![]() Unlike the Skyhawk, and with only one or two exceptions, the Warrior has been in production throughout, even if the number of airframes manufactured in its last several model years could be counted on one hand. This past spring it even introduced the new $259,000 Pilot 100 model aimed at smaller flight schools. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Piper, too, fell on hard times and was forced into bankruptcy, finally emerging several years (and a few abortive buyout attempts) later as The New Piper, although “new” was dropped from the company’s name. The AA-5 went the way of the dodo in the late 1970s, and attempts to resurrect it (in the form of the Tiger) failed. Avidyne’s Entegra was offered for several years and included Garmin GNS430s. It, and the AGAC AA-5 Traveler/Cheetah, are good, solid airplanes that can be had for budget dollars. They must excel as rental airplanes-thus be designed to be flown by any pilot, and withstand the consequent beating, while providing a reasonable income to the FBO.Īgainst the Cessna Skyhawk, the Piper PA-28-151 or -161 Warrior came a respectable second in the race. The market demands that they be reliable, inexpensive to operate and relatively easy to fly. They often serve as a pilot’s first “real” airplane after primary training. As a Warrior proves, the tradeoff is they won’t haul a lot of people or cargo, nor will they do it quickly, but they offer economical travel. That four-seat, 150-HP niche proved to be the beginning rung of a market ladder where airplanes can excel as trainers, but can also be practical traveling tools. Some manufacturers gave up after limited success, while Cessna and Piper went on to fight it out for decades, as Beech and Grumman-American tried to make inroads. For a history lesson on the eventual success of Piper’s Warrior, look back to the alluring post-World War II boom, where major airplane manufacturers, to include Aeronca, Luscombe, ERCO, Piper and Cessna, among others, all eventually came to the conclusion that the future for mass-marketing airplanes was wrapped up in something that had four seats and on the order of 150 HP.
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