![]() Of course, as the gods of economics would deviously demand, fewer of the later models were produced as steeply rising interest rates and a soft economy helped send new aircraft sales to the basement in the early 1980s. Aircraft with these field ADs may exhibit divergent flight characteristics from the standard Tomahawk because of what are considered vague installation instructions from Piper, according to several A&Ps we spoke to. These later models are preferable, as the installation of AD kits in the field was accomplished with varying degrees of accuracy. In 19, the Tomahawk and Tomahawk II were made with many of the ADs taken care of at the factory. Aftermarket kits for the rear wing spar, vertical fin attach plate, and rudder hinge were developed to address several airworthiness directives (ADs) that were issued soon after these models hit the ramp. Just fewer than 2,500 Tomahawks were produced in model years 1978 to 1980, with the most units produced from 1978 to 1979. Those with the training have flown the Tomahawk for thousands of hours without incident. The feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with one caveat: This airplane, though a trainer, still demands proper training of its pilots from a qualified instructor. "The student is well trained, and they can't get away with some of the things they can in other trainers," says Jim Tafta of Richmond Flight Center in West Kingston, Rhode Island. Cockpit layout is geared for safety, with the fuel selector front and center on the console.įlight instructors we spoke to feel strongly that the Tomahawk does what Piper intended. The Tomahawk delivers what these special customers ordered: an airplane that provides honest response to pilot inputs, a comfortable cabin with great visibility, and big-airplane-style handling. When the original Piper Aircraft Corporation first conceived a new trainer in the mid-1970s, the company polled CFIs to determine what traits this airplane should have. And this is one time machine that almost anyone can afford - for less than the price of a convertible, a pilot can expand precious weekends by spending more time at a destination and less time getting there. But it looks more like a time machine than a run-of-the-mill trainer, with its double doors and bubble view. A lot of pilots met their first Tomahawk during primary training.
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