The PA-32 is used around the world for private transportation, air taxi services, bush support, and
medevac flights.
Development
The PA-32 series was developed to meet a requirement for a larger aircraft than the four-seat
Piper PA-28 Cherokee.[3] The first prototype PA-32 made its initial flight on December 6, 1963, with the type being publicly announced in October 1964, with
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
type certification following on March 4, 1965.[4] The first production aircraft was the 260 horsepower (190 kW) PA32-260 Cherokee Six, a significantly modified six-seat (or seven-seat) development of the
PA-28 Cherokee.[1][2]
The Cherokee Six and its successors feature a baggage compartment in the nose between the cockpit and the engine compartment and a large double door in the back for easy loading of passengers and cargo.[1][2]
PA-32-300
On 27 May 1966, Piper obtained
FAA type certification for a 300 hp (220 kW) version, designated as the PA-32-300.[5] It was offered by the company as a 1967 model.[citation needed]
The 1975 addition of retractable landing gear resulted in the first of the PA-32R series, the
Piper Lance. This was the earliest aircraft in the
Piper Saratoga family, Piper's luxury, high-performance single line.[1][2]
Piper's transition to tapered wings for the Cherokee series resulted in a new wing for the PA-32 series, as well. The tapered-wing version of the Cherokee Six was named the Saratoga and debuted in 1980.
Piper 6X
After the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, production of the retractable-gear Saratoga resumed in 1995. A fixed-gear PA32 was reintroduced in 2003 as the Piper 6X and the turbocharged 6XT. Sales of the 6X and 6XT models did not meet expectations and production ceased in late 2007.
PA-34 prototype
Piper built a prototype PA32-260 with
IO-360 engines mounted on the wings. The trimotor aircraft was the proof-of-concept aircraft for the twin-engined, retractable-gear version of the Cherokee Six, the
PA-34 Seneca.[6]