The
Piper PA-32R is a six-seat, high-performance, single engine, all-metal
fixed-wing aircraftA fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
produced by
Piper AircraftPiper Aircraft, Inc., is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Municipal Airport in Vero Beach, Florida. Along with Beechcraft and Cessna, it is considered one of the "Big Three" in the field of general aviation construction....
. The design began life as the
Piper Lance, a retractable gear version of the
Piper Cherokee Six
. Later models are known as
Saratogas. The primary difference between the Lance and early Saratoga is the development of a tapered wing on the Saratoga replacing the "hershey bar" wing on the Lance that was a carryover from the Cherokee Six. Later Saratoga models provided updated/improved avionics, engine and interior touches but retained the same airframe design.
Production of the Saratoga was discontinued in 2009.
The Saratoga competed for sales with the
Beechcraft BonanzaThe Beechcraft Bonanza is an American general aviation aircraft introduced in 1947 by The Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. , it is still being produced by Hawker Beechcraft, and has been in continuous production longer than any other airplane in history...
,
Mooney OvationThe Mooney M20 is a family of piston-powered, propeller-driven general aviation aircraft, all featuring a low-wing and tricycle gear, manufactured by the Mooney Airplane Company.The "M20" was the twentieth design from Al Mooney, and his most successful...
,
Cirrus SR22The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine, four-seat, composite aircraft, built by Cirrus Aircraft starting in 2001. It is a more powerful version of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity, and a 310 horsepower engine...
,
Cessna 206 StationairThe Cessna 205, 206, and 207, known variously as the Super Skywagon, Skywagon, Stationair, and Super Skylane are a family of single engine, general aviation aircraft with fixed landing gear used in commercial air service and also for personal use...
, and
Cessna 350.
Development
Until 1972, when the assembly line was destroyed in a flood, the
ComancheThe Piper PA-24 Comanche is a four-seat, low-wing, all-metal, light aircraft of monocoque construction with retractable landing gear that was first flown in May 1956 according to a Piper Aircraft Company press release...
was Piper's luxury high-performance single. Afterwards, Piper began modifying its heavy lifting single engine
PA-32 Cherokee Six
, adding retractable landing gear and designating the type as the "PA-32R".
The PA-32R was built under license by
EmbraerEmbraer S.A. is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and executive aircraft and provides aeronautical services....
in
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
as the
Embraer EMB-721 Sertanejo.
Kits for the PA-32R-300 (Six supplied), PA-32RT-300 (16) and PA-32RT-300T (Two) were supplied to Chincul in
ArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
for completion. They were designated the
PA-A-32R and
PA-A-32RT.
For the 2008 model year, the Saratoga II HP (normally aspirated) model was eliminated, along with the 6X and 6XT (fixed-gear versions of the Saratoga), leaving the turbocharged Saratoga II TC as the only production model in the PA-32 line.
Production of all PA-32 models ended in 2009.
Variants
PA-32R-300 (1976–1978)
- Marketed as the Piper Cherokee Lance. Initial version of the retractable PA-32 line, with a standard tail in the 1976 model. The 1977 and 1978 models featured a tail modified to a "T" design with the stabilator (horizontal stabilizer/elevator) moved to the top of the vertical tail. This design placed the stabilator outside of the prop wash compared with the low tail design, and appreciably affected the takeoff and landing characteristics.
PA-32RT-300 (1978–1979)
- Beginning with this model, the Cherokee name was officially dropped and the model was designated the Lance II. The "T" tail arrangement was continued on the Lance II..
PA-32RT-300T (1978–1979)
- Also in 1978 a turbocharged version, designated the Turbo Lance II, was introduced.. The Turbo Lance II has a service ceiling of 20,000 ft with a rate of climb of 1050 ft/min. It can cruise at 10,000 ft at 175kts true airspeed at 75% power burning 20 g/h. Fuel capacity is 94 usable gallons.
PA-32R-301 (1980–2007)
- The 1980 models reverted back to a standard tail design, and were designated as the Saratoga SP. In 1993 the airplane received several cosmetic and systems updates and was redesignated as the Saratoga II HP.
PA-32R-301T (1980–2009)
- The 1980 Turbocharged model was given the name Turbo Saratoga SP. The name and model designation stayed the same through the 1996 model year, despite several updates to the airplane during that time. Starting with the 1997 model year the airplane received a new designation, the Saratoga II TC, and a new Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A engine. Externally the biggest difference was the new cowl, with much smaller, round air inlets. 1997-1998 Saratoga II TC's featured a King avionics suite, which was switched to dual Garmin GNS-430's and a GTX-320 transponder with the 1999 models. In mid-2000 model year the avionics were again updated, with one Garmin GNS-430 and one GNS-530 and a GTX-327 transponder as standard equipment. Beginning in 2004 the Saratoga models were available with an Avidyne Entegra
Avidyne Entegra is an integrated aircraft instrumentation system, produced by Avidyne Corporation, consisting of a primary flight display , and multi-function display . Cirrus became the first customer of the Entegra system and began offering it on the SR20 and SR22 aircraft in 2003 as the first...
"Glass Panel" avionics system, which was replaced by the Garmin G1000The Garmin G1000 is an integrated flight instrument system manufactured by Garmin typically composed of two display units, one serving as a primary flight display, and one as a multi-function display...
in 2007.
EMB-721C Sertanejo
- License built variant of the PA-32R-300 and PA-32RT-300, 150 built.
EMB-721D Sertanejo
- License built variant of the PA-32-301, 55 built.
Incidents
- John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. , often referred to as John F. Kennedy, Jr., JFK Jr., John Jr. or John-John, was an American socialite, magazine publisher, lawyer, and pilot. The elder son of U.S. President John F...
, his wifeCarolyn Jeanne Bessette-Kennedy was the wife of John F. Kennedy, Jr., the son of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.-Early life:...
, and sister-in-law were killed on July 16, 1999, when the Saratoga Kennedy was flying crashedOn July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr. died when the Piper Saratoga light aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. His wife, Carolyn Bessette, and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette, were also killed. His flight departed from Essex...
into the Atlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, seven miles off the coast of Martha's VineyardMartha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
.
- Michael Connell
Michael Louis Connell was a high-level Republican consultant who was subpoenaed in a case regarding alleged tampering with the 2004 U.S. Presidential election and a case involving thousands of missing emails pertaining to the political firing of U.S. Attorneys...
, founder of New Media Communications, Govtech and Connell Donatelli Inc and the primary Republican PartyThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Information Technology (IT) expert for Karl RoveKarl Christian Rove was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush until Rove's resignation on August 31, 2007. He has headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives...
, George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and John McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
among others, was killed on 19 December 2008 when the Saratoga he was flying crashed while attempting an approach for landing into Akron-Canton Airport in Ohio. Connell was an instrument rated pilot with over 500 hours. According to the NTSB report on the accident, Connell flew into adverse weather conditions, after having been warned about them, where icing conditions existed.
- On August 8, 2009, a Eurocopter AS350 and a Piper PA-32R-300 collided in midair over the Hudson River
The 2009 Hudson River mid-air collision was a flight accident that occurred on August 8, 2009, at 11:56 a.m. , in which nine people died when a tour helicopter and a small private airplane collided over the Hudson River near Frank Sinatra Park in Hoboken, New Jersey.The aircraft were in...
near Hoboken, New Jersey, killing all on board both aircraft.
Specifications (1972 model PA-32RT-300)
External links