Piper PA-44 Seminole

Piper PA-44 Seminole
Role	Training and personal aircraft
Manufacturer	Piper Aircraft
First flight	1978
Produced	1979-present
Unit cost	US$510,645 (2008 base price)[1]
Variants	Piper Cherokee

Piper PA-44-180 Seminole

PA-44 on landing at Son Bonet Aerodrome

Piper PA-44-180 Seminole

The Piper PA-44 Seminole is an American twin-engined light aircraft manufactured by Piper Aircraft.^[2]

The PA-44 is a development of the Piper Cherokee single-engine aircraft and is primarily used for multi-engine flight training.^[2][3]

The Seminole was built in 1979-82, in 1989-90, and again since 1995.

Design and development

The first production Seminoles are equipped with two 180-hp (135 kW) Lycoming O-360-E1A6D engines. The right hand engine is a Lycoming LO-360-E1A6D variant, which turns in the opposite direction to the left hand engine. This feature eliminates the critical engine and makes the aircraft more controllable in the event an engine needs to be shut down or fails.^[4][5]

The Seminole was first certified on March 10, 1978 and introduced as a 1979 model year in late 1978. Gross weight is 3800 lbs (1723 kg).^[5]

Later production Seminoles were built with Lycoming O-360-A1H6 engines.^[5]

The PA-44-180T Turbo Seminole version was certified on November 29, 1979 and built between 1981-82. It features two turbocharged 180-hp (135 kW) Lycoming TO-360-E1A6D engines, which offer a significant improvement in performance at high density altitude. The Turbo Seminole had its take-off gross weight raised to 3925 lb (1780 kg), while the landing weight remained at 3800 lbs (1723 kg).^[5]

The PA-44 features a high T-tail similar to the T-tailed Arrow IV. The Seminole resembles the competitive Beechcraft Duchess.^[3]

Variants

PA-44-180 Seminole

Normally aspirated version powered by two Lycoming O-360-E1A6D or two O-360-A1H6 engines.^[5]

PA-44-180T Turbo Seminole

Turbocharged version powered by two Lycoming TO-360-E1A6D engines.^[5]

Operators

Civil

The PA-44 is popular with air charter companies and flight schools, and is operated by private individuals and companies.

Military

 Jordan

• Royal Jordanian Air Force^{[citation needed]}

Specifications (PA-44-180 Seminole)

Data from Airliners.net^[6]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 pilot
• Capacity: 3 passengers
• Length: 27 ft 7.2 in (8.41 m)
• Wingspan: 38 ft 8 in (11.77 m)
• Height: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
• Wing area: 184 ft² (17.1 m²)
• Empty weight: 2,360 lb (1,070 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 3,800 lb (1,723 kg)
• Powerplant: × 1 Lycoming O-360-A1H6 and 1 Lycoming LO-360-A1H6 air cooled, direct-drive, horizontally opposed 4 cylinder engine, 180 hp (135 kW) at Sea Level each
• Propellers: Hartzell HC-C2Y(K,R)-2 two-bladed, constant speed, fully feathering, with pitch controlled by oil/nitrogen pressure propeller, 1 per engine
• Maximum Ramp Weight: 3 816 lb (1,731 kg)
  Fuel: 2 main nacelle tanks, each of 55 U.S. gallon capacity (110 U.S. Gal. total), 2 U.S. gallons unusable.

Performance

• Maximum speed: 202 kt
• Cruise speed: 155 kt
• Range: 1,000 miles (1,630 km)
• Service ceiling: 17,100 ft (5,213 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,200 ft/min (366 m/min)
• Wing loading: 21.1 lb/ft² (100.8 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 10.55 lb/hp (0.16 kW/kg)
• Single Engine Service ceiling 3,800 ft

Related content

Related development

• Piper Cherokee

Comparable aircraft

• Beechcraft Duchess
• Gulfstream American GA-7 Cougar

References

1. ^ Piper Aircraft (undated). "2009 Seminole" (PDF). http://www.newpiper.com/aircraft/spec_sheet/Seminole.pdf. Retrieved 2009-03-18. 
2. ^ ^{a b} New Piper Aircraft (undated). "Welcome to the Seminole". http://www.newpiper.com/aircraft/seminole/default.asp. Retrieved 2007-10-02. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Montgomery, MR & Gerald Foster: A Field Guide to Airplanes, Second Edition, page 92. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. ISBN 0-395-62888-1
4. ^ New Piper Aircraft (undated). "Seminole Price and Standard Equipment". http://www.newpiper.com/aircraft/seminole/specifications.asp. Retrieved 2007-10-02. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Federal Aviation Administration (August 2006). "TYPE CERTIFICATE DATA SHEET NO. A19SO Revision 10" (PDF). http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgMakeModel.nsf/0/f07de52f6061c8cc8625720a0054ef4f/$FILE/A19SO.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-09. 
6. ^ Airliners.net (2009). "The Piper PA-44 Seminole". http://www.airliners.net/aircraft-data/stats.main?id=310. Retrieved 2009-08-26. 

External links

• Piper Aircraft PA-44 Home page