If you want to go fast—truly, hair-on-fire fast—in a single-engine piston aircraft without the headache of retractable gear, you basically have one option that stands above the rest. It isn't a Cirrus. It isn't a Beechcraft. Honestly, it’s the Cessna 400 Corvalis TT.
Most people see the fixed gear and assume it’s a slow-moving weekend cruiser. They're wrong. This machine was built to hunt down twins and turboprops in the flight levels. It’s a 235-knot beast that grew out of a kit-plane pedigree, and even in 2026, it remains a marvel of composite engineering that makes most modern aluminum planes look like relics.
The Identity Crisis: Columbia, Cessna, and the 400 Corvalis TT
Before it wore the Cessna badge, this airplane was the Columbia 400. It started life at Lancair, born from the mind of Lance Neibauer. When Cessna bought the company out of bankruptcy in 2007, they didn't just buy a factory in Bend, Oregon; they bought the fastest certified fixed-gear piston aircraft in the world.
The name "Corvalis" (yes, with one 'l' in the marketing, though the town has two) was Cessna's way of trying to make the plane feel like part of the family. The Cessna 400 Corvalis TT—the "TT" stands for Twin Turbocharged—represented the pinnacle of that lineage before it eventually evolved into the TTx.
Why does this history matter? Because the build quality is "kit-plane plus." It’s built like a tank but finished like a glass sculpture. While a Cessna 172 feels like a sturdy truck, the 400 feels like a hand-laid carbon fiber racing shell.
What the Numbers Actually Mean for You
You'll see $235$ knots quoted in every brochure. That’s at $25,000$ feet. Most of the time, you aren't flying that high because, frankly, wearing an oxygen mask for four hours is a literal pain.
- Real-world cruise: If you're down at $12,000$ feet, expect something closer to $190$–$200$ knots.
- Fuel burn: This is where the "TT" part gets expensive. You’re shoving a lot of air through that Continental TSIO-550-C. At max power, you're looking at $24.7$ gallons per hour (GPH). Lean of peak? You can get it down to $17.8$ GPH and still outrun almost everything on the ramp.
- Payload: This is the plane’s Achilles' heel. With full fuel (102 gallons), you have about $413$ pounds left for people and bags. Basically, it’s a very fast two-person cross-country machine.
The Utility Category Edge
Here is something most pilots miss: the Cessna 400 Corvalis TT is certified in the Utility Category. Most of its competitors, including the ubiquitous Cirrus SR22, are "Normal Category" aircraft.
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What's the difference? Strength.
Normal Category planes are tested to $3.8$ Gs. The Corvalis is tested to $4.4$ Gs. During fatigue testing, engineers at the factory ran the airframe through $171,000$ cycles—the equivalent of $120$ years of flight service. They actually broke the testing jig before they broke the wing. That tells you everything you need to know about the structural integrity of this composite shell.
Handling: Side-Sticks and Muscle
If you've spent your life wrestling a Cessna 182 yoke, the 400 will feel like a spaceship. It uses a side-stick. Not a side-yoke like the Cirrus, but a true side-stick that uses solid pushrods instead of cables.
The feedback is instant. It’s "heavy" in a good way—it feels planted. You don't "flick" this airplane; you guide it. Because it’s so fast, the control surfaces are relatively small to keep from over-stressing the airframe at high speeds. This means at low speeds, like during your flare, you need to be proactive. It doesn't have the "floaty" feel of a high-wing Cessna. It wants to fly until it doesn't, and then it wants to sit down.
The Maintenance Reality Check
Owning a Cessna 400 Corvalis TT isn't for the faint of heart or the light of wallet. You have two turbochargers and two intercoolers squeezed into a very tight, very hot cowling.
Heat is the enemy here.
- Exhaust systems: They take a beating. Expect to spend money on transitions and wastegates.
- Avionics: Most 400s come with the Garmin G1000. It’s a rock-solid system, but when a screen goes dark, you’re looking at a five-figure invoice.
- Brakes: Since the nosewheel is a free-castering type (like a grocery cart), you steer with the brakes. If you're heavy on the pedals during taxi, you’ll be changing pads and discs way more often than you'd like.
The Cirrus Elephant in the Room
We have to talk about it. Why did the Cirrus SR22 outsell the Cessna 400 by nearly 10-to-1?
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The parachute.
The Cirrus has the CAPS (Cirrus Airframe Parachute System). The Cessna 400 does not. Instead, Cessna (and Columbia before them) banked on "redundant safety" and structural strength. They argued that a plane that won't spin and won't break is safer than one that needs a parachute.
The market disagreed.
But for the pilot who prefers a "pilot’s airplane"—one that is faster, stronger, and handles better—the Corvalis is often the preferred choice. It’s sort of like choosing a Porsche 911 over a high-end Lexus. The Lexus is easier to live with, but the Porsche is the one you want to actually drive.
Is It Right for You?
If your mission is 800-mile trips with one other person and you want to get there before the weather changes, the Cessna 400 Corvalis TT is nearly unbeatable. It’s a traveling machine. It’s not a bush plane. Don't take it to a grass strip; those small wheels and the low-slung composite wheel pants won't thank you.
Expect to pay anywhere from $450,000 to $650,000 for a well-maintained 2008-2010 model. If you move up to the TTx (post-2013), you’re entering the $700k+ territory, mostly for the G2000 touch-screen avionics and slightly better interior.
Critical Next Steps for Prospective Buyers
- Logbook Audit: Look specifically for "hot starts" or evidence of cylinder replacements. These engines run hot, and poor leaning technique by a previous owner can lead to a premature overhaul.
- Check the Speedbrakes: The 400 has optional Precise Flight speedbrakes on the top of the wings. In an airplane this "slick," they are almost a necessity for descending without shock-cooling the engine.
- Insurance Pre-Approval: Don't buy the plane until you talk to an underwriter. Many companies require significant "time in type" or a very specific transition training program (like the Cessna FITS program) before they'll cover you.
- Castering Nosewheel Practice: If you’ve never flown a plane with a castering nosewheel, spend two hours just taxiing. It sounds stupid, but it'll save you from burning through a set of brakes or, worse, drifting into a runway light.
The Cessna 400 Corvalis TT is a specialist's tool. It requires a disciplined pilot who respects the numbers and understands the systems. If you can handle the "hot and fast" nature of the beast, it’ll reward you with the fastest cross-country times of any piston single in the sky.
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Actionable Insight
To truly master this aircraft, focus your training on Lean of Peak (LOP) engine management. Using a digital engine monitor like the JPI or the integrated G1000 sensors to find the "sweet spot" will save you thousands in fuel and extend the life of your cylinders by keeping CHTs (Cylinder Head Temperatures) below $380$°F.