If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Cherokee 235 vs Trinidad vs Comanche
On 17-Jan-2007, Ray Andraka wrote: I believe it. The dakota has the tapered wing where the 235 does not. In the case of a PA32, the tapered wing adds about 200lbs to the empty weight. Hmmm. If I did my numbers right, that's about 1.2 cubic feet of aluminum. Seems like a lot of aluminum. Well, the tapered wings are a few feet longer, the fiberglass tip tanks are replaced with a second set of aluminum tanks, and who knows what else was changed on the airframe to accommodate the tapered wings. The point is the tapered winged models run about 200 lbs more than the hershey bar winged models. In the PA-28 evolution there were two factors that affected empty weight of a given model. One was wing length (not necessarily tapered vs. Hershey-bar) and the other was cabin length. As many have pointed out, in the early '70s the various models (except the 140) each got a stretch of about 5 inches in addition to longer wings. Taken TOGETHER the two changes typically increased empty weight by between 130 and 180 lbs. HOWEVER, most of the increase was offset by corresponding increases in MGW. Performance didn't really suffer too much because of the higher L/D of the longer wings. Here are some examples, with weights from Piper's technical specs: Arrow 200 (short cabin, short Hershey-bar wing); Empty weight 1459, MGW 2600, useful load 1199 Arrow II (stretched cabin, short wing); Empty weight 1523, MGW 2650, useful load 1137 Arrow III/IV (stretched cabin, long tapered wing); Empty weight 1637, MGW 2750, useful load 1113 Cherokee 235D (short cabin, short Hershey-bar wing); Empty weight 1467, MGW 2900, useful load 1433 Pathfinder (stretched cabin, long Hershey-bar wing); Empty weight 1592, MGW 3000, useful load 1408 Dakota (stretched cabin, long tapered wing); Empty weight 1608, MGW 3000, useful load 1392 Note that a change (between Pathfinder and Dakota) from Hershey-bar to tapered wing only resulted in a 16 lb change in empty weight. Also note, of course, that these empty weights reflect airplanes with no "optional" equipment like radios and other goodies, so typical empty weights will be higher -Elliott Drucker |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Narrowing it down... Comanche? | Douglas Paterson | Owning | 18 | February 26th 06 12:51 AM |
Cherokee Pilots Association Fly-In Just Gets Better and Better | Jay Honeck | Piloting | 7 | August 8th 05 07:18 PM |
Comanche accident averted last evening | [email protected] | Piloting | 23 | April 13th 05 10:02 AM |
Cherokee National Fly-In & Convention | Don | Piloting | 0 | May 5th 04 08:14 PM |
Cherokee National Fly-In & Convention | Don | General Aviation | 0 | March 20th 04 02:15 AM |