| PA-16 Clipper | |
|---|---|
| Piper PA-16 Clipper at the Short Wing Piper Convention in Kingston, Ontario on 06 July 2006 | |
| Role | PA-16 Clipper |
| Manufacturer | Piper Aircraft |
| First flight | 1947 |
| Introduction | 1949 |
| Produced | only in 1949 |
| Number built | 736 |
| Unit cost | USD$2995 (in 1949) |
| Variants | Piper PA-20 Pacer |
The Piper PA-16 Clipper is an extended fuselage model of the PA-15 Vagabond.[1] Both models were designed in 1947 for the same reason - Piper Aircraft found itself in dire financial straits and needed to create new, competitive models using existing parts and tooling. The result was the Vagabond, essentially a side-by-side version of the tandem J-3 Cub credited with saving the company.[2]
Contents |
The PA-16 Clipper is a stretched and refined version of the Vagabond intended to seat four people[1] (or "two-and-a-half to three" as often told by Clipper pilots). It is equipped with an extra wing tank, added doors to accommodate the new seating, and a Lycoming O-235, the same engine that would later power the Cessna 152 and the PA-22-108 Colt, itself essentially a Vagabond with a nosewheel. The PA-16 Clipper retained the control sticks that had up to that point been common in aircraft derived from the "Cub" family.
In 1949, the Clipper sold for $2995. The average four place airplane on the market at that time cost over $5000. Only 736 Clippers were built in the one year of production before Piper changed to the Piper PA-20 Pacer.[3]
Pan Am Airlines, who traditionally called its famous luxury airliners "Clippers", took offense at Piper using the name for their light aircraft. As a result of this pressure Piper further refined the model, adding wing flaps, further fuel tanks and replaced the control sticks with yokes. A more powerful Lycoming O-290 125 hp engine was installed and this model became the Piper PA-20 Pacer.[2][1]
Data from Plane and Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory[1] & Fonden Danmarks Flymuseum[2]
General characteristics
Performance
Avionics
Originally none were fitted. Many now have VHF Nav-com radios, GPS and transponders installed.
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