Piper Comanche - search results

Pipers venerable Seneca is what we think of as a "full-circle airplane." Would-be twin owners often consider it as their first choice, but then shop around for a Baron, or a Skymaster or maybe an Aztec. They then come full circle back to the Seneca for several good reasons, the leading one being that as twins go, the Seneca is eminently practical. It does nothing exceedingly well-its not fast, nor a joy to fly nor will it turn heads on the ramp-but it does a lot we'll enough.

Back in the day, the quest to come up with the perfect personal airplane may have seamed easy at first. It only needed to perfectly combine ease and cost of operation, ability to carry the right number of passengers and operate from most all airports in the country. During the post-World War II boom, the major airplane manufacturers to include Aeronca, Luscombe, ERCO, Piper and Cessna, among others, all eventually came to the conclusion that the future for mass-marketing airplanes was wrapped up in something that had four seats and on the order of 150 HP. ERCO (the Ercoupe folks) never made it past a prototype. Aeronca and Luscombe gave up after limited success, while Cessna and Piper went on to fight it out for decades, while Beech and Grumman-American tried to make inroads.

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Over the years, few light aircraft manufacturers have managed to get as much mileage out of existing airframes as Piper. Vero Beach produced seemingly endless variants of the basic PA-28 Cherokee-everything from simple trainers to T-tailed turbocharged retractables to light twins, all of which were recognizably based on the same airframe. Pipers larger single, the PA-32 Cherokee Six, was also transformed into several different airplanes over the years.

History
The PA-34 Seneca is, basically, what you get when you turn a Cherokee Six into a twin, sharing the trademark Hershey-bar wing, stabilator empennage and fuselage of the Cherokee Six. The Seneca had counter-...

All airplanes are compromises. Since most of us lack an unlimited budget, we’re often forced to choose between going fast in a relatively small cockpit or dragging around a larger cabin more slowly. It’s simple, really: The “go-fast” airplane will get us to our destination sooner, but we might be forced to leave behind a few things, or a few people. The slower, large-cabin bird gets us there just fine, thank you, and lets us carry all the stuff we’ll need upon arrival. In the six-seat, retractable piston-single market, there are three basic choices: Beech’s Model 36 Bonanza, Cessna’s Model 210 Centurion or Piper’s PA-32R series, the Lance and Saratoga. The Bonanza arguably handles better than the other two while probably squeezing out a knot or two over the Centurion.

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There's a lot to be said for airplanes that have a whole lot of room inside. Theyre comfortable and flexible, and usually have the power needed to provide good takeoff and climb performance when lightly loaded. These advantages come with a price, however. A big airframe means a big engine, and that means a big appetite for fuel. Often, it also means less-than-stellar cruise speeds.

Still, if the owners needs lean more towards hauling ability and roominess than getting to point B in a real hurry, a big airplane might be just the ticket. The aerial equivalent of a minivan, if you will.

This is the mission of the Piper PA-32 series. Like the PA-28 series, the PA-32s come...

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The PA-23 is one of those airplane designs that stayed in production so long that the final versions were almost unrecognizable derivations of the original. In this case, the original was small, all-metal, and underpowered to the point that single-engine operations can be extremely hazardous...just like other twins with small powerplants. The last versions, by contrast, are capable load-haulers with very good short-field performance.

History
The precursor of the PA-23 was the Twin Stinson, which not only had two engines (125-HP Lycomings) but two vertical tails, as well. The design originated at Consolidated Vultees Stinson Division, which was acquired by Piper...

We usually revisit the majority of the aircraft in our Used Aircraft Guide every three years, but with aircraft like the Warrior—increasing in value...

These days, $70,000 buys a lot of airplane. If you don't mind an older airframe, P-model Bonanzas are a top pick. Pre-201 Mooneys are economy leaders.

The quest to come up with the perfect personal airplane, which would sell in droves, was probably the dominant force in the evolution of general aviation ever since the post-World War II boom and bust. It looked easy: it only needed to perfectly combine ease and cost of operation, ability to carry the right number of passengers and operate from most all airports in the country. Piece of cake. Aeronca, Luscombe, ERCO, Piper and Cessna, among others, all eventually came to the conclusion that the future for mass-marketing airplanes was wrapped up in something that had four seats and on the order of 150 HP. ERCO (the Ercoupe folks) never went past a prototype.

For those stepping into the world of multi-engine airplanes, the Piper Seneca remains a popular twin for a few reasons. Flight schools tend to...

For many owners, these six-placers offer ideal speed, payload and operating economy.

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The basic 150-HP four-place, fixed-gear single is about as close to an everyman airplane as you can get. Its the market segment where airplanes become just capable enough to be practical transportation tools. They wont haul a lot of people or cargo, but they will lift enough. They wont go all that far or all that fast, but they will perform adequately. Airplanes in this class are sort of like Toyotas: Not terribly exciting or fancy, perhaps, but they do what you need them to without costing an arm and a leg.

The Cessna Skyhawk still owns this market, and the prices of used airplanes reflect that dominance. However, at least two of its mainstream competitors, the Piper Wa...