Piper aircraft

Piper J-3C-65 Cub G-POOH

Probably THE classic american sports aircraft of the prewar period, the Cub hardly needs an introduction. Several entered service in the USAAF and were used in the artillery observation and liaison roles during the second World War. Genuine prewar Cubs are hard to find, but civilianized USAAF examples fly around aplenty.

Piper PA 16 Clipper N5730H

Essentially a side-by-side Cub version, the PA 16 is a rare bird in Europe.

Piper PA 18-95 Super Cub PH-CWA, Transavia Aero Club (1973)

Very similar to the Cub on the outside (apart from the fully cowled engine), the pilots office is very different indeed. Due to center of gravity reasons, the Cub has to be flown solo from the back seat, whereas the Super Cub is piloted from the front seat. Needless to say that this increases pilot visibility tremendously !

Piper PA 18-95 Super Cub OO-ALB

This is the very aircraft that took me up for the very first time. It is pictured here after the flight, still clean and in good shape. My face though must have had the same color as the fuselage because the pilot was eager enough to show some maneuvers that felt immensely wild to a novice in the air.

Piper L-18C Super Cub AS+501 of the Luftwaffe

This is the first example of the type entering German military service on September 24th, 1956.

Piper PA 18-95 Super Cub OO-FIR

In this intimate view of a landing Super Cub, the relatively good forward view of the pilot is emphasised. In some taildraggers, the pilot has absolutely no view of the world in front of his aircraft when he enters this phase of flight.

Piper PA22-150 Tri-Paver D-EMOP

The original PA 16 Clipper was developed into the similar PA 20 Pacer, which in its turn gave way to a tri-gear version called the PA 22 Tri-Pacer. This German-registered example is one of several flying in Europe.

Piper PA28-140 Cherokee G-BIHG

Departing from the original high-wing formula, the Piper company entered the all-metal aircraft world with the PA 24 Comanche and, later on, with the PA 28 Cherokee family. With engines varying in power between 140 and 235 hp, there is a Cherokee for everyone's taste.

Piper PA.38-112 Tomahawk OO-GMF

In a move to develop a brand new trainer, Piper anonymously mailed questionaires to flying schools allover the world questioning the ideal trainer. As a result of this action, the Tomahawk was developed. The first year of production saw more than 1000 examples leaving the Vero Beach factory. Piper indeed came very near to the ideal trainer. Unfortunately, recession halted investments in flying schools and the Tomahawk programme started to fade.

Piper PA 23 Apache

(picture supplied by Jan Mattheus)

Piper PA 23-250C Aztec OY-BKI

The Piper Aztec is one of the more popular twins, especially amongst businessmen who like to pilot their plane themselves. It is reliable, powerful and fast yet easy to fly.

Piper PA 34 Seneca OO-EAM

Smallest of the Piper twins, the Seneca is in use both as a small air taxi or as a training aircraft .

Piper Navajo/Panther conversion N5438S

Just like small companies may turn your standard family saloon into a hotrod, some aircraft companies specialize in aircraft conversions. Usually, performance improvement and/or short take off and landing capabilities are the main issues for these conversions. This is also the case for this uprated Navajo, which boasts large four-bladed props to absorb the power of its more powerful engines.