Ramp appeal: Piper Seminole

The secret to the Seminole’s success is its counterrotating propellers. Since left and right propellers spin in opposite directions, the adverse aerodynamic effects of a failed engine are reduced because there’s no “critical engine.” In a typical propeller-driven twin, a failure of the critical left engine creates a strong yawing moment that can be difficult for pilots to counteract.

An engine failure in a Seminole is equally controllable regardless of whether the left or right engine has to be shut down. There’s plenty for the pilot to do to keep the airplane flying, starting with a forceful and sustained leg press on the side of the good engine, but one side isn’t any worse than the other.

In keeping with Piper tradition, the Seminole uses many parts and pieces from other models. The fuselage, T-tail, and wings are borrowed from the Arrow IV, and the Seminole’s tongue-in-cheek nickname is the “Twin Arrow.” Its 180-horsepower, four-cylinder Lycoming engines also are used on other Piper models, especially trainers, and the carbureted O-360s have a reputation for being able to stand up to the abuse of countless in-air starts and stops, and the rapid heating and cooling that come with them.

The Seminole was launched in 1979 and went through several production interruptions. Piper stopped making them in 1982, then resumed from 1989 until 1990. It cranked up production again in 1995, and they’ve been in continuous production ever since. Their instrument panels also have been upgraded, first with Garmin GNS 430 GPS/coms, and now G1000 NXi avionics suites.

Seminoles are designed to be stable, predictable, and forgiving in the air, and they’re solid instrument platforms—even when making single-engine approaches (which they do multiple times on every airline transport pilot and multiengine instructor checkride). As good as Seminoles are at the training mission, relatively few are purchased by individual owners as personal airplanes. Piper made a turbocharged version in the 1980s, but only 87 were ultimately manufactured and sold. Piper’s own Seneca, as well as competing twins from other manufacturers, proved faster, roomier, and more popular travelers.

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Spec Sheet

Piper PA–44 Seminole

SPECIFICATIONS
Powerplants: (2) Lycoming O-360, counterrotating
Seats: 4
Empty weight: 2,354 lb
Max takeoff: 3,800 lb
Fuel capacity: 110 gal (106 usable)

PERFORMANCE
Max speed: 168 KTAS
Cruise: 162 KTAS (75 percent power)
Stall: 55 KIAS (flaps, gear extended)
Service ceiling: 17,100 ft