Piper PA-20

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PA-20 Pacer
&
PA-22 Tri-Pacer
Piper PA-22-150TD Tri-Pacer Kyabram Vabre.jpg
Type: Light aircraft
Design country:

United StatesUnited States United States

Manufacturer:

Piper Aircraft

First flight:

July 13, 1949 (PA-20)
July 28, 1950 (PA-22)

Production time:

1950–1954 (PA-20)
1950–1964 (PA-22)

Number of pieces:

1121 (PA-20)
9490 (PA-22)

Piper PA-20-115 Pacer
PA-20 Pacer on skids in Stockholm / Bromma in March 1968
Tri-Pacer in original paint
Piper PA-22-150 Tri-Pacer, converted to tail wheel landing gear
Piper PA-22 Colt

The PA-20 Pacer and PA-22 Tri-Pacer are a series of four-seat propped shoulder- wing planes that were built by the US Piper Aircraft after the Second World War . The Pacer is basically a four-seat version of the two-seat Piper Vagabond . It has a fuselage made of steel tubes and wings made of a fabric-covered aluminum frame. This means that its construction is similar to the well-known Cub and the Super Cub . Many Pacers are still in use today because of their insensitivity, the spacious cabin and the speed that was impressive at the time.

The aircraft were powered ex works by engines with outputs of 125 PS (92 kW), 135 PS (99 kW), 150 PS (110 kW) and 160 PS (118 kW). Some examples were later converted and equipped with an engine with 180 hp (132 kW).

development

The Piper PA-20 was originally equipped with a tail wheel landing gear and therefore offered a somewhat restricted view and required more skill when taxiing . To offer pilots more safety, Piper presented the PA-22 Tri-Pacer in February 1951, which had a nose wheel landing gear instead of the tail wheel landing gear .

Pacer and Tri-Pacer belong to a group of Piper aircraft called "Short Wing Pipers". In contrast to the Pacer, whose most powerful engine option had 135 hp (99 kW), the Tri-Pacer was also delivered with engines with 150 hp (110 kW) and 160 hp (118 kW). Over time, the tricycle landing gear configuration became increasingly popular, and in 1953 Tri-Pacer sales exceeded the Pacer six to one. Due to the appearance of the chassis, the Tri-Pacer was nicknamed the "Flying Milk Stool" - "Flying Milking Stool "

In 1959 and 1960 Piper offered a less equipped version of the Tri-Pacer with a Lycoming O-320 engine with 150 PS (110 kW) under the name PA-22-150 Caribbean. Over 9,400 Tri-Pacers were built between 1950 and 1964, and 3,280 were still registered in the United States as of April 2018.

The Tri-Pacer had an extraordinary feature. Her ailerons and rudder were connected to each other with rubber ropes. This simplified the coordination during flight maneuvers and could easily be overridden by the pilot if necessary. Furthermore, a simplified form of an autopilot made it possible, which Piper marketed under the name "Auto-control". A small number of PA-22s were converted to tail-wheel aircraft, making them very similar to the PA-20 Pacers, but retaining the improvements and other features of the PA-22. These conversions are often referred to as the PA-22/20, although the Federal Aviation Administration's official designation remains the PA-22 Tri-Pacer. With such modifications, the factory drum brakes are normally exchanged for disc brakes . A Lycoming O-360 with 180 hp (132 kW) is the preferred drive.

Some PA-22 have a fixed speed propeller from Hartzell or are equipped with Koppers Aeromatic propellers. This increases the performance of the aircraft at the expense of the payload.

With the PA-22-108 Colt, a school version of the Tri-Pacer was introduced. This was to compete directly with other popular training aircraft of the time such as the Cessna 150 and is powered by a Lycoming O-235 with 108 hp (79 kW). Over 2000 Colts were built within a two-year production period. Some Colts were also converted to the tail wheel configuration, although this conversion was not as popular as converting Tri-Pacers. The last batch of twelve PA-22-150s were built in 1963 for Aviation légère de l'armée de Terre , the French Army Aviation Unit, and the last PA-22-108 Colt left the factory on March 30, 1964. After that, the PA-28 Cherokee 140 replaced the pattern.

Versions

PA-20
Four-seater with tail wheel chassis, powered by a Lycoming O-290-D with 125 hp (92 kW), type certification on December 21, 1949
PA-20S
Three-seater with tail wheel chassis, optionally with floats, powered by a Lycoming O-290-D engine with 125 PS (92 kW), type approval on May 18, 1950
PA-20 115
Four-seater with tail wheel chassis, powered by a Lycoming O-235-C1 with 115 PS (85 kW), type certification on March 22, 1950
PA-20S 115
Three-seater with tail wheel chassis, optionally with floats, powered by a Lycoming O-235-C1 with 115 PS (85 kW), type approval on May 18, 1950
PA-20 135
Four-seater with tail wheel chassis, powered by a Lycoming O-290-D2 with 135 hp (99 kW), type certification on May 5, 1952
PA-20S 135
Three-seater with tail wheel chassis, optionally with floats, powered by a Lycoming O-290-D2 with 135 PS (99 kW), type approval on May 15, 1952
PA-22
Four-seater with nose wheel landing gear, powered by a Lycoming O-290-D with 125 HP (92 kW), type certification on December 20, 1950
PA-22-108 Colt
Two-seater with nose wheel landing gear, powered by a Lycoming O-235-C1 with 108 PS (79 kW), type certification on October 21, 1960
PA-22-135
Four-seater with nose wheel landing gear, powered by a Lycoming O-290-D2 with 135 HP (99 kW), type certification on May 5, 1952
PA-22S-135
Three-seater with nose wheel landing gear, optionally with floats, powered by a Lycoming O-290-D2 with 135 HP (99 kW), type certification on May 14, 1954
PA-22-150 from 1959
PA-22-150
Two or four-seater with nose wheel landing gear, powered by a Lycoming O-320-A2A or A2B with 150 HP (110 kW), type approval on September 3, 1952 as a four-seater, on May 24, 1957 as a two-seater
PA-22S-150
Three-seater with nose wheel landing gear, optionally with floats powered by a Lycoming O-320-A2A or A2B with 150 PS (110 kW), type approval on September 3, 1954
PA-22-160
Two or four-seater with nose wheel landing gear, powered by a Lycoming O-320-B2A or B2B with 160 PS (118 kW), type approval on September 3rd
PA-22S-160
Three-seater with nose wheel landing gear, optionally with floats, powered by a Lycoming O-320-B2A or B2B with 160 PS (118 kW), type approval on October 29, 1957

use

Cuba

Between 1953 and 1955, the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias bought seven PA-20s, four PA-22-150s and three PA-22-160s. During the Cuban Revolution , the rear doors of the PA-22 were removed and 7.62 mm caliber machine guns were installed. Modified in this way, the machines were used against insurgents. A PA-22 that provided ground support to the Cuban Army during the Battle of Guisa is the only aircraft that the FAR lost to enemy fire.

Katanga

During the Congo Crisis , Katanga Separatists received five PA-22-150s from the South African Air Force . They were used against forces of the United Nations Operation in the Congo between 1961 and 1963. The whereabouts of the machines after the conflict is uncertain.

Technical data (PA-22-160 Tri-Pacer)

Three-sided view of the PA-20 Pacer
Parameter Data
crew 1
Passengers 3
length 6.25 m
span 8.92 m
height 2.54 m
Empty mass 503 kg
Max. Takeoff mass 907 kg
Cruising speed 116 kn (215 km / h)
Top speed 123 kn (228 km / h)
Service ceiling 16,500 ft (5,029 m)
Range 435 NM (806 km)
Engine Lycoming O-320 -B with 160 PS (118 kW)

literature

  • Leonard Bridgman: Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951-52 . Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd, London 1951 (English).
  • PA-22 Pacer: Piper's early shortwing . In: aerokurier . June 2018, ISSN  0341-1281 , p. 18-25 .

Web links

Commons : Piper PA-20 Pacer  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Roger Peperell: Piper Aircraft , Air-Britain, Tonbridge 2006, ISBN 0-85130-378-1 , S. 192nd
  2. ↑ Roger Peperell: Piper Aircraft , Air-Britain, Tonbridge 2006, ISBN 0-85130-378-1 , S. 202nd
  3. ↑ Roger Peperell: Piper Aircraft - Freedom of Flight Supplement , Air-Britain, Tonbridge 2020, ISBN 978-0-85130-524-0 , pages 40-43.
  4. ^ Leonard Bridgman: Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951-52 . Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd, London 1951, p. 281 ff . (English).
  5. ↑ Piper PA-20/22 Pacer / Tri-Pacer / Caribbean / Colt. Airliners, accessed May 24, 2018 .
  6. ^ The Aerospace Year Book . Manufacturers Aircraft Association, Inc, 1962, pp. 57 (English).
  7. ↑ Terry Mejdrich: Flight: London . Iliffe Transport Publications, 1961, pp. 49 (English).
  8. ^ A b Plane and Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory . Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica 1977, ISBN 0-918312-00-0 , pp. 60, 61 (English).
  9. ↑ FAA Registry - Piper PA-22. Federal Aviation Administration , accessed May 24, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Flight . McFadden Business Publications Inc., 1972, p. 25 (English).
  11. ↑ General catalog, Piper STCs . Univair Aircraft Corporation (English).
  12. ^ Tri-Pacer Parts Catalog . Piper Aircraft, 1977, p. 1H23, 112 (English).
  13. ↑ Piper PA-22 / 20-108 Colt. Airliners, accessed May 24, 2018 .
  14. ↑ a b c d e f AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATION NO. 1A4 Revision 24. (PDF) Federal Aviation Administration , August 2006, accessed on May 29, 2018 .
  15. ↑ a b c d e f g h AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATION NO. 1A6 Revision 34. (PDF) Federal Aviation Administration , August 2006, accessed May 29, 2018 .
  16. ↑ AvStop Online Magazine: History of the Cuban Military Aviation , accessed on May 24, 2018.
  17. ^ Krzysztof Dabrowski: Air War over Cuba 1956-1959. acig.org, accessed May 24, 2018 .
  18. ↑ PA-22-160 pilot's operating handbook . Piper Aircraft, 1960 (English).