PA-32R

Development

Until 1972, when the assembly line was destroyed in a flood, the Comanche 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-32 was also built under licence in Brazil as the Embraer EMB-720 Minuano, and the PA-32R as the EMB-721 Sertanejo, while Chincul in Argentina built the PA-32 as PA-A-32, the PA-32R as PA-A-32R, and the PA-32RT as the PA-A-32RT.[citation needed]

Variants

PA-32R-300 (1976-1978) - called the Piper Cherokee Lance. Initial version of the retractable PA-32 line, with a standard tail in the 1976 . 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 to the low tail design.

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-Present) - 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 LoPresti-designed 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 "Glass Panel" avionics system, which was replaced by the Garmin G1000 in 2007.

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 current production model in the PA-32 line


General characteristics

* Crew: One
* Capacity: five passengers (optional additional seat on some)
* Length: 27 ft 9 in (8.44 m)
* Wingspan: 32 ft 10 in (9.99 m)
* Height: 9 ft 6 in (2.9 m)
* Wing area: 174.5 ft² (16.2 m²)
* Wing profile: NACA 65-415
* Empty weight: 2011 lb (912 kg)
* Gross weight: 3600 lb (1633 kg)
* Powerplant: One × Lycoming IO-540-K1G5, 300 hp (225 kW) each

Performance

* Maximum speed: 190 mph (306 km/h)
* Cruise speed: 160 mph (258 km/h)
* Range: 1000 miles (1600 km)
* Service ceiling: 14600 ft (4450 m)
* Rate of climb: 1050 ft/min (5.3 m/s)