The axe logo was applied at the Piper factory to many PA-38s delivered
The Tomahawk is a single-engined low-wing cantilever monoplane with a T-tail and an enclosed cabin for two. It has a fixed tricycle landing gear and is powered by a Lycoming O-235 four-cylinder piston engine with a twin-bladed tractor propeller. The Tomahawk has two front-hinged doors for access to the cabin.
The Tomahawk was Piper's attempt at creating an affordable two-place trainer. Before designing the aircraft, Piper widely surveyed flight instructors for their input into the design. Instructors requested a more spinnable aircraft for training purposes, since other two-place trainers such as the Cessna 150 and 152 were designed to spontaneously fly out of a spin. The Tomahawk's NASA[1] GA(W)-1 Whitcombairfoil addresses this requirement by making specific pilot input necessary in recovering from spins, thus allowing pilots to develop proficiency in dealing with spin recovery.
The Tomahawk was introduced in 1977 as a 1978 model. The aircraft was in continuous production until 1982 when production ended, with 2,484 aircraft built.
The 1981 and 1982 models were designated as the Tomahawk II. They incorporated improved cabin heating and windshield defroster performance, an improved elevator trim system, improved engine thrust vector, 100% airframe zinc-chromate anti-corrosion treatment, better cockpit soundproofing, larger 6" wheels and tires for greater propeller ground clearance and improved performance on grass and dirt runways, among other enhancements.
Operational historyedit
As of 2020, a handful of Tomahawks are currently being used to train Australian Air Force Cadets in flight courses. These are operated from RAAF Base Amberley by 211 Squadron AAFC. These aircraft have been in service since the early 2000s.[2]
According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Foundation, which published a Safety Highlight report on the Piper Tomahawk, the Piper Tomahawk has a one-third lower accident rate per flying hour than the comparable Cessna 150/152 series of two-place benchmark trainers. The Tomahawk has a higher rate of fatal spin accidents per flying hour. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) estimated that the Tomahawk's stall/spin accident rate was three to five times that of the Cessna 150/152.[3]
According to the NTSB, the Tomahawk's wing design was modified after FAA certification tests, but was not retested.[3] Changes included reducing the number of full wing ribs and cutting lightening holes in the main spar.[4] The aircraft's engineers told the NTSB that the changes made to the design resulted in a wing that was soft and flexible, allowing its shape to become distorted and possibly causing unpredictable behavior in stalls and spins.[4] The design engineers said that the GAW-1 airfoil required a rigid structure because it was especially sensitive to airfoil shape, and that use of a flexible surface with that airfoil would make the Tomahawk wing "a new and unknown commodity in stalls and spins."[4]
Airworthiness Directive 83-14-08 issued in September 1983 mandated an additional pair of stall strips to be added to the inboard leading edge of the PA-38 wing to "standardize and improve the stall characteristics".[5]
Specifications (PA-38-112 Tomahawk II)edit
3-view line drawing of the Piper PA-38 Tomahawk
Data from Janes's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83[6]
^. Concept to Reality: Contributions of the NASA Langley Research Center to U.S. Civil Aircraft of the 1990s. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
^"ADF SERIALS". ADF Serials. 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
^ abSweeny, Michael (July 25, 1997). . GA News & Flyer. Archived from the original on 2000-10-21.
Taylor, John W.R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1982. ISBN0-7106-0748-2.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Piper PA-38 Tomahawk.
January 01, 1970
piper, tomahawk, redirects, here, term, also, refer, pennsylvania, route, piper, tomahawk, seat, fixed, tricycle, gear, general, aviation, airplane, originally, designed, flight, training, touring, personal, tomahawkrole, light, aircraftmanufacturer, piperintr. PA 38 redirects here The term may also refer to Pennsylvania Route 38 The Piper PA 38 112 Tomahawk is a two seat fixed tricycle gear general aviation airplane originally designed for flight training touring and personal use PA 38 TomahawkRole Light aircraftManufacturer PiperIntroduction 1978Produced 1978 1982Number built 2 484 Contents 1 Design and development 2 Operational history 2 1 Safety record 3 Specifications PA 38 112 Tomahawk II 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 External linksDesign and development edit nbsp The axe logo was applied at the Piper factory to many PA 38s deliveredThe Tomahawk is a single engined low wing cantilever monoplane with a T tail and an enclosed cabin for two It has a fixed tricycle landing gear and is powered by a Lycoming O 235 four cylinder piston engine with a twin bladed tractor propeller The Tomahawk has two front hinged doors for access to the cabin The Tomahawk was Piper s attempt at creating an affordable two place trainer Before designing the aircraft Piper widely surveyed flight instructors for their input into the design Instructors requested a more spinnable aircraft for training purposes since other two place trainers such as the Cessna 150 and 152 were designed to spontaneously fly out of a spin The Tomahawk s NASA 1 GA W 1 Whitcomb airfoil addresses this requirement by making specific pilot input necessary in recovering from spins thus allowing pilots to develop proficiency in dealing with spin recovery The Tomahawk was introduced in 1977 as a 1978 model The aircraft was in continuous production until 1982 when production ended with 2 484 aircraft built The 1981 and 1982 models were designated as the Tomahawk II They incorporated improved cabin heating and windshield defroster performance an improved elevator trim system improved engine thrust vector 100 airframe zinc chromate anti corrosion treatment better cockpit soundproofing larger 6 wheels and tires for greater propeller ground clearance and improved performance on grass and dirt runways among other enhancements Operational history editAs of 2020 a handful of Tomahawks are currently being used to train Australian Air Force Cadets in flight courses These are operated from RAAF Base Amberley by 211 Squadron AAFC These aircraft have been in service since the early 2000s 2 Safety record edit nbsp Stall strips were applied to the leading edge According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Foundation which published a Safety Highlight report on the Piper Tomahawk the Piper Tomahawk has a one third lower accident rate per flying hour than the comparable Cessna 150 152 series of two place benchmark trainers The Tomahawk has a higher rate of fatal spin accidents per flying hour The National Transportation Safety Board NTSB estimated that the Tomahawk s stall spin accident rate was three to five times that of the Cessna 150 152 3 According to the NTSB the Tomahawk s wing design was modified after FAA certification tests but was not retested 3 Changes included reducing the number of full wing ribs and cutting lightening holes in the main spar 4 The aircraft s engineers told the NTSB that the changes made to the design resulted in a wing that was soft and flexible allowing its shape to become distorted and possibly causing unpredictable behavior in stalls and spins 4 The design engineers said that the GAW 1 airfoil required a rigid structure because it was especially sensitive to airfoil shape and that use of a flexible surface with that airfoil would make the Tomahawk wing a new and unknown commodity in stalls and spins 4 Airworthiness Directive 83 14 08 issued in September 1983 mandated an additional pair of stall strips to be added to the inboard leading edge of the PA 38 wing to standardize and improve the stall characteristics 5 Specifications PA 38 112 Tomahawk II edit nbsp 3 view line drawing of the Piper PA 38 TomahawkData from Janes s All The World s Aircraft 1982 83 6 General characteristicsCrew one Capacity one passenger Length 23 ft 1 1 4 in 7 042 m Wingspan 34 ft 0 in 10 36 m Height 9 ft 0 3 4 in 2 762 m Wing area 124 7 sq ft 11 59 m2 Aspect ratio 9 27 1 Airfoil NASA GAW 1 Empty weight 1 128 lb 512 kg Max takeoff weight 1 670 lb 757 kg Fuel capacity 30 US gal 25 imp gal 110 L usable Powerplant 1 Avco Lycoming O 235 L2C air cooled flat four piston engine 112 hp 84 kW Propellers 2 bladed Sensenich metal fixed pitch propeller 6 ft 0 in 1 83 m diameterPerformance Maximum speed 126 mph 203 km h 109 kn at sea level Cruise speed 115 mph 185 km h 100 kn at 10 500 ft 3 200 m 65 power Stall speed 56 5 mph 90 9 km h 49 1 kn flaps down IAS Never exceed speed 159 mph 256 km h 138 kn IAS Range 539 mi 867 km 468 nmi at 10 500 ft 3 200 m 65 power Service ceiling 13 000 ft 4 000 m Rate of climb 718 ft min 3 65 m s Takeoff run to 50 ft 15 m 1 460 ft 450 m Landing run from 50 ft 15 m 1 544 ft 471 m See also editAircraft of comparable role configuration and era Aerotec A 132 Tangara Alpha 2000 Robin R2000 Beechcraft Skipper Cessna 150 Cessna 152 Diamond DA20 Grumman American AA 1 Liberty XL2 Symphony SA 160 Whitney BoomerangReferences edit Low Speed Medium Speed and Natural Laminar Flow Airfoils Concept to Reality Contributions of the NASA Langley Research Center to U S Civil Aircraft of the 1990s Archived from the original on January 13 2010 Retrieved 2006 08 08 ADF SERIALS ADF Serials 2019 Retrieved 20 April 2020 a b Sweeny Michael July 25 1997 NTSB recommends new round of Tomahawk tests GA News amp Flyer Archived from the original on 2000 10 21 a b c CHI94FA097 National Transportation Safety Board July 12 1995 Retrieved 2008 08 07 Federal Aviation Administration September 1983 Airworthiness Directive 83 14 08 Archived from the original on 2016 11 23 Retrieved 2008 08 07 Taylor 1982 pp 446 447 Sources editTaylor John W R Jane s All The World s Aircraft 1982 83 London Jane s Yearbooks 1982 ISBN 0 7106 0748 2 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Piper PA 38 Tomahawk Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Piper PA 38 Tomahawk amp oldid 1162547986, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
