Piper Lance Guide and Specs: Is The Piper PA-32R Worth It?
Table Of Content
The ride was uncomfortable, but the aircraft’s controls were effective and relatively easy. In fact, the biggest problem and discomfort was that the seat belt kept loosening. We learned to tighten it every few minutes after the first few sharp knocks against the cockpit headliner. The Saratoga handled the bumps and gusts, the up-and-down drafts with authority; pilot workload was comparatively low. The Seneca wallowed and required a great deal more control movement for a similar amount of correction and a great deal more concentration on flying.
PA-32R Insurance Options
Air Compare: Piper Lance vs. Saratoga - FLYING
Air Compare: Piper Lance vs. Saratoga.
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For liability insurance, a qualified pilot can expect to pay between 650$-800$ a year. Pilots that do not meet the minimum qualifications can expect between 875$-1,150$ a year. According to bwifly.com, there are 7 carriers as of January 2021 that supply insurance for the Piper Lance. Insurance prices will be decided by the experience of the pilot, and qualified pilots will have a lower payment than those who are deemed unqualified. Other aircraft modifications include speed brakes, which allow increased stopping performance of the aircraft. Upgraded propeller systems are also available to improve the general performance of the aircraft.
Piper Lance/ Model Prices
It insulates the cockpit from some of the sound and vibration out front, plus its proximity to the engine compartment automatically keeps things warm up front. “This should be interesting,” said Hindley as we watched the aircraft turn short final, expecting the worst. Instead, we watched the big Piper squat expertly onto the first 100 feet of turf and use little more horizontal distance than we had used to stop.
Piper Lance/ Model Common Problems
If you plan to fly 400 hours a year, that coincides with your overhaul for the engine and the prop at around the same time. Having your aircraft painted at that time will also be a great way to rejuvenate your relationship with a trusted piece of equipment. It costs $44,000 to overhaul an IO-540K1G5 engine that has a TBO of 2,000 hours. The price of a new Continental IO-540K1G5 including installation can be as high as $60,000.
All Piper Aircraft Aircraft
It was particularly noticeable at low airspeed and during takeoff and landing. The biggest dilemma would be in choosing between the retractable Saratoga SP and the one with fixed gear. When the two first came out, the SP was 30 grand more, which makes its eight- to 10-knot speed advantage the most expensive option on the airplane. The Piper Saratoga is fuel injected but not turbocharged, so you can expect that the power the engine develops decreases with altitude.
Some have mentioned that getting used to the lengthened nose of the Piper Lance can take some time. Some pilots find it frustrating in the beginning since they have difficulty seeing the runway. This can result in an uncomfortable takeoff for both the pilot and the passengers. Another issue would be that fully loaded, the takeoff roll of the Piper Lance is significantly increased. This can result in difficult flight planning for the pilots, but nothing that isn’t impossible. With its AiResearch Turbos and mechanically controlled wastegates, it is not uncommon for pilots to accidentally overboost the engine while applying too much throttle.
For many, using the Piper Lance for commercial operations makes it more than worthwhile to spend the extra money for both liability and hull insurance. Experienced pilots that meet the minimum qualifications can expect between 13,500$ and 17,100$ a year. Meanwhile, pilots that do not meet the minimum requirements pay significantly more, from 23,000$ to 36,000$ a year.
1978 Piper PA-32RT-300 Lance II Is a load-lifting ‘Aircraft For Sale’ Top Pick - FLYING
1978 Piper PA-32RT-300 Lance II Is a load-lifting ‘Aircraft For Sale’ Top Pick.
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Payload with full fuel
It can take both 100 and 100 LL, the green and blue fuels, respectively. You can however hit 197 knots if you throw the plane into a nosedive. For something less drastic, you could get to 154 KIAS if you lean the mixture back to 50 degrees rich of peak.
Owners describe the aircraft as honest, stable, roomy, and comfortable. Accepting they’re not the fastest aircraft, for the purchase price and operating cost all consider their mission requirements can’t justify the extra money to gain another 10 to 20 knots cruise. If you own a turbocharged Lance II, the biggest concern is the engine running too hot. Most owners plump for an intercooler mod that solves the temperature issues while providing increased horsepower and extended engine life. Piper SB 1006 involves a seven-year corrosion inspection of the main spar behind the fuel tanks. The long nose can take some getting used to, with taxiing akin to flying a taildragger.
Let the airspeed indicator rise comfortably to Vy which is 80 knots while keeping your throttle and RPM levers in the full forward position. When we add the other two categories, we find that the hourly cost to fly the aircraft is $175.72. Regardless of whether it's for rent or not, you will also have to conduct an annual inspection to be Airworthy.
The folks I carried were decision makers who knew practically nothing about airplanes, but quite a bit about the magazine business. They were sometimes hard-pressed to tell the difference between riding in the Seneca or Lance. Saratogas also enjoy better loading flexibility with a 7.0 cubic foot nose baggage compartment to help counter aft CG problems and a 17 cubic foot rear cabin space to offset forward CG concerns.
Back in the 1970s, when thousands of Saratogas were sold, a popular magazine ad showed a baby grand piano being loaded into a Cherokee Six (the Saratoga's predecessor, and the first in the PA-32 line). It was an unusual sight, and yes, you could squeeze a baby grand through those aft doors, and yes, it would fit in the cabin. That same roomy cabin marks today's Saratogas, but now the interior is plusher than the red-velvet look of the disco days. You might still be able to stuff a piano in a new Saratoga, but with all that leather trim you'd think twice — and you'd certainly have to remove the seats. Power on all the Lances and Saratogas was provided by pretty much the same reliable 300-hp Lycoming used on the fixed-gear Cherokee Six. In fact, the retractable was nearly identical to the fixed-gear model from the floorboards up.
Used parts can be found on websites like eBay and Kijiji, and owners can ask other pilots for parts on websites like Facebook. Aircraft Spruce and Univair are two popular online merchants that supply a wide variety of parts and equipment for different aircraft. Parts are new and can be expensive but usually come in a large selection, so the owner has a choice in how much they wish to spend. There are kits available for the Piper Lance that improve aerodynamics, which increases airspeed and decreases drag.
Oxygen is an option in the PA32R, but the nature of the airplane is such that few pilots will fly it in rarefied air. Still, cruise at 11,500 to 12,500 feet will yield a slight advantage from the turbo. You should expect about 175 to 178 knots at heights of up to 12,000 feet, 180 knots at 14,500 feet. In other words, if you’re willing to fly tall in the southern half of the country, you could expect to cover the country, coast to coast, in a single day. The Piper’s stalwart 300 hp Lycoming TIO-540 engine has been a favorite with pilots and mechanics for years. Putting aside the traditional Lycoming/Continental debate, the Saratoga II TC’s TIO-540-AH1A has a justifiably durable reputation.
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