Piper PA-44 Seminole

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Piper PA-44-180 Seminole

The Piper PA-44 Seminole is essentially a twin-engine version of the popular Piper Cherokee series of small, single-engine flight training aircraft. Like its single-engine counterparts, it is primarily used for twin-engine flight training. It is equipped with two 180-hp Lycoming engines, and it is often complained that the aircraft is greatly under-powered, especially for engine-out training (leading to the affectionate and awkwardly-rhyming moniker "No-Go Seminole" to some). The airplane makes an effective multi-engine trainer, as the propellers are "counter-rotating", making the airplane safer in the event an engine needs to be shut down or fails. Versions of the Seminole featured turbocharged 180-hp Lycoming engines.

Other than having two engines, it is further distinguished from the rest of the Cherokee trainer line in having a high T-tail. This design is highly similar to the Beechcraft Duchess.

Specifications (PA-44-180 Seminole)

General characteristics

Crew: one pilot
Capacity: 3 passengers
Length: 27 ft 7 in (8.41 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 8 in (11.77 m)
Height: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Wing area: 184 ft² (17.1 m²)
Empty: 2,360 lb (1,070 kg)
Loaded: lb ( kg)
Maximum takeoff: 3,800 lb (1,723 kg)
Powerplant: 2x Lycoming O-360-A1H6, air cooled, direct-drive, horizontally opposed 4 cylinder engines, rated at 180 hp (135 kW) at Sea Level.
Propellers: Two, 2-bladed, constant speed, fully feathering Hartzell HC-C2Y(K,R)-2 CLEUF with pitch controlled by oil/nitrogen pressure.
Fuel: 2 main nacelle tanks each of 55 U.S. gallon capacity each (110 U.S. Gal. total), 2 U.S. gallons unusable.

Performance

Maximum speed: 194 mph (311 km/h)
Range: 1,000 miles (1,630 km)
Service ceiling: 17,100 ft (5,213 m)
Rate of climb: 1,200 ft/min (366 m/min)
Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
Power/Mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)

Piper PA-44 Seminole

Specifications (PA-44-180 Seminole)

General characteristics

Performance

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