Air-to-Air Piper Apaches

Lowflynjack

Lowflynjack

Final Approach
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Oct 28, 2014
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Jack Fleetwood
Got to spend a little time at the Mid America Flight Museum yesterday! These guys can fly!

In this shot, you can see two Apaches, two Apache shadows, a MD500 shadow, and a rainbow!!
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Wow, there's something you don't see everyday! Nice photos!
 
That museum has a great selection of classic aircraft, and they fly them often. They have some great warbirds too and are always ready to fly them to any local fly in if they possibly can.

That blue Apache has a great YouTube video somewhere.
 
Beautiful photos, as always.

It’s interesting to compare the two planes. Besides the obvious difference of floats, it looks like the have different wings, vertical stabilizers, cowls, and exhaust pipes. I don’t know anything about Apaches - are these from completely different years?
 
NoHeat said:
Beautiful photos, as always.

It’s interesting to compare the two planes. Besides the obvious difference of floats, it looks like the have different wings, vertical stabilizers, cowls, and exhaust pipes. I don’t know anything about Apaches - are these from completely different years?
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I think the changes you see to tail are add-on parts because it’s on floats.
 
NoHeat said:
...It’s interesting to compare the two planes. Besides the obvious difference of floats, it looks like the have different wings, vertical stabilizers, cowls, and exhaust pipes. I don’t know anything about Apaches - are these from completely different years?
Click to expand...

Lowflynjack said:
I think the changes you see to tail are add-on parts because it’s on floats.
Click to expand...

Jack: You must be the only person on earth that can make an Apache look great!
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

The stock wing tips have been replaced with extended tips to increase wingspan - the rest of the wing is the same. The dorsal looks like its from the Geronimo parts bin. The engines/nacelles also look like they are the 180 hp Geronimo upgrade. All of which, along with the fin under the tail cone, would make sense for a float conversion.
 
GRG55 said:
Jack: You must be the only person on earth that can make an Apache look great!
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

The stock wing tips have been replaced with extended tips to increase wingspan - the rest of the wing is the same. The dorsal looks like its from the Geronimo parts bin. The engines/nacelles also look like they are the 180 hp Geronimo upgrade. All of which, along with the fin under the tail cone, would make sense for a float conversion.
Click to expand...
Thank you!

You're correct about the cowlings, but the engines are still the original O-320s! The pilot was struggling the whole time to stay up with us!!
 
arnoha said:
Come now, there's something charming about the rounded, mid-century look of the Apache. It's really a snapshot of the styling of the time.
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Oh, I certainly think they look good. But Jack makes them look great. ;)
I own and fly the later derivative of the Apache, and Piper was never quite able to remove all the bulbous attributes of the Apache physique. :)
 
Stunning. I love the look of Piper's Apache, Geronimo and Aztec.
 
Wow Jack
These are all great but #2 is amazing. That needs to go on your calendar and your photos for sale list.

gary
 
I think you should consider retiring now from taking pictures. I don't see how you can do any better than these.

It's best to go out on top! Amazing!
 
Holy COW Jack! Every single picture is AWESOME and I love the shot on the runway ... any of them would make great calendar photos ... they are SUPER SHARP! Have said it before and am always amazed, but I'll say it again," Am not sure HOW you're going to top this photo set!". :):p
 
I love the look of the round nose Apache's. One day when I was at my mechanic's he had one in the maintenance hangar. He told me to climb in and take a sniff. It was the smell of the 50's.
 
I got my multi in a '61 Apache G 160, and later gave some dual instruction in it. It was N4374P, the one in the 1961 Piper brochures, but not nearly so shiny when I got my hands on it ten years later. We called it the "Apathy", and I loved it. Our FBO also had a Turbo Aztec D. The Apache was underpowered but the handling was much lighter. The Aztec was a truck by comparison.

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I really like the way the Apache looks.. it has the quintessential twin GA look to it. I know the Beech 18 is revered by many.. but it looks "tool old" almost. The Apache looks "just right" in my book.. the first of the "modern era" of GA twins.. kind of like how the 707 just looks right

One day when Tantalum has Bezos money I'll have a nice shiny red and silver Aztec parked in my hangar.. next to an Aerostar and a bunch of other fun toys.
 
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