A staple of the general aviation fleet, the Piper PA-28 series is among the easiest types to own. Plentiful spare parts, widespread qualified maintenance, and do-it-all flight characteristics make it a true Jack of all trades. Accordingly, it comes as no surprise that some 33,000 examples have been produced – and continue to be produced – since its introduction in 1960.

Over the years, the PA-28 has morphed into many subtypes and derivations. From the two-seat, 140-horsepower Cherokee 140 to the big six-seat, 300-horsepower Cherokee Six, the basic design spans a wide range of performance and capability. 

• READ MORE: Plane Facts: Piper PA-28s

This particular example is one of the most highly regarded engine/airframe pairings. With four seats and the 180-horsepower Lycoming O-360, it provides a fantastic blend of performance and economy. With only 2,465 hours on the airframe and 464 hours since major overhaul of the engine, it’s likely to provide its next owner with trouble-free flying for years to come.

While there are less expensive Cherokees out there, few combine a low-time airframe with such a nice interior and modern panel. With clean, neutral colors and intact trim pieces, the cabin presents well, particularly for a 58-year-old airplane. 

The panel has been modernized with some of the latest Garmin avionics. A GNX 375 provides GPS and transponder duties, as well as ADS-B in and out. This feeds data to a GI 275 HSI, and a GTR 200 provides primary radio duties. 

With this panel setup, the new owner could add a single GI 275 attitude indicator to completely eliminate the airplane’s vacuum system. This would add functionality, increase reliability, and save significant weight in one shot. 

Well maintained with current IFR certification and complete logbooks, this Cherokee provides a well-balanced set of strengths with well-known and well-liked flying qualities to boot.

• READ MORE: Flying Over An Egyptian Air Base

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance and quickly calculate your monthly payment using the airplane finance calculator. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

The post Bargain Buys on AircraftForSale:1966 Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee/Archer appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

The Piper J-3 Cub defines grassroots simplicity. With a bare minimum of creature comforts, a sparse instrument panel consisting of only six gauges, and no electrical system, this example is perfectly representative of the type. Fortunately, it has been carefully updated and refreshed without affecting this simplicity. 

Already decades newer than many Cessnas and Pipers flying today, this 1974 example has flown regularly over the years, logging a total of 4,157 hours on the airframe and 668 hours on the 65-horsepower engine since major overhaul. Critically, the airplane has always been hangared, and the fabric was replaced in 1994, most likely putting the next fabric replacement many years into the future.

• READ MORE: What Color is Your Cub?

This particular Cub includes some pedigree. Once owned by famous airshow pilot Mad Dog Watson and the subject of a similarly famous painting, it blends classic style with a bit of history. Jump on the opportunity to add your own chapter at AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance and quickly calculate your monthly payment using the airplane finance calculator. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

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First flown in 1946, some 3,700 Super Cruisers were manufactured between 1946 and 1948. It resembles a slightly larger Piper Cub, with a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage and tandem seating. Unlike Cubs, however, the Super Cruiser may be flown solo from the front seat, where the pilot can enjoy substantially greater outward visibility. In back, the wide seat was designed to accommodate two passengers side-by-side.

• READ MORE: Bargain Buys on AircraftForSale: 1964 Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee Cruiser

This Super Cruiser comes equipped with a 115-horsepower Lycoming O-235. With a 2,500-hour recommended time between overhaul (TBO), this engine–flown only four hours since the recent major overhaul–will likely provide its new owner with decades of reliable service.

Similarly, the airframe is said to have been given a museum-quality restoration by a professional restorer. This effectively results in an airplane that’s as good as, or perhaps even better than new, for far less than any factory-new aircraft available on the market today.

Inside, the restorer kept the panel true to its vintage design, utilizing ivory-colored gauges and grouping a modern radio and transponder in a small central stack.

• READ MORE: Bargain Buys on AircraftForSale: 1969 Cessna 172K Skyhawk

This Super Cruiser’s asking price is little more than the cost of the airframe restoration and engine overhaul. But it’s available now for $89,000 on AircraftForSale, without having to wait a year or more for such services to be rendered.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

The post Bargain Buys on AircraftForSale: 1947 Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

After my half-hour flight lesson of three takeoffs and landings, with my childhood friends Larry Leonard and Michael Rafferty watching from alongside the grassy airstrip, I was surprised by his question. I had no idea this might be “the day” I would solo at Weiser Airpark (formerly KEYQ) outside of Houston. I don’t remember what I answered, but I think I just smiled and nodded. Up to this point, I had seven hours of flight instruction and performed a total of 42 takeoffs and landings. 

Andrews climbed out of the right seat of the Piper Cherokee, and I taxied to the end of the runway for what would be my 15-minute solo flight, performing three touch-and-go landings with Michael and Larry snapping away with a yellow Kodak disposable camera.

My main memory of the flight is that when I looked left and then right, ensuring the path was clear before making a turn, there was nobody sitting to my right in the cockpit. I was alone. Even as nervous as I was, I was also very excited.

Like a lot of teenagers growing up, I enjoyed going to airshows. At one point in the 1970s, both the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy Blue Angels flew the F-4 Phantom as they put on airshows throughout the country. As they performed beautiful diamond formation rolls and loops, trailing the ever-present tail of white smoke, or crossed show center cockpit-to-cockpit, I thought, “That is one bad-ass airplane.”  

• READ MORE: Lessons Learned – To Hell You Fly

Air Force flying was in my family. My uncle, Jack Sanders, was an Air Force fighter pilot, flying the F-100 Super Sabre during the Vietnam War. He then flew the A-7 Corsair II and finally transitioned to the new A-10 Thunderbolt II tank killer. He was an A-10 squadron commander, the pinnacle of a fighter pilot’s career, before helping to set up a new squadron of A-10s at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, during the Cold War (no pun intended). He closed out his 30-year career as a colonel and vice commander of First Air Force in Tactical Air Command at Langley AFB, Virginia, during Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s.  

In 1979, Uncle Jack was a lieutenant colonel and A-10 squadron commander at Davis-Monthan AFB, outside of Tucson, Arizona. That spring, I was 17 years old and went to visit my Uncle Jack, Aunt Elaine, and two cousins, Christy and Tina. During that trip, I got to tour the base control tower and from a bird’s-eye view watched the fighters take off and land. One of the highlights of my visit was when Uncle Jack arranged for me to fly the A-7 simulator. I pretended to be a fighter pilot as I simulated low-altitude strafing attacks.   

I came home from that trip determined to be a fighter pilot. I started flying lessons a year earlier in June 1978 at the grass runway of Weiser Airpark (which would eventually close in 2019). I signed up for the Piper Flight School and gave the instructor $700, which he would draw from after each lesson. In hindsight, it worked to Andrews’ advantage for me to solo quickly because the quicker I soloed, the more money he kept.  

Weiser Airpark had two World War II-era AT-6 Texan trainers on the grass field. Larry and Michael enjoyed airplanes as much as I did, so I invited them along for my seventh lesson—and that’s when I soloed. After landing for the third and final time, I climbed out of the Piper Archer and took part in the ritual of having my shirttail (tail feathers) cut off. The only problem was that I was wearing my sister’s favorite surfer T-shirt, a cool red one with an ocean wave on the front. Oops.   

My name, the time, and date of the flight, July 24, 1978, were written in black Marks-A-Lot on the cutoff portion of the shirt and tacked to the wall of the flight school. I have no memory of what happened next. I guess my brain was so focused on the momentous solo flight. Larry and Michael tell me that Andrews then offered for them to join us on one more flight. The four of us, Andrews included, took off once again around the pattern with me at the controls.  

The rest of my flight lessons took place at La Porte Municipal Airport (T41) in Pasadena, Texas, located near the oil refineries along the ship channel east of Houston. We called this area “Stinkadena,” because of the foul oil aroma, referred to in the Lone Star State as the smell of money. I worked as a busboy and cook at The Mason Jar Restaurant near my house on the west side of Houston to pay for my flying lessons. In addition, I joined the Aviation Explorers Post, a coed branch of Boy Scouts that focused on aviation.

My flight instructor for Aviation Explorers was Richard Lovell. He was the owner of a beautiful 180 hp 1973 Piper Challenger, a white four-seater with a black-and-gray stripe down the side. Lovell served in the Navy during the Korean War but not as a pilot, and he didn’t deploy overseas. He laughed about earning the National Defense Service Medal for never going anywhere. He was a short, tough old man—a Navy boxing champ with a permanently crooked nose to prove it. Day in and day out, he dipped Copenhagen and swallowed it. During flying lessons over the Texas Gulf Coast, as he gave me instructions, he’d suddenly let out a burp, filling the cockpit with the smell of the snuff. To this day, my Pavlovian response is to equate the smell of dipping tobacco with a Piper four-seater.  

• READ MORE: A Father Goes Flying With The Kid

I owe Lovell a lot. He was demanding, telling me to “fight for centerline” when landing in a crosswind. As tough as he was, he was also very kind. Lovell donated his instructor time for free, as a way of giving back to the Scouts program. My flight lessons from 1978 to 1980 started at $22 an hour and eventually rose to $25. This came at a time of high inflation, when certificates of deposits earned 13 percent, and I was making around $3 an hour at the restaurant.

The hour-long lessons, flown near the Houston Ship Channel, consisted of air work, flying 360-degree turns, keeping my wingtip pointed at a blue, lollipop-shaped water tower below while adjusting for the wind changes, or making a series of S-turns over a railroad track. These exercises taught me to take the varying winds into account.

Stalling an airplane can be a pilot’s nightmare—even in practice. To build my confidence,  Lovell demonstrated his Piper’s ability to handle a stall. Reducing the throttle to idle, pulling the yoke back to his chest, this Copenhagen-dipping instructor proceeded to illustrate the magical gift of his aircraft. As I watched the airspeed bleed off, the stall warning light and buzzer distracting my attention, I noticed his hands suddenly release the straining yoke of the shuddering airplane. My heart and stomach raced each other for my throat as the airplane transferred from 30 degrees nose high into a steep dive.

“Crap!” I exclaimed as I looked down on the offshore drilling rig growing larger in front of the propeller. Without touching the controls, the airspeed increased and the trusty Cherokee slowly pitched up and down, finally settling at the original level-flight attitude. This breathtaking demonstration of aerodynamic stability allowed me to confidently rehearse stall recoveries on my own.

Thanks to Lovell’s instruction, encouragement, and generosity, I was ready for my private check ride on August 20, 1980. I spent that afternoon with a renowned FAA-designated evaluator, Maybelle Fletcher, who was a fixture in the Houston aviation community. At the time, she and her husband operated Fletcher Aviation at Hobby Airport (KHOU) south of downtown Houston. This nerve-wracking day began when I flew solo from quiet, tiny La Porte airport into busy Hobby. An 18-year-old kid in a small, single-engine propeller plane had to fly into a big-city airport, sequenced between Learjets and brightly colored Braniff Airways 727s.

• READ MORE: Hangin’ Out in Austin

With that behind me, I then underwent Fletcher’s oral ground evaluation. Finally, we flew a one-hour flight to an outlying airport for three touch-and-go landings. With my check ride complete, I was now a certificated private pilot just one week from starting college at the University of Texas at Austin.

It had been an exciting day, but I still needed to fly back to La Porte. It was 4 p.m. by the time I was debriefed and congratulated by Fletcher. I sat in my small plane near the end of the Hobby runway, waiting for my turn to take off. But this was “rush hour,” and streams of Learjets and airliners continued to land.   

Just before being cleared for takeoff, the Piper’s engine began to sputter. It had a left and right fuel tank, one in each wing, with a fuel selector by my left knee. Since most of my flying lessons lasted just one hour, switching fuel tanks was rarely required. On this day, however, the engine had already been running for nearly three hours, and the left fuel tank was almost dry.

Distracted by the excitement of passing my check ride and impatiently watching the landing jets, I forgot to switch fuel tanks. I quickly threw the selector to the right wing tank, and the engine continued running. Fortunately, I had not been cleared for takeoff a minute sooner or the engine would have quit during takeoff. That would have been a very short aviation career. 

—From the aviation memoir ‘Ready For Takeoff: Stories from an Air Force Pilot’

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the November/December 2023 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine. 

The post Lessons Learned: Achieving Aspirations appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Carpenter was born in the small town of Edgington, Illinois, in 1912. If such a thing can be predetermined, then it was likely that Carpenter was destined for the skies. On the day he was born, the local newspaper headline read, “Aviation Events Big Fair Feature.” Yet aviation was a long way off for Carpenter. His parents divorced when Carpenter was still a child, and he and his siblings would frequently find themselves working on neighbors’ farms to help make ends meet.

Carpenter still found time for his studies. Books were a happy pastime for him, and upon graduating high school, he turned to teaching history in Moline, Illinois. It was there he met Elda Fritchle. They married in 1940 and had a daughter, Carol, together.

But war was coming for the U.S., and in 1942 Carpenter was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Initially assigned to the infantry, he was sure he could do more aloft. He decided to join the Glider Corps, but he found the training took much longer than he anticipated and he was hungry for action.

Carpenter arrived in France in 1944, where he was assigned to combat duty with the 1st Bombardment Division. Compared to the P-40s, P-51s, and B-17s that were commanding the skies over Europe, his airplane was nothing remarkable. Carpenter found himself in the L-4 Grasshopper, although it is better known by its civilian name, the Piper Cub. 

However, Carpenter wasn’t going to let his small, slow airplane keep him from fighting the Germans. He took a page out of other reconnaissance pilots’ books and added six bazookas—three on each wing—to his artillery-spotter airplane. As a play off of the famous “Rosie the Riveter,” he would paint Rosie the Rocketer on the side of his L-4.

Carpenter continued to improve upon the design of the bazookas on his beloved Rosie and flew in the 1944 Battle of Arracourt, where he was credited with knocking out a German armored car and four tanks. Multiple articles in the press back in the States featured his pilot exploits, including ones in Stars and Stripes, The Associated Press, and more. Carpenter also served as the personal pilot for U.S. Army General John S. Wood.

A Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in 1945 led to his honorable discharge from the military in 1946. He returned home to his family and began teaching high school history again in Urbana, Illinois.

Although Carpenter was given just two years to live when initially diagnosed, he thrived and worked in Urbana until his death at 53 in 1966.

Carpenter’s cherished L-4, Rosie the Rocketer, found its way back to the U.S. in 2019 and has since been restored to flying condition. It flies now as a testament to the “Mad Major,” as Carpenter’s comrades also called him, and the crazy idea that would save many American lives. 

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the October 2023 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine. 

The post This Incredible Pilot: Charles Carpenter appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Pilots understand that adherence to professional standards is nowhere more critical than during approach to the airport and landing. Fighter pilots instinctively understand this. When they return to the airfield or aircraft carrier, the formation gets a little tighter and the radio calls are more concise.

They follow the rules partly because they understand the cost of making a mistake is high, and they know everyone is watching.

The Super Bowl of traffic pattern operations is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (KATL) during rush hour. Hundreds of flights coordinated into an aerial ballet, a series of machine-gun-like radio instructions, carrying thousands of passengers safely to their terminal just in time so they can run and catch their next flight. Achieving this level of safety and efficiency requires everyone to adhere to a strict code of behavior. However, the same may not always be said of the traffic pattern at your local towered or especially nontowered airport.

So why do we care about traffic pattern discipline so much? According to the FAA’s Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH), the vast majority of midair collisions occur in good visibility between aircraft going in the same direction, near uncontrolled airports, and at altitudes below 1,000 feet. Sounds like Saturday afternoon in the touch-and-go pattern. Maybe it is worth a few minutes to review the basics of traffic pattern requirements, midair collision avoidance, and proper pattern etiquette.

High Wings, Low Wings, and the Standard Traffic Pattern

The “Friendly Aviation Administration” is sufficiently concerned about traffic pattern etiquette to have just released an update to Advisory Circular 90-66C, “Non-Towered Airport Flight Operations.” However, this updated AC, the AFH, and Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) are all quick to point out that the FAA does not regulate traffic pattern entry—only the traffic flow pattern. Thus, all traffic at a nontowered airport is expected to blend into the existing left traffic pattern unless right traffic is specified on the sectional chart or the chart supplement.

However, if we look carefully at the recommended box-shaped general aviation traffic pattern with its series of straight and level legs connected by brief 45- and 90-degree turns, it is designed to nearly eliminate the blind spots associated with both high- and low-wing aircraft. The 45-degree entry leg allows for aircraft entering and those in the pattern to see each other out the side windows while still in level flight. The level downwind and base legs, each separated by 90-degree turns, perform the same function. We might ask, why does the FAA recommend traffic on the crosswind leg turn onto downwind after reaching pattern altitude? Once again, it reduces the risk associated with the high-wing/low-wing blind spot.

Nonstandard Patterns, Blind Spots, and Belly Checks

So, what happens when things do not go strictly to plan? A couple of recent accidents come to mind.

On May 12, 2021, a Cirrus SR22 at Centennial Airport (KAPA) in the Denver suburb of Englewood, Colorado, made what may have been a nearly constant base turn at higher-than-normal pattern speed and literally flew right through the rear upper fuselage of a Fairchild Metroliner on a straight-in approach. Thankfully, the Metroliner landed on the runway, and the Cirrus parachute saved the day for the single.

Then, on July 17, 2022, there was an accident involving a Piper Malibu and a Cessna 172 both operating at North Las Vegas Airport (KVGT). The towered airport has parallel runways: 12R/30L and 12L/30R. The Piper Malibu was making a teardrop-shaped constant left turn to final from midfield, was assigned Runway 30L but appeared to line up on Runway 30R and collided with a Cessna 172 making a right base to final turn to the same runway. All four occupants of the Cessna and Piper were killed. These two accidents highlight a significant visibility limitation inherent in every aircraft. Once we have accounted for the high/low-wing visibility limitation, the remaining blind spot is the belly of our own plane.

• READ MORE: Pro Tips: Situational Awareness For Private Pilots

Our fighter pilot friends can’t see through the floor of their jets either. OK, so the F-35 with its $400,000 pilot helmet actually can, but that’s another story. When a fighter pilot executes a quick descent or a sustained steep turn, a quick roll to the left or right, often called a belly check, allows them to clear this primary blind spot. Fly the pattern too fast, fail to roll out on the base leg, or fly a nonstandard curvilinear turn to the final approach, and you increase your risk of being belly up to other traffic. Follow the recommended pattern etiquette, and you dramatically reduce the chance of a collision.

Another example of mixing curved and box patterns is the overhead pattern. This approach, often used by warbirds, especially in formation, consists of an initial leg at pattern altitude, followed by a 180-degree “pitch out” to the downwind and another 180-degree turn to final. This military pattern is a great method to get fast airplanes, especially in formation, slowed down, separated, and on the ground quickly, notably at a towered airport where the traffic flow can be managed. However, at a nontowered airport it places the airplane turning downwind from the overhead pattern belly up to anyone joining the downwind from the 45-degree leg. The same thing occurs with the curvilinear turn to final.

The moral of the story is that mixing curvilinear and box patterns creates belly blind spots that the designers of the recommended nontowered airport traffic pattern can’t help you with.

The Crosswind Entry Option

Gather any 10 pilots together and ask about the best method for entering the downwind leg crosswind from midfield and watch the arguments begin. The option preferred by the FAA involves crossing the airport at midfield 500 feet above pattern altitude and then making a constant turning descent to join the 45-degree leg to downwind (see AFH Chapter 8, fig. 8-3). This approach makes it easier to blend into traffic.

However, the constant descending turn to the 45-degree entry leg places the pilot belly up to aircraft entering on the 45-degree entry. Sounds like a belly check is in order. The other alternative involves entering a midfield crosswind leg at pattern altitude and then joining the downwind. The plus is that all the traffic is in the pilot’s front and side windows before the turn. The downside is that two aircraft, one turning downwind from the crosswind leg and another on the 45-degree entry, are belly up to each other. Whichever you choose, it is good to understand the plus and minuses of each, and the need to check your belly blind spot for traffic.

Proper Communication Etiquette

There is no requirement to make radio calls in the pattern at a nontowered airport. In fact, NORDO (no radio) airplanes are welcome. Having said that, our friends at the FAA remind us that concise and accurate “self-announcement” is the proper etiquette. The term self-announcement is a reminder that each transmission should announce your position and intentions so that others in the pattern can plan accordingly. The updated advisory circular goes to great pains to drive home a couple of salient points.

First, radio calls should include the type of aircraft and the N-number. Recently, I have noticed pilots substituting the color and type of aircraft for the N-number. I fly at a busy feeder airport that serves at least five flight schools. So, when a pilot transmits “blue-and-white Cessna turning base,” I casually look out the window and note that there are at least five Cessnas that fit that description in the pattern.

Second, the FAA reminds us that the phrase “any traffic in the area, please advise” is a nonstarter. I believe the point it is trying to make is that traffic pattern radio calls are not a conversation. Rather, each “self-announcement,” starting at 8 to 10 miles out and ending when we clear the runway, is for the benefit of the entire pattern to provide a safe environment.

Start Planning Early

Hey, I seem to remember that my CFI asked me to start planning my arrival before takeoff, not 10 miles out! Hmm, I thought the traffic patterns here are all left hand, right? Not so fast. If the letters “RP” are listed below the runway length and elevation on the sectional, then a glance through the chart supplement will reveal right-hand traffic prevails on one or more runways. Preflight is also a great time to catch up on possible noise restrictions, NOTAMs, special instructions, and nearby transmission towers.

I am also an advocate for spending the extra bucks to get ADS-B In as well as ADS-B Out. Having the airport traffic pattern picture on a portable iPad while still 10 miles out is priceless. I tend to use the traffic information to correlate the N-numbers I hear on the radio (no aircraft colors or paint schemes please) with traffic locations. All the while I remember that ADS-B of any kind is not required at Class D or nontowered airports. Once established on the 45 to downwind, your Mark One Eyeballs are the best collision avoidance devices. I transition to 100 percent out the window, but the aural traffic alarm provided by the ADS-B In receiver is good insurance while scanning outside for conflicting traffic.

Keeping the Tower Crew Happy 

What might the tower crews want us to remember? First, some smaller towers have radar and some do not. In either case, it is important to keep your patterns close in and avoid the dreaded “bomber pattern.” What the tower cannot see, it cannot control. Second, at a busy training airport, be ready to go when you call the tower. If given a clearance for an “immediate takeoff, no delay,” the tower expects your wheels to start turning right away. This is not the time to start the pretakeoff checklist. If you are not ready to go, just say so and stay put. Third, keep your radio transmissions informative and brief. If you have a question, please be sure to ask, but beware of the long-drawn-out soliloquies that block the frequency. Fourth, if cleared to land number three, make sure to visually identify both number one and number two. Failure to do so may result in one of those high-wing/low-wing close encounters, or worse, on final approach. Finally, just like at a nontowered airport, be on your guard at all times for traffic. Good traffic pattern etiquette requires teamwork between the tower and pilots.

Be Safe Out There

Greasing on the perfect landing (are we down yet?) is one of the most satisfying parts of flying. Our behavior in the traffic pattern is a reflection of just how professional we are. Just like the jet jocks who clean up their act as they approach the airport traffic pattern, we all have a responsibility to be prepared, know the rules and recommendations, and execute the proper traffic pattern etiquette. Midair collision avoidance is a team sport that requires each of us to know where to be and what to do once we get there. Fly safe!

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the October 2023 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine. 

The post Pro Tips: Traffic Pattern Manners and Etiquette appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Pilots interested in an economical, fun-to-fly four-place aircraft should consider this 1957 Piper PA-22-150 Tri-Pacer, which is available for $64,000 on AircraftForSale.

Derived from the PA-20 Pacer taildragger, Piper’s PA-22 Tri-Pacer adds tricycle gear for surefooted handling in crosswinds and notably less expensive insurance premiums. Purists love Piper’s robust, fabric-covered tubular steel airframe, reasoning that it is superior to the stressed-skin aluminum fuselage construction utilized by Cessna and Beechcraft. The steel cage is said to provide better protection to occupants, and the fabric covering can make both inspection and repair easier than aluminum counterparts.

Equipped with a 150-horsepower Lycoming O-320 and a left-side rear door, the Tri-Pacer is equally happy bringing friends and pets along as it is toting camping equipment for weekend adventures. Although this particular example doesn’t have a rear seat installed, Piper parts are plentiful and not overly expensive compared to many other types. Beefy bungee-cord-equipped main gear holds up well to rough runways, and vortex generators provide crisp, responsive handling.

With only 2,650 hours on the airframe, 815 hours since the major overhaul of the engine, and only 355 hours since new cylinders were installed, this Tri-Pacer is poised to provide its next owner with many years of economical flying. Perhaps best of all, the fabric was replaced with Ceconite in 2003 and repainted in a classic scheme—a job easily worth over $40,000 alone.

But the owner didn’t stop there! A look inside reveals a completely new interior that was installed in 2016, including fresh soundproofing for a quieter, less fatiguing cabin environment. In addition to fresh carpet and upholstery, the panel is in outstanding shape, free from the ugly cracked and weathered plastic trim pieces that are so commonly found. A set of AV-30 digital gauges replace the heavy vacuum system, a Stratus ESG transponder provides ADS-B out, and a Garmin Aera 660 GPS is neatly installed in its recessed panel mount.

At $64,000, this Tri-Pacer is more expensive than many examples, but with over $40,000 in new paint and fabric and many thousands of dollars in new cylinders, updated interior, and advanced avionics, it seems to be an exceptional value that will likely provide decades of economical, trouble-free ownership.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

The post Bargain Buys on AircraftForSale: 1957 Piper PA-22-150 Tri-Pacer appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Essentially a larger version of the Piper Vagabond, the Clipper is a small fabric-covered taildragger that was originally equipped with the 115-horsepower Lycoming O-235. This example has been upgraded to a 150-horsepower Lycoming O-320. Although the Clipper’s lack of flaps might be somewhat limiting on extremely short strips, the additional power combined with a low empty weight of just over 1000 pounds ensures little runway will be required for takeoff. Cushy, oversized 8.50 tires are an ideal choice for rougher surfaces.

• READ MORE: PIPER PA-15/PA-17 “VAGABOND”/PA-16 “CLIPPER”

Inside, the Clipper differs from most other aircraft. One of the few types that combines control sticks with side-by-side seating, it provides classic stick-and-rudder flying without subjecting your companion to a view of your back. It does, however, also provide a back seat for an additional passenger or a pile of gear. The clean, uncluttered panel sports a smart assortment of upgrades, such as a digital com radio, an intercom, digital engine instruments, and a panel-mounted Garmin GPS. An integrated iPad mount ensures you won’t have to fumble with suction cups or less-reliable tablet holders.

This Clipper also provides peace of mind, with a low 2,200-hour airframe time and only 400 hours on the engine since the last major overhaul in the 1990s. The seller reports perfect compression and has all logs available upon request. Additionally, a set of sealed wing struts has eliminated the requirement to perform ongoing, repetitive airworthiness directive inspections. Finally, the seller is including a set of vortex generators to make the already responsive controls even more crisp. 

Pilots interested in a unique vintage aircraft with economical operating costs should consider this 1949 Piper PA-16 Clipper, which is available for $55,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

The post Bargain Buys on AircraftForSale: 1949 Piper PA-16 Clipper appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Piper Aircraft revealed its most powerful single ever—the M700 Fury—in a livestream event Tuesday afternoon. The new $4.1 million M700 Fury adds a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-52 powerplant up front, flat-rated to 700 hp, giving the updated machine its name.

The extra power pushes the Fury past the 300-knot barrier to a maximum cruise speed of 301 ktas, according to the company. Piper expects FAA certification at the end of Q1 2024, with deliveries to follow shortly thereafter.

The M700 keeps the Garmin G3000 glass up front with its GTC touchscreen controllers and the Collier Trophy-winning Halo autoland emergency landing system on board.

READ MORE: Why the Piper M600 SLS Is So Remarkable

It also manages to keep the beast below 6,000 pounds maximum takeoff weight to retain its Basic Med compatibility status.

The M700 Fury will best the M600/SLS it replaces in a wide range of specs:

• Maximum range: 1,149 nm at 301 ktas maximum cruise speed / 1,424 nm at normal cruise
• Takeoff distance: 1,994 ft over a 50-ft obstacle, at sea level on a standard, 24 percent better than the M600 at 2,635 ft 
• Departure climb: 2,048 fpm at MTOW, 32 percent better than the M600
• Time to climb: 13.9 minutes to FL250, flying 34 nm and burning 97 pounds of fuel—-25 to 35 percent improvements over the M600
• Landing distance: 26 percent less ground roll compared to the M600

Garmin’s PlaneSync technology will add remote aircraft status capability via the Garmin Pilot app, with database downloads available while the aircraft is powered down and the pilot is away from the plane.

“The M700 Fury is a beautifully efficient, cross-country thoroughbred that gives our customers a performance-based flight experience with economics never seen before,” said Piper Aircraft’s president and CEO, John Calcagno. “We listened, and we delivered. The M700 Fury encompasses power, performance and the most advanced safety measures available today and an overall value proposition that is extremely compelling to individuals and corporate flight departments alike.”

Interior appointments include new leather and seat styling, with six choices for the Fury. Following first deliveries in the U.S., Piper will pursue validations with Canada, EASA, the U.K., and Brazil.

We’ll be putting the Fury to our own flight test soon—so stay tuned!

The post The Fastest Piper Single Ever Is Revealed, the M700 Fury appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

1959 Piper PA-22

While not the Tri-Pacer noted in the heading of the listing (that would be for the tricycle-gear version), this Piper PA-22 offers low-cost tailwheel fun for the pilot attracted to its sunny personality and approachability. With 3,381 hours on the airframe and a high-time engine, it’s ready for some attention, though compressions are reported to remain in the 70s.

In the instrument panel, there’s a BendixKing KY-97A VHF com radio, KN-53 VHF nav unit, and KT-76A transponder, plus an EGT gauge. The annual was last completed in June 2023. The aircraft paint is in good condition, as is the interior, according to the seller. Another plus? A spin-on oil filter has been installed, along with new bungees in 2023.

READ MORE: 1952 Piper PA-20 Pacer

It’s priced now as a good deal at $39,900, and based in Oregon.

Interested in more deals like this? Check out AircraftForSale.com and our new PlanePrice feature that gives you a window into the opportunities that are out there.

Need help financing your dream? Visit our professional team at FLYING Finance for the best way to back your aircraft acquisition plan.

The post Bargain Buys on AircraftForSale: 1959 Piper PA-22-150 appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.