Piper PA-38 Tomahawk
The Piper PA -38 Tomahawk is a two-seat light aircraft of the U.S. aircraft manufacturer Piper Aircraft Corporation. It was designed as an all-metal aircraft with tricycle landing gear, T-tail and wings in low-wing arrangement. It is powered by an air-cooled four-cylinder four -stroke boxer engine with carburetor and magneto ignition.
The Tomahawk was developed especially for the initial training of aspiring pilots.
Development
Piper had questioned before the start of development U.S. flight instructor according to your ideas of an ideal coach. The widespread training and training aircraft Cessna 150 and 152 were known for their very good-natured Trudel behavior and correspondingly also the difficult introduction of the intended spin. The Cessna 150/152 were like most trainer aircraft designed so that they drain out practically independent of the spin.
The Tomahawk was, however, written coasting behavior present in the specification. The airfoil of Tomahawk ( NASA GA (W ) -1 Whitcomb ) therefore requires certain control commands for discharging from a spin.
Typical of his time, the tail was in a T configuration. Until the appearance of the aircraft Diamond Aircraft, the Tomahawk was the most modern design in the market of training aircraft.
Production
The first year of production was 1977. The aircraft was built until 1982, when production stopped 2484 Tomahawk had been made .
The Tomahawk II produced in 1981 was equipped with an improved cabin heating and windshield defroster ( DEF ), an improved elevator trim, improved noise insulation and larger 6 -inch wheels and other improvements.
Flight characteristics
The Tomahawk has acquired over the years in some pilots a rather bad reputation. Investigations of the NTSB, however, have shown that the Tomahawk has a lower accident rate than the Cessna 150/152. The Tomahawk has a higher proportion of accidents caused by unintentional introduction of a " stall, ". Piper has improved by various measures, especially at the Tomahawk II, the spin behavior.
The Tomahawk holds aeronautically no surprises, as long as the flight speeds will be adhered to Airplane Flight Manual. The T-tail is, for example, offer sufficient flows only at about 35 to 40 knots IAS from the air, to be sufficiently effective. This must be considered during takeoff and landing.
The spin can drain out according to the standard procedures in the flight manual. The Tomahawk is really fast in a developed spin state, losing quite a lot of height.
The flaps provide in the extended state mainly for increased air resistance and only for a little more lift, which is most evident by the differing only by about 3 knots stall speed (49 kn CAS with extended and 52 kn CAS with flaps retracted ).
In cruise flight, a certain restlessness falls on the vertical axis. In Flight is the very good all-round visibility and the spacious cockpit of advantage.
The time for an aircraft of its good economy (consumption about 23 liters of avgas per hour at 90 knots IAS ) and the high range are further plus points.
The slightly on both sides of the engine cowling opening is easily accessible, which facilitates an effective pre-flight inspection.