Piper PA-20 Pacer

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Piper PA-20-115 Pacer

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Ski-equipped PA-20 Pacer

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Piper PA-22-150 Tri-Pacer converted to conventional landing gear

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Piper PA-22 Colt

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Piper PA-22-150 Caribbean

The PA-20 Pacer and PA-22 Tri-Pacer, Caribbean, and Colt are an American family of light strut-braced high-wing monoplane aircraft built by Piper Aircraft from 1949 to 1964.

The Pacer is essentially a four-place version of the two-place PA-17 Vagabond, with conventional landing gear, a steel tube fuselage and an aluminum frame wing covered with fabric, much like Piper's famous Cub and Super Cub. The Tri-Pacer is a development of the Pacer with tricycle landing gear, while the Colt is a two-seat flight training version of the Tri-Pacer. Prized for their ruggedness, spacious cabins, and, for the time, impressive speed, many of these aircraft continue to fly today.

Factory installed Template:Cvt, Template:Cvt, Template:Cvt, Template:Cvt, and Template:Cvt engine options were available, and Template:Cvt engine after-market conversions have been offered.

DevelopmentEdit

The Pacer and the Tri-Pacer were the first post-World War II Piper designs with flaps and a control yoke instead of a center stick, and they belong to a sub-group of Piper aircraft popularly called "short wing Pipers," reflecting their shorter wingspans compared to the earlier J-3 Cub and PA-18 Super Cub.<ref name=AOPA>Twombly, 1990</ref> The PA-20 Pacer is a tailwheel aircraft and thus has somewhat limited forward visibility on the ground and relatively demanding ground-handling characteristics. To help introduce more pilots to easier, safer flying, from February 1951, Piper introduced the PA-22 Tri-Pacer with a nosewheel instead of the tailwheel landing gear.<ref name="jawa51 p281c">Bridgman 1951, p. 281c.</ref> Additionally, the Tri-Pacer offered higher-powered engine options in the form of Template:Cvt and Template:Cvt engines, whereas the largest engine available to the original Pacer had an output of Template:Cvt.<ref name=airliners>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Cn At the time the tricycle undercarriage became a popular preference and 1953 saw the PA-22 Tri-Pacer outsell the Pacer by a ratio of six to one.<ref name=aeroyb>Aerospace Year Book, 1962, p.57</ref> Due to the geometry of the nosewheel installation, the aircraft is sometimes called the "Flying Milk Stool."<ref name=Mejdrich>Mejdrich, 1961, p.49</ref>

In 1959 and 1960 Piper offered a cheaper, less well-equipped version of the Tri-Pacer with a Template:Cvt Lycoming O-320 designated the PA-22-150 Caribbean.<ref name="Plane and Pilot">Plane and Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory, pages 60–61. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. Template:ISBN</ref> Over 9400 Tri-Pacers were produced<ref name="airliners" /> between 1950 and 1964 when production ended, with 3280 still registered with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in April 2018.<ref name=FAA>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

An unusual feature of the Tri-Pacer is bungees linking the ailerons and rudder to facilitate coordinated flight. The system can be easily overcome by the pilot as needed and allowed the installation of a simple Mitchell Industries transistorised autopilot marketed by Piper under the name Auto-control. It has roll and yaw data derived from a modified AN5735-1 Direction Indicator and AN5736-1 Gyro Horizon, boosted by a piggyback amplifier on the direction indicator driving a Globe Motors bi-directional motor/servo clamped to the top of the control column via the aileron control chains.<ref>Mitchell Transistorised Automatic Pilots Service instructions issue 1/59 PT 68A12</ref><ref name=flight>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Cn

A trainer version of the PA-22 Tri-Pacer, the PA-22-108 Colt, was introduced to compete directly with other popular trainers such as the Cessna 150, and was powered by a Template:Cvt Lycoming O-235. Quickly designed in late 1960, the two-seat Colt was offered at a substantially lower price than the Tri-Pacer, and omitted the four-seat aircraft's flaps and second wing tank along with the rear side windows and door. The Colt otherwise closely resembles the Tri-Pacer, using the same front seats and door, landing gear, engine mounts, windshield, tail surfaces, struts and instrument panel. Over 2,000 Colts were manufactured and it was the last Pacer variant—and thus the last short wing Piper—to be dropped from production.<ref name="Plane and Pilot"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The last batch of 12 PA-22-150s were built for the French Army in 1963 and the last of the family, a PA-22-108 Colt, was completed on 26 March 1964. The type was replaced on the Vero Beach production line by the PA-28 Cherokee 140.Template:Citation needed

Some PA-22s have been converted to a tailwheel configuration, resulting in an aircraft that is very similar to a PA-20 Pacer, but which retains the model refinements and features of the PA-22. These conversions are often referred to by owners as PA-22/20s and are often listed in classified aircraft ads as such, although officially such converted aircraft continue to be designated by the FAA as PA-22 Tri-Pacers. When this conversion is accomplished, disc brakes are usually installed in place of the original drum brakes, and the Lycoming O-360 180 HP engine is the preferred upgrade.<ref>Univair Aircraft Corporation, General catalogue, Piper STCs</ref> Some PA-22s have a Hartzell constant-speed controllable propeller or Koppers Aeromatic propeller.<ref>Piper Parts Manual 752 450 Figure 50 & 51</ref> Each of these installations improves performance and economy at the sacrifice of payload. A few Colts have also been converted to tailwheel configuration, although this is not as popular as converting Tri-Pacers.<ref name=arliner2> {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Failed verification

Operational historyEdit

CubaEdit

Between 1953 and 1955, the Cuban Army Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Ejército de Cuba, or FAEC) received 7 PA-20s, 4 PA-22-150s, and 3 PA-22-160s. During the Cuban Revolution, PA-22s had their rear-doors removed and a .30 caliber machine gun installed in its place for use against insurgents, along with hand-dropped grenades.<ref name=AirBritain>Hagedorn, 1993, p.18</ref> A PA-22 providing ground support for the Cuban Army during the Battle of Guisa is believed to be the lone aircraft lost by the FAEC to enemy fire.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

KatangaEdit

During the Congo Crisis, Katangese separatists received five PA-22-150s from the South African Air Force for the Force aérienne katangaise which were deployed against ONUC forces between 1961 and 1963.<ref name=Katanga>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

VariantsEdit

PA-20: Four seats, conventional landing gear, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-290-D engine. Certified 21 December 1949.<ref name="1A4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

PA-20S: Three seats, conventional landing gear, optional float installation, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-290-D engine. Certified 18 May 1950.<ref name="1A4" />
PA-20 115: Four seats, conventional landing gear, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-235-C1 engine. Certified 22 March 1950.<ref name="1A4" />
PA-20S 115: Three-seat, conventional landing gear, optional float installation, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-235-C1 engine. Certified 18 May 1950.<ref name="1A4" />
PA-20 135: Four seats, conventional landing gear, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-290-D2 engine. Certified 5 May 1952.<ref name="1A4" />
PA-20S 135: Three seats, conventional landing gear, optional float installation, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-290-D2 engine. Certified 15 May 1952.<ref name="1A4" />
PA-22: Four seats, tricycle landing gear, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-290-D engine. Certified 20 December 1950.<ref name="1A6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

PA-22-108 Colt: Two seats, tricycle landing gear, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-235-C1 or C1B engine. Certified 21 October 1960.<ref name="1A6" />
PA-22-135: Four seats, tricycle landing gear, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-290-D2 engine. Certified 5 May 1952.<ref name="1A6" />
PA-22S-135: Three seats, tricycle landing gear, optional float installation, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-290-D2 engine. Certified 14 May 1954.<ref name="1A6" />

File:PiperPA22-150.jpg

1959 PA-22-150 landing

PA-22-150: Two or four seats, tricycle landing gear, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-320-A2A or A2B engine. Certified 3 September 1952 as a four place in the normal category and 24 May 1957 as a two place in the utility category.<ref name="1A6" />
PA-22-150 Caribbean: The Caribbean model was a Template:Cvt Lycoming O-320-A2A equipped model that remained in production after the Template:Cvt was introduced, to differentiate it.<ref name="Plane and Pilot"/>
PA-22S-150: Three seats, tricycle landing gear, optional float installation, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-320-A2A or A2B engine. Certified 3 September 1954.<ref name="1A6" />
PA-22-160: Two or four seats, tricycle landing gear, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-320-B2A or B2B engine. Certified 3 September 1952 as a four place in the normal category and as a two place in the utility category.<ref name="1A6" />
PA-22S-160: Three seats, tricycle landing gear, optional float installation, Template:Cvt Lycoming O-320-B2A or B2B engine. Certified 25 October 1957.<ref name="1A6" />