Piper Cherokee Six

infobox Aircraft
name = PA-32 Cherokee 6
type = personal use and air taxi aircraft

manufacturer = Piper Aircraft



caption = 1973 model Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six
designer =
first flight =
introduction = 1965
retired =
status =
primary user =
more users =
produced =
number built = 7842+
program cost=
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles =

The Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six is a series of six or seven seat, fixed-gear, light aircraft, manufactured in the United States by Piper Aircraft.Plane and Pilot: "1978 Aircraft Directory", page 63. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. ISBN 0-918312-00-0] Montgomery, MR & Gerald Foster: "A Field Guide to Airplanes, Second Edition", page 32. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. ISBN 0-395-62888-1]

Development

The PA-32 series began life in 1965 as the convert|260|hp 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 convert|260|hp|abbr=on Cherokee Six was under-powered so in 1970 Piper offered an optional convert|300|hp|abbr=on 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.Montgomery, MR & Gerald Foster: "A Field Guide to Airplanes, Second Edition", page 96. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. ISBN 0-395-62888-1]

Operational use

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

pecifications (1972 model PA-32-300)

aerospecs
ref=1972 Piper Cherokee Six 300 "E" Owner's Handbook
met or eng?= eng

crew=One
capacity=five or six passengers
length m=8.4
length ft=27.7
length in=
span m=10.0
span ft=32.8
span in=
swept m=
swept ft=
swept in=
rot number=
rot dia m=
rot dia ft=
rot dia in=
dia m=
dia ft=
dia in=
width m=
width ft=
width in=
height m=2.4
height ft=7.9
height in=
wing area sqm=16.5
wing area sqft=174.5
swept area sqm=
swept area sqft=
rot area sqm=
rot area sqft=
volume m3=
volume ft3=
aspect ratio=
wing profile= NACA 65-415
empty weight kg=811
empty weight lb=1788
gross weight kg=1542
gross weight lb=3400
lift kg=
lift lb=

eng1 number=One
eng1 type=Lycoming IO-540-K1A5
eng1 kw= 225
eng1 hp= 300
eng1 kn=
eng1 lbf=
eng1 kn-ab=
eng1 lbf-ab=
eng2 number=
eng2 type=
eng2 kw=
eng2 hp=
eng2 kn=
eng2 lbf=
eng2 kn-ab=
eng2 lbf-ab=

max speed kmh=280
max speed mph=174
max speed mach=
cruise speed kmh= 272
cruise speed mph= 168
range km=1361
range miles=840
endurance h=
endurance min=
ceiling m=4950
ceiling ft=16250
glide ratio=
climb rate ms=5.3
climb rate ftmin=1050
sink rate ms=
sink rate ftmin=

armament1=
armament2=
armament3=
armament4=
armament5=
armament6=

References

External links

* [http://www.newpiper.com New Piper Aircraft]
* [http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=306 PA-32 series at Airliners.net]