the PIPER's

1. the PIPER's

3. This Piper Pacer is characteristic of several of the Piper taildraggers. They all have short, fat wings with rounded tips. Vertical tails have a straight, angled leading edge with an almost pointed, but rounded top, and a curved trailing edge.

5. How to tell a Tomahawk from a Skipper: The Piper has a long skinny wing where the Beech wing is shorter and fatter. The Pipers rear window wraps all the way around where the Beech just has a triangle on each side. Piper Tomahawk The Piper has a section of vertical tail above the horizontal tail. The Beech horizontal tail is at the very top of the vertical stabilizer. Beech Skipper

7. The fixed gear Cherokee’s main wheels are always outside the gear struts. The Comanche wheels line up with the gear strut. All Cherokee’s have a center divider in the windshield, as do most Comanche’s Unless modified, Comanche’s have yolk style air opening in the cowling. All comanche’s have a for sale sign on their propellers, but they’re hard to read while flying.

9. Except for inboard cuff, most of the Comanche wing tapers, where Arrow’s either have constant chord wing or only the outboard half of the wing tapers. Arrow gear legs are longer, especially the nose wheel, and Arrows nosewheel doors are twice as long Comanche Unmodified Comanche’s have yolk style cowling with air inlet scoop below the spinner. Arrow’s have individual air inlets either side of spinner and no intake scoop below spinner. Arrow

11. Lance came with or without the T-tail. Lance’s always have 4 side windows. With a constant chord “Fat” wing, it’s a lance. If outboard half of wing tapers, it’s a Saratoga. Fixed gear and fat wing is a Cherokee 6. Fixed gear and tapered wing is a Saratoga. Chin scoop, like this lance indicates it is turbocharged. Also, the Turbo versions have no air inlets either side of spinner. Lance Arrows come with or without the T-Tail. Chin scoop with a light, like this one, means it is Turbocharged, or a Turbo Arrow. Arrow

13. Apache’s have fat wing with rounded tips and a rounded tail. If tail and wingtips are squared, it’s either a Gerinomo (modified apache) or an Aztec. Apache cowling looks like it’s smiling due to lower air scoops. Piper Apache Twin Comanche Twin Comanche is smaller than an AZTEC, with only two side windows and a pointed nose. Aztec has three side windows, longer gear legs and a longer nose.

14. Malibu has 4 divided side windows and a long, skinny wing. TBM has total of 5 divided side windows and the pilot’s side window has a pronounced droop toward the front. Malibu’s pilot window is just a larger rectangle. Malibu TBM-700 Once you see the pilots window, you can’t mistake one for the other. Since the TBM is a turbo-prop, it has exhaust stacks sticking out both sides of cowling. Piper Meridian is identical to Malibu except a turboprop with side exhausts.

16. Notice the Aztec’s fat pointed nose and wide vertical tail. Also, all Aztec’s have Pipers fat, constant chord wing where Twin Comanche wing tapers. Navajo’s have lots of rectangular windows Aztec Twin cessna’s, cabin class twins all have oval side windows. Nacelle of Navajo’s all extend over a foot behind the wing. Twin Cessna’s with extended nacelle’s will also have tip tanks. Navajo

18. Seminole has a tapered wing and a T-tail, where Seneca will always have a constant chord wing and regular tail. Seneca has 4 side windows compared to Seminole’s three and a constant chord wing. Outboard half of Seminole wing tapers Seminole Seneca

20. Let’s Compare Biggest difference: Baron’s main wheels are on inside of gear strut where Comanche’s main wheels line up with the strut. If it looks like a Baron, gear wise, but with a divided windshield, it’s probably a Travel-Air. Travel Air’s also have a straight tail. Baron Baron has either three or four side windows, and a one piece windshield with no divider. Only modifiedTwin Comanche’s have the one piece windshield. Twin Comanche