The Piper Pacer is one of my favorite VFR (SIM) aircraft. I was "loitering" around a bit, today, with it - around Orbx's Stewart area...and thought, would share a few snapshots of its liveries...The Tri-Pacer variant (designation PA-22) was a 4-seater aircraft that goes a long way back to 1949 - built by Piper in the post-WWII period in the continued spirit of the famous Cub and Super Cub. Essentially, it was a modification of the earlier PA-20 Pacer, that was originally designed with a tail-wheel. To improve forward visibility, Piper introduced the PA-22 Tri-Pacer with a nose-wheel instead of the tail-wheel landing gear. At the time, the tricycle undercarriage became so popular a preference that the PA-22 Tri-Pacer, in 1950s, outsold the Pacer by a ratio of nearly six to one.

In the Pilot community, both Pacer and Tri-Pacer sub-group of Piper aircraft are referred to as "Short Wing Pipers". A total about 9500 PA-22s were built between 1950-1964 when production ended, and more than 3000 of them are still registered with FAA - showing the respect, admiration, and care these aircraft have garnered from their operators/owners. An interesting fact is that the last batch of PA-22s were built for the French Army in 1963. All Piper Tri-Pacers were powered by the legendary Lycoming Piston engines (manufactured in a factory in Williamsport, Pennsylvania) - and to think that Lycoming had originally started as a "sewing" and "bicycle" machine company and later (due to lack of profitability) had converted to aircraft engines...! The company has built more than 325,000 piston aircraft engines that powered more than half the world's general aviation fleet.

The Tri-Pacer has built a solid reputation of being an easy-to-fly (125-130 mph cruiser) airplane. Although, it is faster than a Cessna 150, it's said that (in RL) a few trips (on the Tri-Pacer) around the pattern and you’ll have it mastered - of course, it sounds easier said than done for a non-pilot like me....Moreover, if the air is even remotely smooth, the Tri-Pacer is said to be easily trimmed for hands-off flight while you watch the scenery go by (aka: it's ideal for VFR).

Anyway, here, below, please find a set of Piper Tri-Pacer (PA-22) images, in various colors, in flight, around CZST/Stewart (BC), plus 4 Piper Pacers (PA-20 variant, with tail-wheel) - these 4 (American Bush, Hell's Gangsters, Petersburg, and Army) are shown on the ground (as the 1st 2 and last 2 of the set of images). Thanks for viewing and hope you enjoy these pictures. [Orbx(Stewart),LHC(Pacer),REX]

Lovely set of pics! I am however confused by the wheels on the first Pacer - they look like cart wheels or some such..

Always loved the Tri-Pacer. There were several of them at the local airport (a Piper dealer) when I was a kid. A few Pacers also. And let's not forget the Apache!

John

Mark: I too had noticed the strange (pockmarked) wheels on that particular livery...btw, it seems to have been an add-on livery that I had collected several years ago...now cannot locate/determine where from....Initially thought it could be an artifact from my SIM, but I just checked the thumbnail (picture below), which also shows the same....need to check some more...

 

1 hour ago, John F said:

Always loved the Tri-Pacer. There were several of them at the local airport (a Piper dealer) when I was a kid. A few Pacers also. And let's not forget the Apache!

John

John: Thanks, Yes, Apache is surely another classic Piper...I do seem to have an earlier version of Carenado's Aztec, but no Apache (please see a picture of Carenado's Aztec below that may be of interest to you). I understand Aztec is the later/re-named design of the original Apache....Anyway, Apache/Aztec being twin-engined Pipers, should be fun to fly...

A strange one P_7878. I wonder if it meant to say GOODYEAR on the tyre but couldn't due to some kind of copyright?

Why change it to some weird characters or squiggles though..?