Six seater planes

[weilke]

What year did they make the name switch?

Ask 'Pilawt', he'll have the sales ad for that year to boot .

The oldest '6X' I can find on controller is from 2002. They didn't make them for a long time. The useful load really fell short compared with older Cherokee Six and Lance models.

 

[Checkout_my_Six]

What year did they make the name switch?

it must a been a rotary year.....

 

[jhflyboy]

I will face this problem some day also. I too have drooled over some of the Saratogas. But I thought they were all RGs? Is that not the case?

Good question! The instructor called it a Saratoga when he checked me out on it but maybe it was a 6? Had club seating, manual flaps, and definitely fixed gear.

It's been a few years ago and I'm not as young as I used to be!

 

[drotto]

Good question! The instructor called it a Saratoga when he checked me out on it but maybe it was a 6? Had club seating, manual flaps, and definitely fixed gear.

It's been a few years ago and I'm not as young as I used to be!

As close as I can remember. The Lance and Cherokee 6 became the Saratoga SP and Saratoga in 1980 (along with the turbo variants). This is the year when the 6 line went to the tapered wing. These were made till 1985. In 1993 it became the Saratoga HP and TC models. These had a new cowling, general aerodynamic clean up, and were much cushier, and fatter. At that point only the retract models were being made. In 2002 the 6 and 6x were introduced as cheaper, simpler planes than the retract versions. Not only did the gear not go up, but the avionics was a standard six pack, sound proofing was less, and the back most windows were removed. All a means to save costs. The line was never that popular and was discontinued in either 2006 or 2007.

 

[weilke]

Good question! The instructor called it a Saratoga when he checked me out on it but maybe it was a 6? Had club seating, manual flaps, and definitely fixed gear.

Did it have straight ('hershey bar') or Saratoga style tapered wings ?

I believe the fixed wing Saratoga was available from 80-85 and then in the form of the 6X from 2002 to 2006.

 

[mtuomi]

Did it have straight ('hershey bar') or Saratoga style tapered wings ?

I believe the fixed wing Saratoga was available from 80-85 and then in the form of the 6X from 2002 to 2006.

This fixed wing myth seems to live on...

No but yes, PA-32-301 (the 1 means the new wing so always a Saratoga, not a Lance) was indeed available alongside PA-32R-301 and PA-32R-301T. I don't think they had a fixed gear(sic) turbocharged model though.