Piper Cherokee Six

Piper Cherokee Six

By Wikipedia,
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_PA-32_Cherokee_Six

PA-32 Cherokee 6

1973 model Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six
Role	personal use and air taxi aircraft
Manufacturer	Piper Aircraft
Introduction	1965
Number built	7842+

A 1966 model Piper PA-32-260 Cherokee Six

The Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six is a series of six or seven seat, fixed or retractable landing gear, light aircraft, manufactured in the United States by Piper Aircraft.

Development

The PA-32 series began life in 1965 as the 260 horsepower (190 kW) PA32-260 Cherokee Six, a significantly modified six (or seven) seat development of the PA-28 Cherokee.

The Cherokee Six and its successors feature a baggage compartment in the nose between the cockpit and the engine compartment as well as a large double door in the back for easy loading of passengers and cargo.

PA-32-300

Many pilots thought the original 260 hp (190 kW) Cherokee Six was under-powered so in 1970 Piper offered an optional 300 hp (220 kW) version, known as the PA-32-300.

PA-32R

The 1975 addition of retractable landing gear resulted in the first of the PA-32R series, the Piper Lance. This was the earliest aircraft in the Piper Saratoga family, Piper's luxury high-performance single line.

Piper's transition to tapered wings for the Cherokee series resulted in a new wing for the PA-32 series as well. The tapered-wing version of the Cherokee Six was named the Saratoga and debuted in 1980. Due to product liability concerns and economic conditions, the general aviation industry went into decline in the early 1980s and Saratoga production ceased in 1985.

Piper 6X

After the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, production of the retractable-gear Saratoga resumed in 1995. A fixed-gear PA32 was re-introduced in 2003 as the Piper 6X and the turbocharged 6XT. Sales of the 6X and 6XT models did not meet expections and production ceased in late 2007.

PA-34 prototype

Piper built a prototype PA32-260 with IO-360 engines mounted on the wings. The tri-motor aircraft was the proof-of-concept aircraft for the twin engined, retractable gear version of the Cherokee 6, the Piper PA-34 Seneca.

Operational use

The Cherokee Six is commonly used for small air cargo operations.

Specifications (1972 model PA-32-300)

Data from 1972 Piper Cherokee Six 300 "E" Owner's Handbook

General characteristics

Crew: One
Capacity: five passengers (or six with optional seat)
Length: 27.7 ft in (8.4 m)
Wingspan: 32.8 ft in (10.0 m)
Height: 7.9 ft in (2.4 m)
Wing area: 174.5 ft² (16.5 m²)
Wing profile: NACA 65-415
Empty weight: 1788 lb (811 kg)
Gross weight: 3400 lb (1542 kg)
Powerplant: One × Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 hp (225 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 174 mph (280 km/h)
Cruise speed: 168 mph (272 km/h)
Range: 840 miles (1361 km)
Service ceiling: 16250 ft (4950 m)
Rate of climb: 1050 ft/min (5.3 m/s)

External links

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Published in July 2009.

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