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78-841: The Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche is an American twin-engined cabin monoplane designed and built by Piper Aircraft . It was a twin-engined development of the PA-24 Comanche single-engined aircraft. A variant with counter-rotating propellers was designated the Piper PA-39 Twin Comanche C/R . The Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche was designed as a twin-engined variant of the Piper PA-24 Comanche . A complex light twin, with retractable landing gear, seating 4 (in original models) to 6 (in later models), and cruise speeds ranging from 160–210 mph on twin 160 horsepower engines, it competed with

156-455: A Twin Comanche, One in a Beech Travel Air and one in a Beech Baron. It is not surprising that the Twin Comanche had a higher number of such crashes as it was used more often as a training aircraft. The FAA performed a series of flight tests on the Twin Comanche and NASA conducted wind tunnel tests and found no unusual tendency to spin beyond what would normally be expected given the airflow of

234-451: A V MCA (often called V MCA1 under these circumstances), where the critical engine alone is inoperative, but also a V MCA2 that applies when the engine inboard of the critical engine, on the same wing, is also inoperative. Civil aviation regulations (FAR, CS and equivalent) no longer require a V MCA2 to be determined, although it is still required for military aircraft with four or more engines. On turbojet and turbofan aircraft,

312-467: A decade earlier. In 1995, the company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and was renamed New Piper Aircraft . As part of the end of bankruptcy protection, the company was sold to Newco Pac Inc., itself owned by Piper's creditors (including major creditor, aircraft engine manufacturer Teledyne Continental Motors ) and a Philadelphia-based investment firm. In July 2003, American Capital Strategies, Ltd. bought 94% of Piper's voting equity. In July 2006,

390-560: A former Chrysler executive. Under Shriver, the product line was expanded with the introduction of the PA-14 Family Cruiser and PA-15 Vagabond . Piper introduced the Taxicub light charter concept at 1500 dealers and 52 distributors. In 1948, with two thirds of its workforce laid off, Piper only lost $ 75,000, but it found itself no longer the leader in a shrinking market, falling behind Cessna, which itself only delivered 1,600 aircraft;

468-862: A fully staffed research and development center in Lakeland, including the "X" shop, which developed the Piper PA-48 Enforcer . The airline division provided aircraft for commuter airlines in the United States including Air New Orleans , Desert Sun in Long Beach, Shasta Air and Sun West Airlines , as well as internationally for Vickers for corporate transport use in the United Kingdom, Cameroon's Avia Services and to Piper's distributor in Colombia, Aero Leaver. In 1984, Piper changed hands when parent company Bangor Punta

546-452: A good one for Piper, we have taken measures to keep the company healthy and to weather any future adversity." In February 2009, the company announced it was laying off an additional 300 workers without notice immediately and the 650 remaining workers would be given unpaid weeks off in April and July to reduce unsold inventory. Piper spokesman Mark Miller stated company regretted the pain caused by

624-592: A higher cruise speed. First deliveries of the Twin Comanche C were made in November 1968. The last PA-30 was completed at Lock Haven on November 5, 1969 when it was replaced on the line by the PA-39. During 1969, a number of developments to improve the flight characteristics of the PA-30 were tested which resulted in the Twin Comanche D with counter-rotating engines, the prototype first flying on September 23, 1969. For marketing reasons,

702-570: A long time Twin Comanche instructor, operator, and trained accident investigator, reviewed the NTSB records for a ten-year period ending in 2014 and concluded that the Air Safety Institute's report was correct in its conclusions. Of the six single engine loss of control crashes, most resulted from inexperienced pilots and substandard training. Prince William of Gloucester bought a Twin Comanche and used it as his personal aircraft for several years in

780-500: A multi-engine aircraft plays a crucial role in maintaining directional control while an engine fails or is inoperative. The larger the tail, the more capable it will be of providing the required force to counteract the asymmetrical thrust yawing moment. This means that the smaller the tail is, the higher the V MCA will be. However, a larger tail is more costly and harder to accommodate, and comes with other aerodynamic issues such as increased prevalence of slipstreams . Engineers designing

858-403: A partnership with Honda was announced to market the new HA-420 HondaJet . The following month, the firm dropped the "New" from its name, reverting to Piper Aircraft . In response to the late 2000s recession , the company announced in November 2008 that it was reducing its work-week to save money while avoiding lay-offs. Piper is party to an agreement with the state of Florida that will see

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936-598: A profit of US$ 31 million on the sale. Imprimis is funded by the Government of Brunei and has offices in Bangkok , Singapore and Brunei Darussalam . In June 2009, James Bass, CEO of Piper Aircraft since 2005, announced he would step down effective that same month. He was succeeded by VP of operations Kevin Gould. During his four years at Piper, Bass oversaw development of the PiperJet ,

1014-540: A result, the company owed US$ 1.5 million. Piper is looking for forgiveness of the debt. Also in December, Piper came under the direct ownership of the government of Brunei. In July 2015 the company announced it was laying off 15-20% of its workers, about 150 people, as sales were faltering amongst world markets, especially Asia, Latin America and Europe. In February 2018, Piper announced the largest order of trainer aircraft in

1092-572: Is approximately 16 gal/h (58.7 L/h) with a cruise speed of 165 kn. It easily climbs to 18,000 feet (5,500 m) when desired (24,000 feet (7,300 m), if turbocharged). When compared with the Seminole , the Twin Comanche goes faster, carries more, burns less fuel, climbs more rapidly and ultimately higher, is quieter. When compared to the Seneca, which is really quite a different aircraft, the more noticeable differences are in handling. Another contemporary competitor to

1170-515: Is defined for both part 23 <FAR 23.149 (c)> and part 25 aircraft in civil aviation regulations. However, when maximum thrust is selected for a go-around , the flaps will be selected up from the landing position, and V MCL no longer applies, but V MCA does. Due to the inherent risks of operating at or close to V MCA with asymmetric thrust, and the desire to simulate and practice these manoeuvres in pilot training and certification V SSE may be defined. V SSE safe single-engine speed

1248-515: Is essentially a Twin Cherokee Six . The Piper PA-40 Arapaho had been scheduled to replace the PA-39 in the 1973–74 timeframe. Three were manufactured, and the aircraft was already fully certified when the decision was made not to proceed with the manufacture. The Twin Comanche is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a retractable tricycle landing gear. With tip tanks, the aircraft holds 120 gallons (454 L) of fuel. Fuel burn at typical cruise settings

1326-588: The Aztec . The following year, the PA-28 Cherokee was the first type to enter production at the new Vero Beach factory. The Cherokee replaced the Tri-Pacer and Colt, which ended their production runs in 1961 and 1964 respectively. By the later part of the decade, Vero Beach was building 7,000 Cherokees per year. In 1963, Piper supported Betty Miller 's successful attempt to be the first female pilot to fly solo across

1404-639: The Baumann Brigadier , but later decided to develop a Stinson design, which became the PA-23 Apache . In its business planning following the war, it became clear the Lock Haven facility would not support larger manufacturing efforts, and in 1955 it acquired rights to property at the Vero Beach Municipal Airport . Vero Beach was initially used as a center for design work under Fred Weick , with

1482-533: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) registry. Three versions of the PA-30 were produced: the original, a B model, and a C model. The B and C models can carry six passengers and can be identified by the additional side windows. Factory turbocharged engines became available with the B model. Turbo models can be identified by the presence of vents on the nacelle sides. These use Rajay turbochargers with manual wastegates operated by twin knobs under

1560-700: The Langley Research Center , using a rig originally built to simulate spacecraft landings on the moon for the Apollo program . As a result of the flood, and market factors, the company decided to end production of the Comanche and Twin Comanche . Piper opened a manufacturing division in Lakeland, Florida , in 1972 and through the 1970s, the Piper PA-31 Navajo , Chieftain, and Cheyenne III were manufactured at

1638-595: The Meridian G1000 and the Matrix , and negotiated a new business partnership with Honda. He also negotiated $ 32 million in incentives from the state and county that retained Piper's factory in Vero Beach, Florida. On 2 November 2009, company president John Becker announced his resignation effective 1 December 2009 "to pursue other career opportunities". Becker was replaced as president by CEO Kevin Gould. On 4 January 2010,

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1716-605: The Pacific Ocean , during which she delivered a twin-engine Piper aircraft from Oakland, California, USA to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In September 1964, Piper flew the prototype of its new PA-31 Navajo cabin-class twin for the first time, after two-and-a-half years of development. In 1969, the Piper family agreed to sell Piper Aircraft to the Bangor Punta Corporation , which started an eight-year court battle with

1794-470: The " critical engine " which, when failed, created the greatest risk of loss-of-control). The PA-39 replaced the PA-30 in the early 1970s. At least one comparative study of U.S. crash rates for the PA-30 and PA-39 indicated that crash rates for the counter-rotating PA-39 were only one-third of those for the conventional PA-30. Piper subsequently expanded the counter-rotating engine development to its other light twins. As of November 3, 2019, 80 PA-39's remain on

1872-454: The 1960s. He flew it from the United Kingdom to Nigeria, where he held a diplomatic post; then later returned in it to the United Kingdom and flew it to Japan when he took up a diplomatic post in that country. A Twin Comanche was flown in the 1992 and 1994 French Arc en Ciel air races. It is the only US aircraft to have raced twice around the world. In the pilot-skilled races, 1992 pilot and Pioneer Hall of Fame enshrinee and 100 Aviation Hero for

1950-513: The 35,000 civil aircraft built in the United States that year were Pipers, but a strike led to a shortage of steel tubing, interrupting production, and 1,900 workers had to be suspended as a result. The following year, the postwar general aviation boom ended. This led to a downfall for the company. Piper's output reached 3,500 aircraft, less than half its 1946 total, and the company suffered an operating loss of more than $ 560,000. The board of directors replaced William Piper with William Shriver,

2028-479: The Altaire project and would be laying off 150 of its 850 employees, plus 55 contract workers, due to the program's cancellation. In December 2011, Piper announced it was attempting to renegotiate the 2008 deal it had made with the state of Florida and Indian River County for incentives. The company did not meet its contractual requirements to employ 1,100 people by the end of 2009; instead, employment fell to 600, and as

2106-613: The B1A, 1800 for the IO-320-C1A) and have developed a reputation for reliability. Following a string of crashes involving pilot loss-of-control in single-engine flight (due to engine failure, or in pilot training for engine-failure conditions), Piper sought to alter the plane's single-engine behavior at low airspeeds (such as takeoff and landing). The resulting PA-39 Twin Comanche C/R was a modified version with counter-rotating engines (to eliminate

2184-659: The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Brazil’s Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC), and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) of Australia. The certification encompasses flight approvals in known icing conditions and for operation on unpaved surfaces, enhancing the M700 FURY’s operational versatility. Deliveries for customers in Europe, Brazil, and Australia are set to begin by

2262-496: The FAA reacted by issuing an airworthiness directive changing the V MC speed, though there was no change in the aerodynamics. At the time, well known aviation journalist, Richard L. Collins , was highly critical of the FAA's multiengine training standards which encouraged unsafe V MC demonstrations at low altitude. Collins pointed out in another article that year that one FBO had suffered four fatal V MC roll-over spins. Two were in

2340-642: The First Century of Flight, Marion P. Jayne and her daughter Nancy Palozola placed second. In 1994 Jayne and her daughter, Patricia Jayne (Pat) Keefer won the FAI Gold Medal in what, so far, is the longest race in history at over 21,000 miles flown May 1–24, 1994. With FAA approval the twin carried a total of 252 gallons in 11 tanks and at maximum power went over 2,100 miles nonstop between Marrakech, Morocco and Istanbul, Turkey in 11:19 hours. All Twin Comanche engines have long times between overhaul (2000 hours for

2418-678: The Ponca City factory was closed. At the end of 1948, Piper bought the Stinson Aircraft Company for $ 3 million and Shriver left the company. The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 helped to stimulate production at Piper, which again won large orders for military versions of the Cub. William Piper regained control of the company the same year, and the decision was made to develop a twin-engine aircraft. The company initially investigated producing

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2496-621: The Saratoga-II HPs and Saratoga TCs ended in 2009. On 21 January 2010 the company announced it had licensed the CZAW SportCruiser and intended to market it as the PiperSport. Piper CEO Kevin Gould said, "The PiperSport is an amazing entry-level aircraft that will bring new customers into Piper and lead the way for those customers to step up into more sophisticated and higher performance aircraft within our line over time." In January 2011,

2574-470: The Twin Comanche B was available with 160 hp (120 kW) Lycoming IO-320 -C1A engines. In 1966, the PA-30-200 was developed with two 200 hp engines, the prototype first flew on January 16, 1967 but Piper decided not to put the variant into production. Following the cancellation of the PA-30-200, the company introduced the Twin Comanche C. It had a new interior, a different external paint scheme, and

2652-539: The Twin Comanche was the Beechcraft Travel Air . A similar airplane in form and function was the Gulfstream American GA-7 Cougar , which went into production after the Twin Comanche's production run ended. The Twin Comanche suffered a number of V MC ( Velocity Minimum Controllable ) loss-of-control crashes in the 1960s and early 1970s. Initially, focus was placed on the aircraft design and

2730-423: The V MCA as well: the further from the tail it is, the lower the minimum control speed, because the rudder will be able to provide a larger yawing moment, and so it is easier to counteract the imbalance in thrust. The lateral centre of gravity also has an effect: the nearer the inoperative engine it is, the larger the moment of the working engine, and so the more force the rudder has to apply. This means that if

2808-460: The V MCA will be lower. The bank angle also influences the minimum control speed. A small bank angle away from the inoperative engine is required for smallest possible sideslip and therefore lower V MCA . Finally, if the P-factor of the working engine increases, then its yawing moment increases, and the aircraft's V MCA increases as a result. Aircraft with four or more engines have not only

2886-493: The air (V MCA ) is the most important minimum control speed of a multi-engine aircraft, which is why V MCA is simply listed as V MC in many aviation regulations and aircraft flight manuals . On the airspeed indicator of a twin-engine aircraft of less than 6000 lbs (2722 kg), the V MCA is indicated by a red radial line, as standardised by FAR 23 . Most test pilot schools use multiple, more specific minimum control speeds, as V MC will change depending on

2964-560: The aircraft can no longer be maintained, after the failure of one or more engines. The V MC only applies if at least one engine is still operative, and will depend on the stage of flight. Indeed, multiple V MC s have to be calculated for landing, air travel, and ground travel, and there are more still for aircraft with four or more engines. These are all included in the aircraft flight manual of all multi-engine aircraft . When design engineers are sizing an airplane's vertical tail and flight control surfaces , they have to take into account

3042-449: The baggage compartment, are quite small. Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1971–72 General characteristics Performance Related development [REDACTED] Media related to Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche at Wikimedia Commons Piper Aircraft Between its founding in 1927 and the end of 2009, the company produced 144,000 aircraft in 160 certified models, of which 90,000 are still flying. The company

3120-518: The balance of forces and on the yawing and rolling moments after engine failure might also affect V MC s. When the vertical tail is designed and the V MCA is measured, the worst-case scenario for all factors is taken into account. This ensures that the V MC s published in the AFMs guaranteed to be safe. Heavier aircraft are more stable and more resistant to yawing moments, and therefore have lower V MCA s. The longitudinal centre of gravity affects

3198-685: The company and went on to form the Taylorcraft Aircraft Company . On March 16, 1937, a fire destroyed the Bradford Piper factory and the company relocated to an abandoned silk mill in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania . In 1937, it was renamed Piper Aircraft Corporation. Piper continued operations in Lock Haven throughout World War II, building military versions of its J-3 Cub as the L-4 Grasshopper. A total of 5,941 powered aircraft were built by

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3276-513: The company announced Boeing subsidiary Aviall would act as Piper's sole global parts distributor. In July 2010, CEO Kevin Gould resigned for unspecified reasons, having served just over a year in the post. Gould was replaced on an interim basis by Geoffrey Berger, managing director of Imprimus in Brunei, on behalf of the government of Brunei. Also in July 2010, longtime Piper media spokesman Mark Miller left

3354-503: The company became unprofitable. In 1991 the Lakeland, Florida factory was sold and closed and by July that year the workforce had shrunk to 45; with only $ 1,000 in available cash remaining, Piper filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a proposed takeover by competing French manufacturer Socata failed over the issue of product liability. Production of the flagship Cheyenne 400 ended in February 1993 with only 43 being built since its inception

3432-500: The company benefit from $ 32 million in incentives in exchange for increasing its work force to 1400 people and building the PiperJet in the state. In December 2008, the company announced it would defer the $ 10 million incentive that required hiring 400 new workers by 2012 for the PiperJet project and retain 1,417 employees through 2015. The company stated the move was precautionary. Piper spokesman Mark Miller said: "While this year has been

3510-607: The company for the US armed forces during the war, as well as training gliders , and aircraft components for other manufacturers, but its main contribution to the war effort was in the fabrication of steel masts for mounting radar antennas. In 1946, the company opened a new factory in Ponca City, Oklahoma , and transferred production of the Cub from Lock Haven. That year, Piper led the American industry in light aircraft production. Almost 7,800 of

3588-587: The company's history. Fanmei Aviation Technologies , which is Piper's exclusive dealer in China, placed an order for 152 aircraft. The deliveries will take place over a period of seven years. In April 2019 an even bigger order was announced: L3 Commercial Aviation will take delivery up to 240 new aircraft over the next 10 years. The order will consist of single-engine Piper Archers and twin-engine Piper Seminoles . In March 2021, CEO Simon Caldecott announced that he would retire in April 2021. CFO John Calcagno assumed

3666-474: The company. In September 2010, Piper announced the lay-off of an additional 60 production workers. Piper's interim CEO Geoffrey Berger stated: "Piper remains challenged by overall market weakness". The company hired 140 workers for the PiperJet program in 2009–10. Piper started renovation of a 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m ) factory in Vero Beach in October 2010, with a completion goal of 2011. The facility

3744-411: The direction of the failed engine. A sideslip develops, causing the total drag of the aircraft to increase considerably, resulting in a drop in the aircraft's rate of climb . The rudder , and to a certain extent the ailerons via the use of bank angle, are the only aerodynamic controls available to the pilot to counteract the asymmetrical thrust yawing moment . The higher the speed of the aircraft,

3822-505: The easier it is to counteract the yawing moment using the aircraft's controls. The minimum control speed is the airspeed below which the force the rudder or ailerons can apply to the aircraft is not large enough to counteract the asymmetrical thrust at a maximum power setting. Above this speed it should be possible to maintain control of the aircraft and maintain straight flight with asymmetrical thrust. Loss of engine power of wing-mounted-propeller aircraft and blown lift aircraft affects

3900-413: The effect this will have on the airplane's minimum control speeds. Minimum control speeds are typically established by flight tests as part of an aircraft certification process. They provide a guide to the pilot in the safe operation of the aircraft. When an engine on a multi-engine aircraft fails, the thrust distribution on the aircraft becomes asymmetrical , resulting in a yawing moment in

3978-443: The end of October 2024, following this milestone certification. Piper's J-3 Cub , a single-engine, high-wing, two-seater, was the first inexpensive training aircraft produced in large numbers. Many former military examples were sold to civilian owners over the 1950-1995 period and seem certain to see many more years in recreational use. The PA-28 Cherokee has been one of the company's most successful products. Both this design and

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4056-561: The firm when he assumed the position of corporate secretary - treasurer , although he retained C. G. Taylor in the role of president . Piper, often called the " Henry Ford of Aviation", firmly believed a simple-to-operate, low-cost, private airplane would flourish, even in the darkest depths of the Great Depression . This aircraft was the E-2 Cub . In December 1935, after a series of clashes, William Piper bought out C. G. Taylor, who left

4134-668: The first aircraft developed there being Piper's first agricultural aircraft , the PA-25 Pawnee , announced in 1958 and entering production the following year at Lock Haven. In 1960, the line of Piper aircraft consisted of agricultural and two-passenger variants of the Super Cub, the Caribbean, Colt and Tri-Pacer , two versions of the PA-24 Comanche , the Pawnee, the Apache and its new larger derivative

4212-437: The lateral centre of gravity shifts towards the inoperative engine, the aircraft's V MCA will increase. The thrust of most engines depends on altitude and temperature; increasing altitude and higher temperatures decrease thrust. This means that if the air temperature is higher and the aircraft has a higher altitude, the force of the operative engine will be lower, the rudder will have to provide less counteractive force, and so

4290-557: The layoffs and indicated the employees would be rehired when the economy improves. He also said: "Even the willing buyers that we have find it incredibly difficult to get financing...We can't keep a full workforce on at this point when people aren't buying planes...If market conditions continue to deteriorate, it may be necessary for the company to take additional actions". On 24 February 2009, the company announced it would add two more weeks of unpaid furlough for its employees in May and June, bringing

4368-436: The licensing agreement with Piper was abruptly ended with Piper CEO Geoffrey Berger saying "the company has a different business perspective and approach to the market than Czech Sport Aircraft". Minimum control speeds The minimum control speed ( V MC ) of a multi-engine aircraft (specifically an airplane ) is a V-speed that specifies the calibrated airspeed below which directional or lateral control of

4446-440: The lift distribution over the wing, causing a roll toward the inoperative engine. In some aircraft roll authority is more limiting than rudder authority in determining V MC s. Aviation regulations (such as FAR and EASA ) define several different V MC s and require design engineers to size the vertical tail and the aerodynamic flight controls of the aircraft to comply with these regulations. The minimum control speed in

4524-599: The losing bidder, Chris-Craft Industries , culminating in a Supreme Court decision in 1977. Piper discussed a merger with Swearingen but the deal was not completed. The Lock Haven facility was nearly destroyed in 1972 when torrential rains from Hurricane Agnes caused the Susquehanna River to flood in June. The manufacturing plant was flooded to a depth of 16 feet (4.9 m), effectively destroying about 100 aircraft and causing an estimated $ 23 million in damage. Much of

4602-409: The minimum safe control speeds remain the same as they would be for an aircraft being flown at 50% thrust on all four engines. Failure of a single inboard engine, from a set of four, has a much smaller effect on controllability. This is because an inboard engine is closer to the aircraft's centre of gravity, so the lack of yawing moment is decreased. In this situation, if speed is maintained at or above

4680-486: The more than 710,000-square-foot (66,000 m ) facility on the Lakeland municipal airport. Piper opened its T1000 airline division at the Lakeland, Florida , location in May 1981, with 20 people. Employment at both of Piper's Lakeland divisions peaked at 2,200 later that year. The Piper PA-42 Cheyenne IV and the Piper T-1020 / Piper T-1040 aircraft were manufactured in Lakeland during that time. Piper also maintained

4758-586: The more-powerful Cessna 310 and Beech Baron , and later with Piper's other light twins. The Twin Comanche was designed to replace the Piper Apache in the company's lineup of products. The prototype was converted from the single-engined Comanche by Ed Swearingen who at the time operated a facility that specialized in the modification of production aircraft. A Comanche was modified with two 4-cylinder 160 hp (120 kW) Lycoming IO-320 -B1A engines and first flew at San Antonio, Texas on 12 Apr 1961. The design

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4836-607: The normally rotating propellers. In the 1970s, the FAA changed its training standards and required flight instructors to obtain a separate rating to teach in multiengine aircraft. The V MC crashes dissipated dramatically. In 1997, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Air Safety Institute published a safety review of the Comanche series aircraft and concluded that the Twin Comanche showed no greater tendency for V MC roll-over spins than comparable aircraft. Kristin Winter,

4914-519: The outboard engines are usually equally critical. Three-engine aircraft such as the MD-11 and BN-2 Trislander do not have a V MCA2 ; a failed centerline engine has no effect on V MC . When two opposing engines of aircraft with four or more engines are inoperative, there is no thrust asymmetry, hence there is no rudder requirement for maintaining steady straight flight; V MCA s play no role. There may be less power available to maintain flight overall, but

4992-530: The promise of a larger facility and investment capital from local businessmen, including an initial investment of $ 400 from local oil industry engineer William T. Piper . The move was completed in September 1929. In late 1930, the company filed for bankruptcy and William T. Piper purchased the assets of the company for $ 761. Reorganized as the Taylor Aircraft Company, Piper effectively took control of

5070-399: The published V MCA , as determined for the critical engine, safe control can be maintained. If an engine fails during taxiing or takeoff , the thrust yawing moment will force the aircraft to one side on the runway. If the airspeed is not high enough and hence, the rudder-generated side force is not powerful enough, the aircraft will deviate from the runway centerline and may even veer off

5148-423: The role of president and CEO in April 2021. In February 2024, Piper introduced a brand new aircraft, the M700 Fury. This aircraft had been secretly developed over the course of the past two years, and was a pleasant surprise to the aviation community. In October 2024, the Piper M700 FURY, a high-performance single-engine aircraft by Piper Aircraft, received type certification from several aviation authorities:

5226-411: The runway. The airspeed at which the aircraft, after engine failure, deviates 9.1 m from the runway centerline, despite using maximum rudder but without the use of nose wheel steering, is the minimum control speed on the ground (V MCG ). The minimum control speed during approach and landing (V MCL ) is similar to V MCA , but the aircraft configuration is the landing configuration. V MCL

5304-483: The stage of flight. Other defined V MC s include minimum control speed on the ground (V MCG ) and minimum control speed during approach and landing (V MCL ). In addition, with aircraft with four or more engines, V MC s exist for cases with either one or two engines inoperative on the same wing. Figure 1 illustrates the V MC s that are defined in the relevant civil aviation regulations and in military specifications. The vertical tail or vertical stabilizer of

5382-404: The throttle quadrant. They are properly termed "turbonormalized" since the compression ratio and maximum manifold pressure remained unchanged. Pilots are required to use care to avoid overboosting at low altitudes, since no overboost popoff valves are used. Since there is no accompanying power increase, the B/C models simply give owners a fuel vs. passenger tradeoff. The two rearmost seats, occupying

5460-506: The tooling necessary for production of several designs, including the Aztec, Navajo, and Comanche, was also destroyed, and the Piper PA-31T Cheyenne program received a setback when the prototype was damaged just after the Federal Aviation Administration awarded it Type Certification . Initial deliveries of the new PA-31-350 Chieftain were also delayed by several months. After the flood, Piper gave 32 written-off PA-28s, PA-31s and PA-23 Aztecs to NASA , which used them for crash tests at

5538-433: The total to four weeks in 2009, citing a need to reduce inventory and cut expenses. In June 2010, the company announced it would shut down for a further week in August to save money. The lay-off affected all workers except those on the PiperJet program and some critical company business functions. On 1 May 2009, American Capital Strategies sold the company to Singapore -based investment strategy company Imprimis , making

5616-743: The twin-engined PA-34 Seneca are used for pilot training around the world. The PA-23 Apache was one of the first aircraft associated with the term "air taxi", although it was superseded in that role by faster and more spacious designs from competitors Beechcraft and Cessna. Beginning production in 1965, the PA-32 series provided six- or seven-seat, single-engine designs based on the smaller Cherokee. Variously named Cherokee Six, Lance, and Saratoga, these were available as both fixed- and retractable-gear models and also with normally aspirated, fuel-injected, and turbocharged engines. The PA-32s proved popular with private owners, air taxi, and freight companies. Production of

5694-548: The type was re-designated the PA-39 and received FAA Type Approval on November 28, 1969. The first production aircraft was completed on December 23, 1969. The Twin Comanche was produced on the same Lock Haven, Pennsylvania , production line as its single-engined cousin; production ceased when the factory was flooded in 1972. Piper chose at that time to focus on its equally popular Cherokee 140/180/235/Arrow line, manufactured in Florida, and its highly popular twin-engined Seneca , which

5772-456: The vertical tail must make a decision based on, amongst other factors, their budget, the weight of the aircraft, and the maximum bank angle of 5° (away from the inoperative engine), as stated by FAR . V MCA is also used to calculate the minimum takeoff safety speed . A high V MCA therefore results in higher takeoff speeds, and so longer runways are required, which is undesirable for airport operators. Any factor that has influence on

5850-432: Was acquired by Lear Siegler which, in turn, was acquired by Forstmann Little in 1986. Forstmann Little then sold Piper to M. Stuart Millar in 1987. Manufacture of light aircraft was impacted in the mid-1980s when increasing product liability insurance premiums made operation financially difficult for Piper and other American manufacturers of light aircraft. In a bid to improve sales, Piper cut prices for its aircraft and

5928-607: Was designated the PA-30 on March 17, 1962 and named the Twin Comanche. The prototype (registered N7000Y) was built at Lock Haven and first flew on November 7, 1962. FAA Type approval was awarded on February 5, 1963, the first production aircraft was completed on April 2, 1963 and the first delivery made on July 15, 1963. The first Twin Commanche B was announced on September 2, 1965 with deliveries starting in November 1965. The aircraft had minor changes with two additional seats and an extra cabin window on each side. A turbocharged variant of

6006-582: Was founded as the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Manufacturing Company in September 1927 by brothers Clarence G. Taylor and Gordon A. Taylor in Rochester, New York . The company was renamed Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation in April 1928, shortly before Gordon Taylor died in an aircraft accident flying one of the brothers' own designs, a Taylor Chummy , on April 24, 1928. The company was enticed to move to Bradford, Pennsylvania , with

6084-475: Was intended to be used to build the PiperJet. On 17 October 2011, the company announced Simon Caldecott had replaced Geoff Berger as interim CEO. At the same time, executive vice president Randy Groom also resigned from the company and it was announced that the Piper Altaire program was "under review". Only one week later, on 24 October 2011, Piper Aircraft announced it had "indefinitely suspended" all work on

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