The Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six is a series of single-engine, fixed

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

, light aircraft manufactured in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Piper Aircraft Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Regional Airport in Vero Beach, Florida, United States and owned since 2009 by the Government of Brunei. Throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th centur ...

between 1965 and 2007.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', page 63. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. Montgomery, MR & Gerald Foster: ''A Field Guide to Airplanes, Second Edition'', page 32. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. The PA-32 is used around the world for private transportation, air taxi services, bush support, and medevac flights.

Development

The PA-32 series was developed to meet a requirement for a larger aircraft than the four-seat Piper PA-28 Cherokee. The first prototype PA-32 made its initial flight on December 6 1963, with the type being publicly announced in October 1964, with

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

(FAA)

type certification A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applica ...

following on March 4, 1965. The first production aircraft was the PA32-260 Cherokee Six, a significantly modified six-seat (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 and a large double door in the back for easy loading of passengers and cargo.

PA-32-300

On 27 May 1966, Piper obtained FAA type certification for a version, designated as the PA-32-300. It was offered by the company as a 1967 model.

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 The Piper PA-32R is a six-seat, high-performance, single engined, all-metal, fixed-wing aircraft produced by Piper Aircraft of Vero Beach, Florida. The design began life as the Piper Lance, a retractable-gear version of the Piper Cherokee Six. ...

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.

Piper 6X

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

PA-34 prototype

Piper built a prototype PA32-260 with IO-360 engines mounted on the wings. The trimotor aircraft was the proof-of-concept aircraft for the twin-engined, retractable-gear version of the Cherokee Six, the PA-34 Seneca.Montgomery, MR & Gerald Foster: ''A Field Guide to Airplanes, Second Edition'', p.96. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992.

Variants

;PA-32-250 Cherokee Six :Prototype with 250hp Lycoming O-540 engine, two built ; :Production variant with a 260hp Lycoming O-540-E4B5 engine ;PA-32-260 Cherokee Six B :1969 model with increased cabin space ;PA-32-260 Cherokee Six C :1970 model with minor changes ;PA-32-260 Cherokee Six D :1971 model with minor changes ;PA-32-260 Cherokee Six E :1972 model with interior and instrument panel changes (note model letters not used after 1972) ;PA-32-300 Cherokee Six :Variant with a 300hp Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 engine, named the Piper Six 300 after 1979 ;PA-32-300 Cherokee Six B :1969 model with instrument panel changes, engine changed to IO-540-K1G5 ;PA-32-300 Cherokee Six C :1970 model ;PA-32-300 Cherokee Six D :1971 model ;PA-32-300 Cherokee Six E :1972 model (note model letters not used after 1972) ;PA-32-300LD :Experimental low-drag variant for increased fuel efficiency, one built ;PA-32S-300 Seaplane Version :Factory built on floats, only a small number were made. ; :Variant from 1980 with a 300hp Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 engine ;PA-32-301T Turbo Saratoga :Saratoga with a turbocharged Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD engine and revised cowling ;PA-32-3M :PA-32 prototype modified as a three-engined aircraft with two 115-hp Lycoming O-235 engines fitted to the wings, for development of the PA-34 Seneca ;Embraer EMB-720C Minuano :Brazilian license-built version of PA-32-300 Cherokee Six. ;Embraer EMB-720D Minuano :Brazilian license-built version of PA-32-301 Saratoga Fixed Gear version. Production by

Embraer Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace manufacturer that produces commercial, military, executive and agricultural aircraft, and provides aeronautical services. It was founded in 1969 in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, where i ...

and its subsidiary Indústria Aeronáutica Neiva. ;Embraer EMB-721C Sertanejo :Brazilian license-built version of PA-32R-301 Lance. ;Embraer EMB-721D Sertanejo :Brazilian license-built version of PA-32R-301 Saratoga Retractable Gear version. Production by Embraer and its subsidiary Neiva.

Specifications (1972 model PA-32-300)

References

External links

Piper Aircraft

PA-32 series at Airliners.net
{{Piper Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft 1960s United States civil utility aircraft PA-32 Aircraft first flown in 1963