| Manufacturer | Piper Aircraft |
|---|---|
| First flight | 1947 |
| Introduction | 1949 |
| Produced | only in 1949 |
| Number built | 736 |
| 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]
Design and development
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. 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, which traditionally called its famous luxury airliners "Clippers", took offense at Piper using the name for its 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.[1][2]
Operational history
Despite the low number of aircraft built, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, in April 2018 there were still 303 examples in service in the United States.[4]
References
- Notes
- ^ Plane and Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory, page 59. Werner & Werner Corp Publishing, 1978. ISBN 0-918312-00-0
- ^ Fonden Danmarks Flymuseum (n.d.). "Piper PA-16 Clipper". Archived 2007-10-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
- ^ Peperell 1987, p. 65
- ^ "FAA Registry – Piper PA-16". Federal Aviation Administration. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- Bibliography
- Piper's Golden Age by Alan Abel, Drina Welch Abel, and Paul Matt
- The Pilot's Guide to Affordable Classics by Bill Clarke
- Peperell, Roger W & Smith, Colin M (1987). Piper Aircraft and their forerunners. Tonbridge, Kent, England: Air-Britain. ISBN 0-85130-149-5.