The Piper J3 Cub is one of the most widely produced aircraft of all time. It evolved from a design of C.G. Taylor but refined by W. Jamouneau (hence the J in the designation), who worked for businessman William Piper. The intention was to build a simple, cheap and reliable aircraft suitable for private owners. It succeeded in spadefuls. Including military L-4s, more than 20,000 were built. It is a two seater, the passenger sitting behind the pilot. Construction is very simple - a steel tube frame with canvas covering. Most Cubs were powered by a 65hp Continental A65 engine. Its very slow stalling speed makes it suitable for operation into short, awkward airstrips. The original J2 Cub first flew in 1935.

Range is 240 miles at a typical cruising speed of 80mph. Maximum takeoff weight is 1,100lb. Wing span, 35 feet 3 inches; length, 22 feet 3 inches.

The top picture was taken at Kemble in July 2005. The lower picture shows a Cub in US military markings visiting Top Farm, also in July 2005. Note the different shapes of the rear cabin windows and the fully cowled engine in the lower picture.

The Piper J4 Cub Coupe was effectively just a normal Cub but with side by side seating. This resulted in a wider fuselage and slightly slower cruising speed. Around 1,250 of them were built.

This one was at Cranfield in July 1988.

The Piper PA12 Super Cruiser was a further development of the Cub, with seating for three and a more powerful 100hp Lycoming engine. Cruising speed was increased to 100mph and range to 340 miles. Maximum take-off weight became 1,750 lb. The wing span, at 33 feet 6 inches, is only slightly longer than the J3. 3,750 Super Cruisers were built after the end of the second world war.

This one was at Cranfield in July 1983.

The Piper PA16 Clipper was a short wing (29 feet 4 inches) four seat version of the Vagabond (see below). To lift the extra weight it was fitted with a 108hp Lycoming O-235 engine, which gave it a cruising speed of 110mph and range of over 500 miles. It first flew in 1949. Relatively few were made before they were superseded by the PA20 Pacer (below).

This one was at Cranfield in July 1983.

The Piper PA17 Vagabond was a tough little two seater aircraft which was produced in fairly limited quantities from 1948. It is powered by a 65hp Lycoming (PA15) or Continental (PA17) engine. The other significant differences between the PA15 and 17 are that the PA17 has dual controls and a refined undercarriage. Wing span is 29 feet 3 inches; length, 18 feet 8 inches; cruising speed 90mph; range 250 miles.

This one was also at Cranfield in July 1983.

The Piper PA18 Super Cub is the refined version of the long winged (35 foot 3 inch span) Cub, which first flew in 1949 and remained in production until 1995, by which time about 7,850 had been built. Like the J-3 being a two seater, it can be powered by various engines ranging from 90 to 150 horsepower. This enable sit to cruise at 115mph for a range of 460 miles. It is hard to imagine a more delightful little machine for pottering about in.

This one was at Old Sarum in Spring 2006.

The Piper PA20 Pacer was a refined development of the PA16 Clipper. First flown in 1949, it is powered by a 125hp Lycoming O-290 engine. Main external differences from the Clipper are that the Pacer has flaps and angled rather than rounded glazing on the rear cabin window. Dimensions and speeds are very similar to the Clipper. Around 1,120 were built.

This one was pictured at Top Farm in Spring 2005.

The Piper PA22 Tri-Pacer is basically the same as the Pacer but with a nosewheel undercarriage. It was first flown in 1950. Engines ranged from 108 to 160hp in the various versions. Normal seating is for four, but the simplified PA22-108 Colt was a two seater. Maximum weight is a bit more than the Pacer (2,000lb) and the cruising speed a bit more (130mph). About 9,500 of all versions were built before production ceased in 1964.

This one was visiting Top Farm in Summer 2005.

The Piper PA24 Comanche first flew in May 1956. It was designed (with initial advice from Al Mooney) as a competitor to the Beech Bonanza as a luxury high performance four seat touring aircraft. Engines ranged from 180 to 260hp (though one variant, the PA26, had a whacking 400hp engine which gave it a cruising speed of over 200mph, enabling the pilot to get to the frequent refuelling stops faster. The -400 has a three bladed propellor and a bigger tail). Around 4,700 were built, plus 150 -400s.

Top: Comanche 260 was visiting Top Farm in Spring 2005. Bottom: Gamston, November 2007.

The Piper PA25 Pawnee is a dedicated agricultural aircraft. A single seater, everything about it is optimised for the task. Most of the 1,600lb payload is the massive chemical hopper. The wide (36 feet 2 inches), high dihedral wing is optimised for stability while spraying and good low speed handling to allow tight turns for striped passes over the fields. Typical spraying speed would be about 85mph. Various versions were built, with engines ranging from 150 to 260hp. It first flew in 1957; over 5,000 were built. With wide boom sprayers on high wheeled tractors now cheaply available, combined with the problem of drift of spray outside the specific area, far fewer aircraft are now used for crop spraying; but the Pawnee's characteristics are also ideally suited to glider towing, so many have found a new lease of life in a role for which they were never originally envisaged.

This one was at Shipdham in July 1976.

The PA28 Cherokee is Piper's most successful product, outselling even the ubiquitous Cub with over 30,000 having been sold since it first flew in January 1960. It is still in production at the time of writing (January 2006). It was designed by John Thorp, designer of the Thorp 211 and Fletcher FU-24. The original Cherokee 140 (top picture) had parallel chord wings of 30 feet span, and two cabin windows. The Cherokee 180 introduced the third cabin window. Versions introduced in the mid 1970s included the Warrior and Archer (bottom picture - the Archer in which David had a share for a short time before the group upgraded to an Arrow, with David and Georgina). These had a new wing spanning 35 feet, with a tapered outer section. A heavy utility version, the Dakota, had a 235hp engine (which some people consider rather overkill for the airframe). All are four seaters, except for a small number of the Cherokee 140s which were built in Piper Cadet form as two seat trainers. The Cherokee series is simple and pleasant to fly, not very exciting but very safe and reliable - hence its enduring appeal. Typical performance figures (for the Archer) - gross weight 2,550lb; Top speed 140mph; Range 570 miles.

The top picture was taken at Kemble in July 2005. The lower picture was taken by Dennis Gibney at Top Farm in 2003.

The Piper PA28R Cherokee Arrow is basically just a Cherokee 180 with retractable undercarriage and a new wing of markedly thicker section for it to retract into. Take-off performance was sometimes `interesting', so later versions were upgraded to 200hp engines. The wing later acquired the same `stretch and taper' treatment as the parent Cherokee, but retaining the Arrow's section. Also forst flying in 1960, the Arrow grosses 2,500lb, has a top spped of 165mph, cruising speed of 135mph and range of 950 miles, Over 5,500 have been built so far. The type is still in production (as at January 2006).

The example illustrated is the one David flew for a while as part of the syndicate at Top Farm, where it was pictured in 2004. I can attest to its being an extremely good touring aircraft.

The Piper PA28RT Arrow IV first flew in 1979, and illustrates the fad for the time of putting T-tails on many models of light aircraft. (Piper, Grumman and Robin were particularly prone to this disease, and even Beech succumbed for a few models). Powered by a 200hp Continental TSIO-360 engine, it is slightly bigger than the Arrow III, being 27 feet 3 inches long with wing span of 35 feet 5 inches. Gross weight is higher at 2,900lb, but much of this is the strengthened tail structure. It is faster: top speed is 195mph. Only 500 were built before the type was discontinued in favour of the Arrow III, which retained the low set tail.

This one was at Kemble in July 2005.

The Piper PA32 Cherokee Six is basically just a Cherokee with the fuselage stretched to accommodate six people, and equipped with a larger (six cylinder) 260hp Lycoming O-540 engine. The engine was quickly upgraded to a 300hp IO-540, which gives it pretty good performance. (It feels like flying a souped-up Arrow). It first flew in December 1963. Amazingly, it took until 1977 to produce a retractable undercarriage version, called the Lance. At about the same time the increased span (36 feet 2 inches versus 32 feet 10) and tapered outer section wing was introduced, as on the PA28, and a new, refined version produced called the Saratoga. Length of all models is 27 feet. Gross weigth is 3,600lb and payload 1,500lb. The Lance cruises at 150mph and has a range of 950 miles. Over 7,800 have been built to date, of which about 3,400 have retractable undercarriage; it remains in production.

This Saratoga was visiting Top Farm in July 2007..

The Piper PA36 Pawnee Brave looks superficially like the PA25, but is largely a new airframe incorporating the results of an extensive survey of PA25 operators. It is bigger: 27 feet 6 inches long and with 38 feet 10 inch wing span. It is heavier: gross weight is 4,800lb, with 2,240lb of payload. (That's almost as much as the total weight of a fully loaded Cherokee). Hauling all this aloft is an engine ranging from 285 to 400hp. It first flew in November 1969. About 925 were built.

This one was at Kidlington in July 1978.

The Piper PA38 Tomahawk was the company's 1977 new entrant to the light trainer market, until then dominated by the Cessna 150 / 152. Powered by a 112hp Lycoming O-235 engine, its most obvious feature is the `bubble' canopy which (I can attest, having done my initial flying training in one) gives excellent visibility. It is very forgiving (perhaps too much so for a trainer), and straightforward. It is 23'1" long, wing span is 34', gross weight 1,670lb, top speed 120mph, and range is a useful 500 miles (the real benefit of this is the ability to fly several successive training flights without having to stop to refuel). Around 2,500 were built before production was halted by the catastrophic recession in the US light aircraft industry in the early 1980s.

This one was at Kidlington in July 1978.

When Piper introduced the PA46 Malibu in 1979, it was an entirely new category of aircraft, being a cabin class pressurised single engined aircraft. Powered by either a 310hp Continental TSIO-520 of 350hp Lycoming TIO-540 engine, it has a cruising speed of 215mph, top speed of 260mph and range of 1,700 miles. It normally seats five (the pilot plus four in the cabin). It is 28 feet 5 inches long with a wing span of 43 feet. Gross weight is 4,100lb for the 310 and 4,300lb for the 350. Over 1,00 have been built up to January 2006: the type is still in production.

This one was at Haverfordwest in September 2007.

The Piper PA46 Malibu Meridian was introduced in August 1998 as a turboprop version of the Malibu (the piston version being renamed the Mirage). Power is given by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop of 500shp, which increases cruising speed to 290mph, seating to 6, and length to 29 feet 7 inches, but its higher fuel consumption reduces range to a (still very useful) 1,100 miles. Over 210 had been built by January 2006; it is still in production.

This one was photographed by Ivy at Kidlington in 2004.