https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_PA-23
The Piper PA-23, named Apache and later Aztec, is a four-to-six-seat
twin-engined light aircraft aimed at the general aviation market. The United
States Navy and military forces in other countries also used it in small
numbers. Originally designed in the 1950s by the Stinson Aircraft Company, Piper
Aircraft manufactured the Apache and a more powerful version, the Aztec, in the
United States from the 1950s to the 1980s.
The PA-23 was the first twin-engined Piper aircraft, and was developed from a
proposed "Twin Stinson" design, inherited when Piper bought the Stinson Division
of the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation. The prototype PA-23 was a
four-seat low-wing all-metal monoplane with a twin tail, powered by two 125 hp
Lycoming O-290-D piston engines; it first flew on 2 March 1952. The aircraft
performed badly and it was redesigned with a single vertical stabilizer and an
all-metal rear fuselage and more powerful 150 hp Lycoming O-320-A engines.
Role
Twin-engined light piston utility
Manufacturer
Piper Aircraft
First flight
2 March 1952
Introduction
1954
Produced
Number built
6,976
Apache
Two new prototypes of the redesigned aircraft, now named Apache, were built in
1953 and entered production in 1954; 1,231 were built. In 1958 the Apache 160
was produced by upgrading the engines to 160 hp (119 kW); 816 were built. The
Apache 160 was superseded in 1962 by the Aztec-derived Apache 235. With a 1962
price of $45,000, the Apache 235 featured the Aztec's 235 hp (175 kW) engines
and swept tail surfaces (119 built).
Aztec
The same year, Piper produced an upgraded version with 250 hp (186 kW) Lycoming
O-540 engines and a swept vertical tail as the PA-23-250, and named it Aztec.
The first models came in a five-seat configuration in 1959. In 1961 a longer
nosed variant, the Aztec B, entered production. Later Aztecs were equipped with
IO-540 fuel-injected engines and six-seat capacity, and remained in production
until 1982. There were also turbocharged versions of the later models, which
could fly at higher altitude.
The United States Navy acquired 20 Aztecs, designating them UO-1, which changed
to U-11A when unified designations were adopted in 1962.
In 1974, Piper produced a single experimental PA-41P Pressurized Aztec concept.
This concept was short-lived, however, as the aspects of the Aztec that made it
so popular for its spacious interior and ability to haul large loads did not
lend themselves well to supporting the sealed pressure vessel required for a
pressurized aircraft. The project was scrapped, and the one pressurized Aztec
produced, N9941P, was donated to Mississippi State University, where it was used
for testing purposes. In 2000, N9941P was donated to the Piper Aviation Museum
in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, on condition that it never be flown again. It is
now there on display.
Specifications (PA-23-250F, normally aspirated)
General characteristics
Crew: one
Capacity: five passengers
Payload: 1,600 lb (725 kg) cargo
Height: 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)
Airfoil: USA 35-B (modified)
Aspect ratio: 6.8:1
Empty weight: 3,180 lb (1,442 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 5,200 lb (2,360 kg)
piston engines, 250 hp (187 kW) each
Propellers: two bladed Hartzell HC-E2YK-2RB constant speed propeller
Performance
Never exceed speed: 277 mph (240 knots, 446 km/h)
Maximum speed: 215 mph (187 knots, 346 km/h)
Cruise speed: 172 mph (150 knots, 278 km/h) at 10,200 ft (3,110 m) (long-range
cruise)
Stall speed: 68 mph (59 knots, 109 km/h) (flaps down)
Range: 1,519 miles (1,320 nmi, 2,445 km) at long-range cruise
Service ceiling: 18,950 ft (5,775 m) (absolute ceiling)
Rate of climb: 1,400 ft/min (7.1 m/s)
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