls added each time and a step up in performance and speed. Ideal for learning.
And it's not such a bad aeroplane after all. I've been all around Europe in Seminoles, from Barcelona to Stockholm and from Milan to Warsaw and it never let me down. Flying over the alps in IMC (at FL 140 without oxygen) or from KOK to CLN I would still prefer it over any SEP aircraft.
Cessna push-pull: I saw one last week doing traffic patterns at EDAB. Don't know what the registration was, certainly not German. At most airfields it will have to pay noise sur-sur-surcharges...
Blanik: There used to be quite a few around, but they were grounded a few years ago after inflight breakups and the reuired modification is too expensive for most gliding clubs.
Cardinal: Saw a blue one this morning at my homebase (D-EEXX IIRC). A rare sight of a pretty aeroplane.
There used to be a Navion in Jersey. Would add Bellanca Super Vik to the list, IIRC one was based at Cranfield with another rare beast, a Beagle B.206 - UK's hopeful in the twin piston cabin class market.
Another oddity in Jersey used to be a DH Heron, if you are keen on a real fistful of power levers.
Blanik: There used to be quite a few around, but they were grounded a few years ago after inflight breakups and the reuired modification is too expensive for most gliding clubs.
That's the Blanik L13. We have one of those slowly rotting away since it got grounded, we replaced it with a Bergfalke 4. The Blanik L33 on the other hand is the single seat contender for a "one design" class that they made a few years ago (and it's actually not a bad glider. Not exactly high performance, but good as a club single seater or first glider to own - it's nimble, looks nice, and pretty docile). It's definitely not grounded. The L33 is I think more popular in the United States than Europe.
Someone in the island (sadly, now deceased - and we miss him, a real character of the aviation scene here) also had a Cessna 337 (actually, he had two at one point - one on the Russian register). His remaining 337 is slowly rotting away behind one of his farm sheds. Basically he dumped it when it needed an engine overhaul because the airframe is basically worth scrap value only.
I saw a really great C337 display at a small airshow (Orange County airshow, Texas). Several C337s being flown in close formation, including opposite formation passes etc., the aircraft all painted for their former role in Vietnam (as the O-2).
The first that came to my mind was the Globe/Temco Swift but I bet somebody in Europe has one. There was a Navion at Jesenwang, Bavaria sitting unflown. That is one large plane regardless of where it sits.
I'd imagine there might be no Twin Navions with O-340s in Europe! :-)
There's a Cardinal in my hangar. And I'v seen German registered Skymasters too. I have even flown the Seminola for my twin rating (plus Seneca V) ... but I have only seen ONE (ugly naive AirForce design) NAVION in Germany, although it's a really cool plane. Has anybody seen a QUESTAIRE VENTURE in Europe? I have not?
I have only seen ONE (ugly naive Air Force design) NAVION in Germany, although it's a really cool plane
The paint job is sure ugly. The story I was told is that the engine quit on the upwind after a new overhaul some years ago. The aircraft was undamaged, but the owner parked it and didn't fly it again.
Staggerwing and Starship come to mind.
Silvaire, yes that's the one! ;-)
There are some Staggerwings, but Ive never seen a Starship, unfortunately!
... Starship come to mind.
Now we're talking. The Starship is one of my absolute favourite aircraft. What a stunning and inspiring avant-garde flying machine. And like Concorde, a disastrous economical failure.
I wish I could turn the engines around on the DA42 and make it a push-prop. And turn the winglets into rudders, and cut off the tail.
One fine summer afternoon last year I saw 2 separate Starships at the ramp at John Wayne KSNA.
And one of the FBO's had an Adam A500 parked outside as well. Another stunner. (+ economic failure)
Neither type probably ever made it into European airspace.
