Private Single Engine
Overview
The Piper PA-38 Tomahawk was designed and built by Piper Aircraft as a two-seat general aviation light aircraft initially intended for flight training and touring, as well as personal purposes. It was fitted with fixed tricycle undercarriage, a T-tail, and low wings. The aircraft was introduced in 1978 and was produced from 1978 to 1982 with a total number of 2,484 aircraft built.
Live Fleet Activity (PA38)
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Specifications
Units
- Engine
- 1 × Avco Lycoming O-235-L2C
- Engine type
- Piston
- Power
- 112 hp · 84 kW
- Avionics
- —
- Wing tips
- No winglets
- Seats
- 2
- Crew
- —
- Cabin width
- —
- Cabin height
- —
- Cabin length
- —
- Exterior length
- 23 ft 1 in · 7.04 m
- Tail height
- 9 ft 1 in · 2.77 m
- Fuselage diameter
- 3 ft 7 in · 1.10 m
- Wing span
- 34 ft 0 in · 10.36 m
- Baggage volume
- —
- Gross weight
- —
- Empty weight
- —
- Max takeoff weight
- 1,650 lb · 750 kg
- Max landing weight
- 1,650 lb · 750 kg
- Max payload
- 550 lb · 250 kg
- Fuel capacity
- 30 gal · 100 L · 100 kg (AvGas)
- Max cruise speed
- 109 kt · 125 mph · 202 km/h
- Maximum speed
- —
- Cruise speed
- —
- Approach speed
- 47 kt · 54 mph · 87 km/h
- Range
- 468 nm · 540 mi · 870 km
- Fuel burn
- —
- Ceiling
- 13,000 ft · 4,000 m
- Rate of climb
- 720 ft/min · 4 m/s
- Takeoff distance
- 1,480 ft · 450 m
- Landing distance
- 1,550 ft · 470 m
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Operational Context
The Piper Tomahawk was developed by Piper in an effort to build an economical two-place trainer aircraft. In 1977, the aircraft was introduced as a 1978 version. The Tomahawk was produced from 1978 to 1982 with a total number of 2,484 Tomahawks built. Tomahawk II was the designation given to the 1981 and 1982 versions. It featured several improvements such as enhanced cabin heating, a windshield defroster, and an updated elevator trim system.
The PA-38 Tomahawk featured an enclosed cabin that can accommodate one pilot and one passenger in flight. It has an external length of 7.04 meters, an external height of 1.95 meters, and a fuselage width of 1.1 meters. The aircraft is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a wingspan of 10.36 meters and a wing area of 11.59 square meters. It has a T-tail configuration with a tail height of 2.77 meters and a fixed tricycle landing gear with a wheelbase of 1.6 meters. The empty weight is 512 kg and the maximum takeoff weight is 757 kg. It has a maximum payload of 245 kg and a usable fuel capacity of 30 US gal.
The aircraft is powered by a single Avco Lycoming O-235-L2C engine. It is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, horizontally-opposed piston engine with pushrod-actuate valves, a carburetor fuel system, and an air cooling system. The engine is rated at 112 horsepower and drives a two-bladed Sensenich metal fixed-pitch propeller of 1.83 in diameter. The Pa-38 Tomahawk has a maximum speed of 109 knots at sea level. It has a cruise speed of 100 knots at 10,500 feet and 65% power. The stall speed is 49.1 knots with flaps down and the never exceed speed is 138 knots. It has a travel range of 468 nautical miles at 10,500 feet. The aircraft can fly up to 13,000 feet and can climb at a rate of 718 feet per minute. The takeoff and landing distances are 450 meters and 471 meters, respectively.
Sources and references used for research and fact-checking.