Piper PA-20 Pacer

The Piper PA-20 Pacer was introduced in the late 1940s as a four-seat development of earlier Piper designs. It featured a high-wing layout and conventional landing gear. The aircraft supported personal and utility flying.

‘G PAXX’. Piper PA-20-135 Pacer © Tony Guest

Overview

Piper United States ICAO: PA20 1950–1954 Active $3,000 (1950)

Piper PA-20 Pacer — four-seat tailwheel aircraftThe Pacer first flew in 1949 and entered service shortly thereafter. It used a steel tube fuselage with fabric covering. The aircraft emphasized practicality and straightforward maintenance.Powered by a Lycoming piston engine producing approximately 135 horsepower in many versions, the Pacer cruised near 115 knots (213 km/h). Maximum takeoff weight exceeded 2,000 pounds (907 kg).The PA-20 became widely used for family travel and bush flying. Many were later converted to tricycle gear configurations. The design remains part of Piper’s enduring postwar legacy.

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Specifications

Units
Engine
1 × Lycoming O-290-D2
Engine type
Piston
Power
135 hp · 101 kW
Avionics
—
Wing tips
No winglets
Seats
4
Crew
—
Cabin width
3 ft 4 in  ·  1.01 m
Cabin height
3 ft 7 in  ·  1.10 m
Cabin length
—
Exterior length
20 ft 4 in  ·  6.20 m
Tail height
—
Fuselage diameter
3 ft 7 in  ·  1.10 m
Wing span
29 ft 2 in  ·  8.90 m
Baggage volume
—
Gross weight
—
Empty weight
—
Max takeoff weight
1,950 lb  ·  900 kg
Max landing weight
1,950 lb  ·  900 kg
Max payload
950 lb  ·  400 kg
Fuel capacity
40 gal · 100 L · 100 kg (AvGas)
Max cruise speed
137 kt  ·  158 mph  ·  254 km/h
Maximum speed
—
Cruise speed
—
Approach speed
42 kt  ·  48 mph  ·  78 km/h
Range
465 nm  ·  540 mi  ·  860 km
Fuel burn
—
Ceiling
15,500 ft  ·  4,700 m
Rate of climb
620 ft/min  ·  3 m/s
Takeoff distance
1,600 ft  ·  490 m
Landing distance
1,280 ft  ·  390 m
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Piper PA-20 Pacer ‘N8973C’

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Operational Context

In 1949, the Piper PA-20 Pacer was initially introduced as the PA-16 Clipper, a stretched fuselage variant of the PA-15 Vagabond. The term Clipper only continued for a year for the reason that Pan American Airways owned rights to that label.

During 1950, the PA-20 Pacer emerged as light cabin aircraft designed with an enlarged tail, bigger fuel tanks, and leveled elevators. It was also equipped with wheel controls. The aircraft was produced in different variants where each featured minor distinction when it comes to the size of the engine.

Aircraft built from 1950 to 1951 were powered by Lycoming engine rated at 150 horsepower or 125 horsepower. Between 1952 and 1954 when the production ended, the engine was upgraded to 125 horsepower and 135 horsepower.

The Piper PA-20 Pacer was initially built with conventional landing gear and in such a way had restricted forward visibility and more challenging ground-handling features. It had an exterior length of 6.2 meters, an exterior height of 1.85 meters, and a fuselage diameter of 1.1 meters.

The tailwheel undercarriage had a wheelbase of 4.6 meters and the high-wing had a wingspan of 8.9 meters and a wing area of 13.70 square meters. It had a cabin height of 1.1 meters and a cabin width of 1.01 meters. The aircraft could accommodate one crew and three passengers on board.

The PA-20 Pacer was powered by the Lycoming O-290-D engine. It is a dual ignition, four-cylinder, air-cooled, horizontally-opposed piston engine with pushrod-actuated valves and carburetor fuel system. The O-290-D produced a maximum thrust of 125 horsepower.

The aircraft has a maximum cruise speed of 137 knots and a travel range of 465 nautical miles. It could fly up to 15,500 feet and can climb at a rate of 620 feet per minute. It had a takeoff and landing distance of 487 meters and 390 meters, respectively. The PA-20 has a maximum takeoff and landing weight of 884 kg. The maximum payload is 421 kg and the fuel capacity is 36 gallons.