Airplane Review: Piper Aztec 

They do have an amazing wing!

Props out of sync makes my eye twitch.... I look after a Seneca II and have done a little flying in it. Maybe a future review!

Your very welcome. I am aiming to try and give folks a good idea about what they're getting into

Glad you enjoyed it. It's a great plane to fly.

That blown turbo sounds like an interesting and expensive experience! Glad you liked the video.

I would really enjoy doing some flying in an Apache and the opportunity to restore one for someone. I feel like I keep getting close but I have not bee able to convince anyone yet that they need to let me rebuild an Apache for them!

Thanks

I am very glad you enjoyed the review. The Continental engines are not only more expensive to overhaul but have a shorter TBO. Component repairs are also very expensive on them and if you maintain them properly there is significantly more work to do on them.

That sounds like a fantastic machine. How are the turbos controlled? Manual waste gate or automatic system?

Manual waste gate. Old model Ray-Jay turbos.@@fastbackflying853

Just got my Apache with 180s, definitely interested in the turbo setup

I am really glad to hear you found it useful.

Well that sounds like it could be a book of a movie. I would like to hear more of those stories!

Fantastic. Glad it brought back some good memories for you.

@@fastbackflying853 he over time had a split tail bonanza , apache, 185 on floats and a grumman widgeon flew all of them.

Yes you do require a maintenance license. I hold an AME M1 license and that is the Canadian equivalent to the A&P IA in the U.S.A. I have unfortunately not had the opportunity to fly the Commander although I did look into them in some detail a number of years ago. There are a number of different versions of the Commander and my basic view would be that they are a very capable aircraft but compared to an Aztec they are larger and potentially more expensive to operate, especially if you have a version with a geared engine. I was certainly impressed with my research into the airplane and excited to get one.

@@fastbackflying853 Thanks for the response. In researching twins, it seems the ability of the plane to fly well and handle easily with one engine is prerequisite for a safe outcome in emergency situations. Pilot training and practice in these situations is also quite necessary. I really am enjoying your videos. Best wishes from Michigan.

I think you are not likely to see any less than 17 or 16 gallons an hour flying the aircraft around assuming it's normally aspirated. The price different in terms of purchase when compared to a Twin Comanche may mean that you can do a lot of flying before you see any savings with the Twin Comanche.

If nothing else the exhaust tubes sound super fantastic!

@@fastbackflying853 yes I agree they sounded awesome.

Thank you. Yes it was Bancroft. Always a great place to visit.

The Cessna 310 is another excellent aircraft to look at. It is a little faster than the Aztec and burns a bit less fuel doing it. Space and useful load is normally a bit less but the last 310 models like the R were very large with lots of space, speed and range. A twin comanche is a quick and fuel efficient twin but normally with a high purchase price and greatly reduce load carry capacity.

Thank you very much. I have not had the opportunity to fly the commander despite my best efforts. I was seriously considering purchasing one a number of years ago.

Yes there is extended fuel tanks for the aircraft. Right now no one seems to have the stc or ability to sell them however. I have a video talking a bit about the mods and history of the aircraft and some links in it for modifications. The link for the video is ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RTno4AVdmvs.html

It depends on your model of course as many are fuel injected by the carb heat controls are below the throttle quadrant

@@fastbackflying853 Thank you very much for your help, I thought my model might have been fuel injected, i got the payware version, so its very advanced, and there are no carb air temp gauges, im assuming its fuel injected =)

Your very welcome. If I remember correctly fuel injected was optional on early Aztec B model, which is my model and then became standard on the C model and later. I hope your enjoy flying it? Have you been exploring any interesting airports?

@@fastbackflying853 Yeah I love flying it. its so much fun, I live in Arizona usa, so I have been flying the Aztec to Sedona, Cottonwood, Tombstone, Payson, The Grand Canyon, several small airports on the Navajo reservation, into Phoenix, even northern Mexico. I mastered the DC3 and did some sim flying in Canada, I flew from Montreal to Mont Tremblant, and between Calgary and Banff, also Vancouver and Banff, and Montreal to Quebec city, as well as small airports throughout Quebec. Right now i'm flying the Aztec to Lutz Florida from Flagstaff, cross country with a few fuel stops along the way; I am currently crossing the southern Rockies over northern New Mexico, how high can the Aztec cruise? it is a nice plane, if i ever get my license I would like to own one someday. Flying is expensive, I have about 23 hours in a 172, but stopped because of the expense. Where have you flown your Aztec?

@@user-yc9qe2hn4z that's really cool and a great way to do some exploring. I have had mine out to the Bahamas and to Oshkosh a couple of times as well as New York City. The east coast of Canada and lots of trips into Quebec. This year's big trip was to Colorado but Covid put a stop to that. I have had mine to 17,000 ft and the POH says it will do 21,000ft. Single engine service ceiling is 8400ft at Gross so that's something to consider when flying over the mountains. Check out some of my short field runway videos! KPSG Albert Whitted is a cool airport in St Petersburg Florida. Farmers Cay in the Bahamas could also be fun for you to check out!

If you are traveling on your own the Aztec is a terrible aircraft in terms of economy. If you have five passengers and all their gear now it's really working for you. Like most old aircraft, if they have been abused and neglected for years then they are going to have lots of expenses headacks and reliability issues. Get on top of that and they can be a very reliable aircraft. This one has done many major trips without incident in some rather remote locations. The experimental world is fantastic with many great aircraft and fantastic equipment at more reasonable prices. Again one must be careful that things are done correctly and that the experimental category is not used as an excuse for poor or no maintenance! This is something I see regularly.

What do you get for a TAS at 10,000 and those power settings?

@@fastbackflying853 IAS 126knts - when I increase to 28" I get IAS 136knts (OAT 15.2). Also I cannot lean to peak - the CHTs get to hot. Typically I lean to a TIT 1500-1600 and watch CHTs to remain less than 400. on 2200/24" the fuel burn is 27.8gph and goes to 33.9 with 28" - same story: an 8% increase in IAS at a price of 22% more fuel. At 3.5h cruise you gain 15 minutes or 35nm so about $80 for the 15 minutes savings

Ouch! 😮$$$$$ 💰

Insurance companies are also stopping inexperienced pilots from being able to fly twins so even if you have the license and rating you may not get insurance if you have insufficient experience overall.