220 gal.) The way Piper improved the weight and balance was move the aux hydraulic pump into the nose and the battery from the tail to just behind the luggage compartment. 1975 PIPER PA-31-350 Chieftain - Specifications, Performance, Operating cost, Valuation, Brokers - planephd.com Toggle navigation Mixture control is done using the EGT gauges and at night it's better done visually! A short time later, Victor returned the mills to Chicago, JA installed them in N200PN and Williams was back in business. Williams and his partner run an advertising agency in Chicago, and the ad executive uses his big Piper to visit clients all over the East and Midwest. Only the GTSIO-540 is more complex (the G standing for Geared prop, the S for Supercharged) and inevitably the next step was turboprop power. Built in 1979 it has plenty of hours left on its engines and props, reasonable paint and a plush interior with ten leather seats to match. It was also license-built in a number of Latin American countries. Although I rarely smoke these days, I must admit to having had a sudden urge to put on an airline pilot's jacket and light up a Rothmans, just as the period ads suggested you might when driving an old Jaguar. applicability application of this handbook is limited to the specific piper pa-28-161 Once aboard you still have quite a walk to get to the business end, perhaps noticing that the cabin cross section is constant i.e. “Preventive maintenance is a must if you hope to minimize downtime.”. It really is a joy to fly, even when manoeuvring next to the camera ship with all the speed, height and configuration changes. 1976 Piper Navajo Chieftain. I have flown the PA31-310's but it was many years ago. Originally they housed the streamlined exhaust systems, designed to blow over the trailing edge of the wing. The engines warm up at 1,200rpm. IMPORTANT NOTICE 11/15/2016 21:07 GMT We are currently upgrading our site and are having some site issues. Takeoff/Landing Weight Utility Category : N/A : N/A : N/A It has to be set open for takeoff and virtually closed for cruise. For the record, the book figure for single engine out at MTOW is a climb of 230fpm−remember that's with one engine at full throttle and max rpm, the other engine feathered, cowl flaps respectively open and shut, gear up and flaps retracted. Prices on the used market range from about $120,000 to maybe $180,000, reflecting the high maintenance load. Piper PA-31 Navajo Chieftain Thoughts turn to home and with Tim's guidance I set up a constant descent with the power at 25in and 2,350rpm, letting the speed build up to 200kt as we start back to Blackbushe and eventually return to circuit height. One exception though is the lag between throttle movement and manifold pressure indication. Most pilots use a 150-knot-cruise climb and settle for a slightly more leisurely 1400 fpm ascent in exchange for a lower deck angle. Piper Navajo Chieftain … “I was determined to buy the best powerplants I could find. He can be contacted via email at flybillcox@aol.com. That means 1700 rpm translates to 2550 engine rpm, a much more agreeable number. The stretched Navajo Chieftain first appeared in 1973, after Piper began design work in 1971 (delays were caused by the destruction of the second prototype and early production aircraft due to flooding at Piper's Lock Haven plant in June 1972). According to the National Business Aircraft Association, the world’s largest organization of corporate aircraft operators, one of every eight airplanes flying corporate missions today does so behind, between, or in front of piston engines. Being a long aircraft, the Chieftain is pitch trim-sensitive and it's crucial to set it correctly for takeoff, based on how you have it loaded. The Williams P-Navajo is a pristine business machine kept in near-perfect condition, only appropriate since it was formerly owned by noted attorney and aviation enthusiast F. Lee Bailey. With increased wingspan and fuel capacity, plus airstairs, production of the PA-31P Pressurized Navajo ended during … Relatively new to type himself, Tim graciously said he hasn't managed to land it any differently than that yet. Piper’s exclusive engine nacelle was designed to house an extended shaft that put the prop blades well ahead of the cowling. A $155,000.00 loan over 120 months including $645.83 per month in interest equates to a $7,772.28 per-period payment. This airplane is a heavy investment in both dollars and weight, and that’s evident the moment you try to leave the chocks. At 160kt we can start introducing flaps, followed by the gear at 150. So when I release the parking brake with the T handle under the yoke, and push and release the rudder pedals, we immediately start rolling forward. I recently traveled to Chicago to fly Williams’ unusual corporate transport. Introduced in 1970, the PA-31P utilized a swept Navajo Chieftain fuselage. Co-pilots instruments. Possibly not, but let's look deeper into it. The controls are light and powerful albeit with the expected roll inertia you get when hanging engines from wings instead of the nose. Unlock and view report for $50 + Tax: Buy now. The system is fairly simple and works just fine in the auto mode, providing a cabin rate of climb equal to about one-third of the airplane’s actual ascent. The Chieftain has joined my all-time top ten. This didn't produce any more lift−just soot−so the cowlings were extended all the way to the trailing edge and turned into humongous lockers instead. Fuel Burn at 75% power in standard conditions per hour : Unknown : Unknown : Unknown Weights and Capacities: Takeoff/Landing Weight Normal Category : 6,000 lbs. The heater is a 35,000 BTU Janitrol gas unit that keeps even a large cabin warm and comfortable. Fuel burn - 170 Lts/Hr and a power setting of 31/23. Alternatively you can economise with 27in/2,280rpm/155kt and just 33USG per hour−potentially only 3.3 gal per occupant per hour. Others, such as cropdusters, bushplanes, and cargo haulers, must work hard for their owners. Pitch trim is not particularly sensitive to speed and you can leave it alone unless the passengers start walking about down the back. The '540' is cubic inches−nearly nine litres! While Williams has invested probably $250,000 to cherry out his Navajo, he feels it’s reasonable considering the alternative. Adams Aviation Supply Co Ltd - moving & Brexit plans. Only at the flare should you need to touch the throttles. Everything about the Pressurized Navajo involves big numbers. Targeted at small-scale cargo and feeder liner operations and the corporate market, the aircraft was a success. If you are serious about wanting to buy one I could enter a whole new field of clichés (about buying being the joining fee etc) but the best single bit of advice would be: if you buy one abroad check that all the ADs have been complied with before you import it. It's a proper mini-airliner, flies as well as it looks, and many other positive clichés besides. Everything about the Pressurized Navajo involves big numbers. Of course, none of them offer the comfort, seating capacity, or performance of a Pressurized Navajo.”, Williams acknowledges that P-Navajo operating expenses are much higher than on any single and most piston twins, but says, “You can buy a lot of fuel and maintenance for the $300,000-$500,000 you save over the price of a new single.” His aircraft has to work for a living in order to justify its existence. Take, for instance, the 1976 Pressurized Navajo owned by Guy Williams of Barrington, Illinois. There would be no better way of doing a tour through Africa for instance and I was pleased to find out that the Chieftain is still the weapon of choice for many operators out there. PA31-300: 6000lbs MTOW, about 2000lbs useful, Non-Turbo, reasonably quick, will haul the same loads as the PA31-310 and 350 at the max range of the Navajo and Chieftain due to significantly lower fuel burn PA31-310: 6500lbs MTOW, 6770 … So comparing the fuel burn, running 2 engines at 30" will burn 36gph, or 3.6lb/min (36*6/60). With a wingspan of nearly 41 feet and a tail that stands more than 13 feet high (both dimensions beyond the province of most tee-hangars), a P-Navajo must normally be housed in either a community hangar or a very large individual one. “I carry many passengers who are used to the low noise level and smooth ride of business jets, and they automatically expect a prop airplane to be loud with plenty of vibration,” he says. Full power demands 45 inches of manifold pressure and sucks 90 gph through the engines. Another crucial control is the cowl flap for each engine. These are proper adult leather seats with arm rests, more comfortable and with better leg room than you would get in a business A320 or B737 cabin. Essential for a proper twin or airliner with so much switchery is the extra panel above the windscreens, this one housing important stuff like ice protection, interior and exterior lights, and seat belt and 'no smoking' signs (yes really.). But from memory the fuel total on a … It was lavishly equipped with leather interior and a mini-airliner instrument panel, complete with virtually every bell and whistle. You wouldn't call a PA-31 a STOL machine but it only needs about 800m TODR at max weight. Especially with a turbocharged aircraft, because no matter how hard you try there is always a bit of shock cooling then insufficient heating involved in shutting down and restarting an engine: it's why flying school twins rarely reach their TBO. As you would imagine, the cockpit instrumentation is plentiful and complicated, the only concession to anything in the 21st century being a centrally-mounted GPS navcom. It takes a sizeable burst of irresistible force (better known as breakaway thrust) to get all that mass moving, after which powerful brakes are required to stop it. Repeat for number two. Doesn't sound much, but it's better than many piston twins, only turbine twins generically doing consistently better. The Baron handles much better, but the Chieftain isn't bad. For really tight manoeuvring the nosewheel can castor through eighty degrees. It's a twin so there's little or no rudder required, and because we're light we accelerate fast, quickly reaching our rotate speed of 85kt. Engine management is chiefly by using those humungously large dials across the top of the centre instrument panel rather than from the printing on a baseplate. It might be a niche market but there are people who have regular need of an aircraft with more than four to six seats plus luggage, to ferry them between business meetings, altiports, and shoots of all kinds. Some are pure sport machines – gliders, aerobats, and homebuilts – intended primarily for fun and games. CS, Landing gear type:                    Tri/Retr, Gross weight (lbs):                    7800, Useful load – std (lbs):             2756, Usable fuel – std (gal/lbs):      236/1416, Wingspan:                                  40’ 7”, Overall length:                           34’ 5”, Height:                                        14’ 3”, Wing area (sq ft):                       228.7, Wheel size:                                  6.00 x 6, Seating capacity:                         7, Cabin doors:                                 1, Cabin width (in):                         50, Cabin height (in):                        50, Cruise speed (kts):                            75% 220, Fuel Consumption (gph):                 75% 58, Best rate of climb, SL (fpm):            1740, S/E rate of climb, SL (fpm):             240, S/E Service Ceiling (ft):                    12,100, Stall – Vso (kts):                                 73, TO ground roll (ft):                            1440, TO over 50 ft (ft):                               2200, Ldg ground roll (ft):                           1370, Ldg over 50 ft (ft):                              2700. Quite often they can be had for less than the cost of their engines and props, which is why a lot of them are being broken up for spares. Williams chose the P-Navajo specifically because the model is an early piston version of the aircraft that was later developed into the Piper Cheyenne, turboprop. There are clever and complex systems in this aircraft. General Aviation is perhaps best known for its diversity. “Most people probably wouldn’t own a Pressurized Navajo strictly for fun. It also has the fuel tank gauges but they are marked in fractions of fullness rather than the numeric quantity of the tanks−the only unprofessional items on the whole aircraft in my view. The throttle quadrant is missing its gated baseplate on our day of test so it looks like the throttles, prop and mixture levers are mounted in a big square bucket, but it doesn't cause a problem. Up there too are the fuel pump, mags and starter switches which look like they came out of a BAe 146/Avro RJ, and the same big rocker switches. The production models of the Piper PA-31 include the Navajo, the Pressurized Navajo with pressurized cabin, the Chieftain with stretched fuselage (+ 0,61m / 2 ft), the Mojave a piston engine variant of the Piper PA-31T Cheyenne and the commuter variants T-1020 and the T-1040.The Piper PA-31 was also licence-built in Argentina and Columbia and in Brazil by EMBRAER as the EMB-820 Navajo. We are climbing now at 120kt and 1,200fpm. We level out at 3,500ft still at 35in and 2,300rpm and are getting an honest 170kt IAS, flying up to the camera ship. On base leg we're at 120 and final at 100. High-maintenance or not, Guy Williams is sold on his Pressurized Navajo. The Navajo has supplemental oxygen for … It's important to keep the nose down to accelerate past the single engine safety speed of 87kt−below that we wouldn't have enough rudder authority to hold one engine at full power if the other failed. New-aircraft prices have risen dramatically in recent years, making older models progressively more attractive. And I'd rather take off from my local airfield than from Luton or Heathrow any day. Based on 450 annual owner-operated hours and $5.00-per-gallon fuel cost, the CESSNA 421C has total variable costs of $251,550.00, total fixed … The big cabin was 50 inches wide by 50 inches tall, and Piper succeeded in selling almost 300 before the end of production in 1977. https://www.facebook.com/PiperOwnerSociety?fref=ts. “I can usually count on a cruise speed of about 220 knots at 23,000 with the Victor engines, which is at least 10 knots quicker than I used to cruise before the overhaul,” he explains. “They’re nearly always surprised at how quiet and smooth the P-Navajo is.”, As with many other older cabin-class twins, the total expense of owning a P-Navajo isn’t reflected in the price of admission. Well, that's the theory anyway. Compare our Lock and Key Navajo pricing, and find which package suits your aircraft needs! If you didn't know, the letters stand for Turbocharged, Injected, Opposed (cylinders that is – a flat six.) Seriously, shop around and you can get a PA-31 Chieftain for this. In the meantime I bring the services on line, the avionics with a switch left of the centre console, and other radios on the stack. The Navajo comes in three models - the PA31-310, the PA31-325 with counter rotating engines, and the PA31-350 Chieftain, which had a stretched fuselage for more room. He bases it at DuPage Airport’s JA Air Center (southwest of Chicago) and believes JA’s support is one key to keeping his airplane in the air. The Piper PA-31 Navajo is a family of cabin-class, twin-engined aircraft designed and built by Piper Aircraft for the general aviation market, most using Lycoming engines. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. A standard-fuel P-Navajo has an endurance in the three-hour range with IFR reserves. The wings can take 710 litres in four tanks (the fuel selector is a chunky affair at the rear of the centre console.). While pressurization would be nice, I ultimately decided on the Navajo Chieftain because of my familiarity with Lycoming engines and the extra 24 inches in fuselage length that the Chieftain offered as compared to the PA-31-310 and PA-31-325 model Navajos. Specs, range, speed, operating weights and performance for the Chieftain PA-31-350 here We use cookies to help you get the best experience when using our website. Fuel: Fuel Capacity : 192 gallons : 192 gallons : 192 gallons : Min. since non-piper approved stc installations may change systems interface, operating characteristics and component loads or stresses on adjacent structures, piper provided inspection criteria may not be valid for airplanes with non-piper approved stc installations. We do the power checks, which are completely straightforward, then taxi onto Blackbushe's long tarmac runway. Turn simply open up the engine on the outside of the type are flown... 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