N36538

Pilot Flight Check:

Piper Seminoleby ROGER ROZELLE/ AOPA 537321

The latest contender throws its T-tail into the ring of light twins

30 THE AOPA PILOT I SEPTEMBER 1978

•• Piper Aircraft Corporation's Semi­nole, a T-tail twin-engine aircraftsporting counter-rotating propeIlers,180-hp engines and semitaperedwings, is making its way into the lighttwin market as the machines arerolled out the doors of the company'sVera Beach, Fla. assembly plant.

The PILOT recently flew the num­ber four PA-44-180 that came off theassembly line, along with Dale Curry,a corporate pilot for Piper. Curry madeit plain that the Seminole was de­signed for the businessman-pilot andfor multi-engine training operations.Items such as deicing boots will not beforthcoming for this airplane, sincethe company has a wide variety oftwins to meet the requirements thatcall for such equipment.

The IFR-equipped Seminole flownby the PILOT, N36538, tipped the

scales at 2,533.9 pounds at its basicempty weight (including oil, operatingfluids and unusable fuel). It rang thecash register at $105,238; that in­cluded a fuIl complement of CollinsMicroline avionics with a Narco DME195 added to the stack, as well asan Altimatic IIIC autopilot.

The Seminole has two 55-gallonbladder tanks for fuel, one located inthe aft section of each engine naceIle.When the tanks were filled (one gal­lon unusable each side), 606 poundswere available for payload-three 170­pound persons and 96 pounds of bag­gage. That allotment was consumedprior to the PILOT flight check, whenthree persons, along with baggage,boarded the demonstration airplaneputting the craft at its maximum grossweight of 3,800 pounds.

Preflight inspection revealed some

distinctive items. The two fuel sumpdrains were located just aft of theright wing and slightly forward of thestep that protruded from the lower sec­tion of the fuselage. Piper supplied asmaIl glass container, equipped witha removable nozzle that was to be in­serted into each drain for collecting afuel sample in the bottle. Proper align­ment of the nozzle was required toprevent fuel from dripping on thechecker's hands. Compared to crawl­ing under wings and reaching beneathgreasy cowlings, this is a rather in­novative feature.

A fold-down fiberglass nose cone,while not intended as a regular pre­flight item, was lowered by the re­moval of four screws. The nose wasallowed to droop at the end of plastic­covered, steel cables mounted oneon each side of the inner fuselage. It

Above-left, the two-bladed propellers are counter-rotating and increase the airplane's flight performance;the lycoming engines boast a 2,OOO-hour TBO. Below, trim changes are minimized, as power and flap settings are

varied, because the T-tail is above the propeller slipstream and wing wash. Photos by the author.

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SEPTEMBER 1978 I THE AOPA PILOT 31

A fold·down fiberglass nose cone makes some of the Seminole's systems readily accessible.

An instrument panel that is standardized with Piper's single-engineCherokees should aid in multi-engine transition.

upholstering, including the velourseats.

Reaching back for the pilot's re­tractable shoulder harness, which washooked above the window well to therear of the left front seat, was nearlyan impossible task. The high, but com­fortable, headrest made it very difficultto reach the hook that held theharness in place when it was stowed.Front seat occupants will be well ad­vised to unhook the belts before set­tling into their seats.

The instrument panel was remark­ably uncluttered. Most controls andgauges were conveniently positionedbut there were some exceptions.

The tachometers were located onthe lower side of the panel to the rightof the pilot's yoke column and left ofthe throttle quadrant. During flightthey were partially obscured by theright handle of the yoke control; itwas a bit disconcerting and requiredsome repositioning in the seat to seethem clearly. The manifold pressuregauge, a single instrument with twoneedle indicators, was located to theright of the throttle quadrant on thelower section of the panel. It wasnecessary to lean to the right in orderto accurately interpret the instrument.The distance between those importantengine gauges required considerableeye movement and made simultaneousmonitoring inconvenient.

Considering that this airplane isaimed in part at the training market,it was surprising not to find a mikejack on the right side of the cabin.An instructor will have to pull a mikecord across the control column andkeep a sharp eye out to prevent itfrom becoming tangled in the throttleconsole.

A feature pointed out by Curry-thestatic system drain, located to the leftof the pilot's seat just· above the cabinfloor was operated by pressing twosmall buttons-allowing any trappedmoisture to exit onto a person's fin­gers.

The fuel system controls were con­veniently located on the floor betweenthe front seats and, according to therear-seat passenger, safe from acci­dental movement by his feet. Therewere two levers located side by side(one for each tank), which slid intothree positions-forward was on, cen­ter was off and aft was crossfeed.The system was simple but the lackof a detent or lock on the levers, oncethey were positioned, was unsettling;they depended on friction to remain iRplace.

An array of rocker switches-elec­trical and ignition-was recessed in aplastic waterfall panel. Although thearrangement was located close to thepilot's left knee, the design precludesany inadvertent activation.

for different flight configurations. Ac­cording to Curry, during testing it wasdiscovered that, with full flaps ex­tended, stall warning efficiency wasdegraded. So, a microswitch disen­gages one unit when the flaps arefully deployed and engages the secondunit, which is calibrated for that con­figuration.

The cabin door, located above theright wing, provided easy access to thecabin, including the rear seats. Thecockpit was comfortable and showedsigns of careful attention paid to the

PIPER SEMINOLE continued

provided easy access to the 45,000­BTU Janitrol heater, the 12-volt bat­tery, the nose-gear mechanism and thelanding light. The nose compartmentis not an additional place to storebaggage.

Initial check of the left wing's lead­ing edge raised eyebrows; it was notdouble vision, but two separate stall­warning units, mounted side by side.Although identical, they were set up

32 THE AOPA PILOT I SEPTEMBER 1978

Cowl flaps are located under the engine and barely affect airspeeds even when they are fully open.

Taxiing was effortless and visibilitywas very good from the' pilot's seat. Atwo-speed fan forced air throu,;h theventilation system; the cabin was com­fortable even in the 29°C. (85°P.)temperatures during ground operations.

After an uncomplicated runup, theaircraft was rolled onto Runway 27­a 3,300-foot blacktop strip (elev. 555feet) at Piper's Lock Haven facility­and a smooth application of powerquickly accelerated the Seminole to65 knots (75 mph) where rotation wasinitiated. Once a positive rate ofclimb was established, the hydrauliclanding gear was retracted (in about8 seconds) and the climb rate in­creased from 500 fpm to 1,100 fpm,while maintaining 88 knots (101mph )-best rate of climb for single­or multi-engine operation-at 2,700rpm and 25 inches manifold pressure.

Power was reduced to 2,500 rpmand 20 inches for flying the pattern,a combination that netted an indicatedairspeed of 100 knots (115 mph).Once the gear was extended and thefirst notch of the manually operatedflaps (10 degrees) was dropped,speed settled down to 90 knots (104mph). The flaps were lowered by

raIsmg a handle that was located be­tween the seats. They operated effort­lessly.

We reduced manifold pressure to 15inches and added the second notchof flaps (25 degrees) on base leg; theSeminole maintained a 400-fpm rateof descent at 90 knots (104 mph).On final approach, the third notch offlaps (40 degrees) was lowered andpower reduced to 12 inches, bringingairspeed down to 80 knots (92 mph).The aircraft consumed less than 1,500feet of runway on normal approacheswith limited use of the brakes.

Short-field departures were impres­sive, even with a roIling takeoff. Withtwo notches of flap and back pressureheld on the yoke, the Seminole wasrotated at 65 knots (75 mph). Oncethe gear was retracted, the craftquickly accelerated to 82 knots (94mph)-best angle of climb for single­and multi-engine operations. The air­plane was more than 200 feet abovethe ground as it reached the departureend of the runway.

Short-field landings were equallyadmirable. With the final approachat 70 knots (81 mph), full flaps andimmediate use of the brakes, touch-

down to stop consumed less than 600feet. Although the brakes were a bitspongy, they were effective.

Especially evident during the seriesof landings and takeoffs were thesmall trim adjustments that were re­quired to reduce control pressures.

Stalls were found to be straightfor­ward, even when recovery was delayedand the airplane held in the stall re­gime. No heart-stopping moments wereencountered while the elevator washeld full aft, power back to 15 inches,gear down and full flaps extended. Anoticeable buffet at 57 knots (66 mph)preceded the stall, a gentle pitchdownat 53 knots (61 mph). Holding backpressure, the ailerons required briskmovements with progressively more de­flection as the Seminole wallowed inthe stall, until roll was beyond the cor­rective reach of the controls. Generally,the aircraft tended to fall off on theright wing with a positive pitchdown.Recovery was surprisingly simple andeffortless, compared to the energy spentplaying with the ailerons.

Maintaining the dirty configuration,but adding full power, there was aslight buffet at 59 knots (68 mph) thatwas followed by a stall at 55 knots

SEPTEMBER 1978 I THE AOPA PILOT 33

Piper Seminole PA-44-180Basic price $73,900

Specifications Performance

Engine noise did not interfere withcockpit conversation between the frontseat occupants. It did demand attentionand slightly raised voices. The rear-seatpassenger, however, complained thathe could not hear conversation unlessit was directed specifically to him, asituation aggravated by the overheadventilation system.

The ventilation system, fed by ramair entering a screen-covered openingon the leading edge of the empennage,was activated by a push/pull knob lo­cated overhead between the front andrear seats. When activated, there was adefinite and continuous "whoosh" fromthe vents directly over the rear seats.It was clearly audible from the frontseats. The vents directed toward theforward cabin occupants produced nointerference. Aside from the noisy rearvents, the system did an excellent jobof providing a comfortable flow of air,which was easily directed with the ad­justable vents.

Cruise speeds were determined at3,500 feet, an altitude dictated by mar­ginal weather. \Vith an outside air tem­perature of 190 C. (660 F.), the Semi­nole indicated 150 knots (173 mph) at2,400 rpm and 25 inches for a true

airspeed of 161 knots (185 mph) at75% power; maintaining 2,400 rpm,but reducing manifold pressure to 22.5inches netted an IAS of 138 knots(159 ]~ph) for a TAS of 148 knots(170 mph) at 65 % power; and droppingmanifold pressure back to 20.5 inchesbrough t the airspeed down to 128 knots(147 mph) that computed to 138 knots(159 mph) true at 55% power.

Piper specifications indicate that a75% power cruise should result in afuel consumption of 21 gallons an hourwith a range of 712 nautical miles(818 statute miles) including 45-minutefuel reserve, as well as allowance fortaxi and climb. A 55% power settingcalls for a fuel consumption of 15.6gallons an hour and a range of 834nautical miles (959 statute miles) withreserve.

Frankly, when all was said and done,Piper's Seminole proved to be no morecomplicated to become familiar withthan most sophisticated single-enginecraft. Its performance was respectableduring ground handling, as well asflight operations. The simplicity of theairplane was refreshing and most pilotswill probably agree that it meets themission that Piper intended to fill. 0

PIPER SEMINOLE continued

(63 mph). When the elevator was heldback, the wings began to oscillate butwell within limits of the ailerons. How­ever, the airplane developed a 2,000­fpm rate of descent. Once again re­covery was uncomplicated and rapid­within 200 feet in this instance. (Theflight manual advises that an excessivesink rate may occur after a power-onstall.)

Stalls in the Seminole were well de­fined but easily manageable. It shouldbe a good airplane for pilots transition­ing to multi-engine machines and it didnot appear to hide any gremlins in theregime beyond immediate recovery.

Once established in level cruise at3,500 feet, the cowl flaps were closedby pulling upward on two knobs lo­cated on the lower section of thethrottle pedestal. There was a slightlynoticeable bump as each of the rearfacing ducts under the engine nacelleswas closed. Indicated airspeed in­creased a total of two knots. However,the last inch or so of travel required tomove each knob into a slight detentdemanded an excessive amount ofmuscle.

Power for the right engine was ad­justed for zero thrust and the leftengine was set for full power duringa demonstration of minimum controlspeed (VMC). Full opposite rudder wasnecessary to keep the ball in the center,without using rudder trim. As the air­craft was slowed, the heading began toslip away at an indicated airspeed of60 knots (69 mph).

After the right engine was feathered,the Seminole handled well even during25-degree banks. It was able to climbslightly from 3,500 feet until jt settleddown at 3,800 feet. Period. Perform­ance specifications called for a single­engine service ceiling of 3,200 feet andan absolute ceiling of 4,500 feet. TheSeminole met those specifications con­sidering that the density altitude wasslightly below 5,000 feet and the air­plane was operating near its maximumgross weight. Reestablishing a normalcruise with both engines was routine.

34 THE AOPA PILOT I SEPTEMBER 1978

Engines

Propellers

WingspanLengthHeightWingareaWing loadingPassengers and crewCabin lengthCabin widthCabin heightEmptyweightUseful loadPayload with full

fuelGross weightPower loadingFuel capacity

(standard)Oil capacityBaggage capacity

2 Lycoming0-360­ElAD

180 hp @2,700 rpm

2 Hartzellconstant-speed 76-in dia

38ft7in27 ft 7 in8 ft 6 in

180 sq ft21lb/sq ft48 ft 1 in3 ft 6 in4 ft 1 in

2,406 Ibl,3941b

7461b3,800 Ib10_55Ib/hp

110 gal (108 usable)8 qt200 Ib (24 cu ft)

Takeoff distance(ground roll)

Takeoffover 50 ftRate of climbSingle-engine rate

of climbMaximumlevel speedNormalcruise speed

(75% power, 7,000 ft)Range at normal cruise

(with 45-min reserve)Service ceilingSingle-engine service

ceilingStall speed (clean)Stall speed (gear and

flaps down)Landing distance

(ground roll)Landing over 50 ft

1,185 ft1,550 ft1,220 fpm

217 fpm192 mph (167 kt)

189 mph (164 kt)

819 sm (712 nm)16,000 ft

3,200 ft72 mph (63 kt)

68 mph (59 kt)

830 ft1,700 ft