Tapered Wings?

AdamZ

AdamZ

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Adam Zucker
If the tapered wing was such an improvment to Piper Singles why did they not put it on their modern generation Senecas. I'm trying to picutre the Seminole and I can't recall its wing shape.
 
Personally, I'm not totally convinced they were a huge improvement. My experience with the tapered wing Pipers was in a couple of mid-80s Warriors. I found the roll forces to be the heaviest of any plane I've been in, and the planes did not roll quickly at all. The '73 Challenger I flew and a mid-60s Cherokee 140 I got to fly for a couple minutes, OTOH, had nice light roll forces and the roll rates (while not Grumman quick) were on par with the Skyhawks I've flown. One thing I liked about the Hershey Bar wing on the Challenger was that I could come over the numbers with just a touch of power, pull power, and the plane would land right where I wanted it. I could make steeper approaches with it if I wanted. The Warriors floated a bit more, it seemed to me. But I REALLY hated the roll forces on the Warriors. I don't know if that was a function of the tapered wing, or an anomoly of those two particular planes.
 
Good question. My guess would be it has more to do with structural and/or fuel capacity issues than aerodynamics. The taper-wing Saratogas carry 102 gallons, but Seneca's engines would likely take up a lot of that tank space.

The Seminole has a tapered wing.

-- Pilawt
 
I remember reading, probably either in AOPA Pilot or Flying many years ago, that Piper did try the taper wing on the Seneca but it hurt single engine performance.

Len
 
Joe Williams said:
Personally, I'm not totally convinced they were a huge improvement. My experience with the tapered wing Pipers was in a couple of mid-80s Warriors. I found the roll forces to be the heaviest of any plane I've been in, and the planes did not roll quickly at all. The '73 Challenger I flew and a mid-60s Cherokee 140 I got to fly for a couple minutes, OTOH, had nice light roll forces and the roll rates (while not Grumman quick) were on par with the Skyhawks I've flown. One thing I liked about the Hershey Bar wing on the Challenger was that I could come over the numbers with just a touch of power, pull power, and the plane would land right where I wanted it. I could make steeper approaches with it if I wanted. The Warriors floated a bit more, it seemed to me. But I REALLY hated the roll forces on the Warriors. I don't know if that was a function of the tapered wing, or an anomoly of those two particular planes.
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And that Hershey bar wing glides like a brick, too. :D But you are right, position the plane over the place you want to touch down and pull the power. You're on the ground NOW, with no float or bounce. Our club's Arrow is like that, too.
 
I'm guessing it has something to do with ease of production and cost. When I toured the facility in Aurora, OR that builds the RV's that was their mentality. Hershey bar wing is quick and easy to manufacture as well as more cost effective to have one wing type for all the different models of RV.
 
Pilawt said:
In the words of my old chief pilot from my CFI days, "It glides like a typewriter."

-- Pilawt
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The CFI who checked me out in it called it a "safe mode" glide, in that it glides like one. :D
 
Ghery said:
The CFI who checked me out in it called it a "safe mode" glide, in that it glides like one. :D
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I almost think I'd prefer that to our club Archer III with the taper wings. That thing is the glidemobile. Unless you comein really slow and almost behind the power curve.

For short fields, I'll take either Cessna (172 or 182) over the glidemobile.
 
thats not gliding, thats falling, with style! :)
 
Speaking of gliding....

Of all the moments of avaition I have visited, the 2 most shocking were....

Flying a Caravan with the engine feathered... This GIANT 172 glides FOREVER

Flying an Apache simulated engine out without the props feathered. There is no glide period.
 
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