Why do Pipers have 1 door?

SixPapaCharlie said:
Damn man, that's me. I am totally in both categories and aware it is irrational.

I dislike Cessnas to a small extent. I feel like I am dangling from something. I learned in a 172 and @JCranford has been tremendously kind to me lately as my plane is in annual and he has been letting me safety pilot for him in his 182. I am a terrible passenger and in high wings, I am worse. I know its 100% mental but I get stressed out because I am hanging from the thing that is really flying. I know its dumb.

1 door? Same deal. totally mental but I feel like I am trapped in them. I get that it is totally nonsense but oh well, I sympathize w/ the folks you mentioned.
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I've never heard that dangling from something as the reason for low wing preference over high wing. I always figured it was just low wings look cooler like the things the airlines fly.
 
luvflyin said:
I always figured it was just low wings look cooler like the things the airlines fly.
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Low wings do look cooler, but not all high wings look uncool, for example the Cardinal always had a sharp look to it. Dangling thing aside though the strut also gives it that serious trainer look

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(with retractable gear ;))
 
kyleb said:
It is a structure and cost issue. Adding doors increases the parts count and the cost. Adding doors takes a huge chunk out of the side of an airplane, creating a more challenging structural situation. So you have to add structure and weight to compensate for the door opening.
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In case of Mooney M20, it's only the cost. Unlike e.g. PA-28, the loads are only carried by the frame, and the fuel lines are in the floor. They could've easily put left door in, from a structural perspective. Al Mooney just didn't think it was needed.

BTW, Beech B19 comes in 2 versions: with the left door and without. One PoA members out East has a 2-door version. I don't remember what the story was. Did they add the door, or were the extra door versions just an experiment. The single-door versions are prevalent.
 
King Air 350.......................one door
Falcon 50..........................one door
Boeing 737.........................one door
 
kgruber said:
King Air 350.......................one door
Falcon 50..........................one door
Boeing 737.........................one door
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Don't most 737s have 4 doors not counting the over wing exits?
 
GRG55 said:
LOL. The fire extinguisher would work fine in that situation.
Nice marketing touch for the ladies though!
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Aren't they the only ones who fly Cirrus'?

*ducks and runs for cover* :D
 
One door, one idiot

If they didn't have a door, how would they get in?
 
zaitcev said:
BTW, Beech B19 comes in 2 versions: with the left door and without. One PoA members out East has a 2-door version. I don't remember what the story was. Did they add the door, or were the extra door versions just an experiment. The single-door versions are prevalent.
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Left-side door was an option on all of the Musketeer line from about 1967 to 1972, when it became standard equipment.
 
Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer has two rows of seats: front row (pilot) door is on the right, rear door is on the left for the back seat passengers.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Not exactly. Most of the cabin class airplanes typically have a single rear air stair, but not all require a shoe-horn to get the pilot into the front seat like the Malibu or C340.
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I guess the need for a shoehorn depends on the size of the foot relative to the shoe in question.
 
kgruber said:
King Air 350.......................one door
Falcon 50..........................one door
Boeing 737.........................one door
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Wrong on the 737.

On the others, there is a big difference between an aircraft like a Piper that has a door outboard of the pax seat where you would have to climb over the pax or ask them to get out versus an aircraft with a center aisle like a King Air, Falcon or similar aircraft. It simply is a terrible comparison.
 
Fearless Tower said:
... not all require a shoe-horn to get the pilot into the front seat like the Malibu or C340.
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Oh, so "shoe-horn" is what midcap intended when he wrote:

I have one better. Ever looked at a PA-46? You load up from the rear left side.

Then the pilot needs to show horn in the pilot seat.:D
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I am truly relieved to learn this.

I was really worried about the requirement for a pilot to "show horn" in his seat. It just sounded so ... indecent.
 
Ravioli said:
I think the 1 door planes have the door on the passenger side so nobody leaves their children in the plane on the ramp. It happens too often in automobiles. Aerospace has designed it out.
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Damn that cracked me up. "Honey, I'm home from Tampa". "Where's your son?" "Oh Sh***"
 
For the same reason many Fords have a rod that folds up to prop the hood instead of hinge springs or gas cylinders to support it.... It is cheaper. Pipers are your basic Fords of the skies, cheap and get the job done.
 
DutchRoller said:
Wrong on the 737.
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The airlines only use one door. I guess you've never had to negotiate your way down the crowded aisle of an airliner, with your bags........all the while having to stay clear of the screaming, kicking, bloodied, passengers the airline is dragging out that same aisle and door.
 
My wife has a disability and I have to help her up into the plane. For this reason, I can't fly Pipers or anything else with a single door on the PAX side. Stupid design if you ask me.
 
kgruber said:
The airlines only use one door. I guess you've never had to negotiate your way down the crowded aisle of an airliner, with your bags........all the while having to stay clear of the screaming, kicking, bloodied, passengers the airline is dragging out that same aisle and door.
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I guess you haven't flown a lot if you've never boarded/deboarded through the rear door of a 737? Not that common in the US, but often is the SOP elsewhere.
 
Hey, I hear UAL opened up a new seating section that would work well for a POA trip.....it's called Fight Club!
 
MassPilot said:
My wife has a disability and I have to help her up into the plane. For this reason, I can't fly Pipers or anything else with a single door on the PAX side. Stupid design if you ask me.
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FWIW, the single door is one of the few things I disliked about the BE55 Baron.

The double doors on the Duchess were so much nicer.

Now I've got the Beech 18 and I don't have to shoehorn anything.
 
The Piper Tomahawk has two doors... And, there is no mention of the Grumman brand.... one BIG door...

I have been crawling in and out of Archers, Warriors and Cherokees for years.. you get use to it.
 
kgruber said:
The airlines only use one door. I guess you've never had to negotiate your way down the crowded aisle of an airliner, with your bags........all the while having to stay clear of the screaming, kicking, bloodied, passengers the airline is dragging out that same aisle and door.
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How many and which one(s) they decide to use at a particular time was not being discussed. What was being discussed is how many doors they have and your post stated or at least implied the 737 only has one. That is not the case.
 
I have no how this thread turned out to be United ...o well

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
kgruber said:
The airlines only use one door. I guess you've never had to negotiate your way down the crowded aisle of an airliner, with your bags........all the while having to stay clear of the screaming, kicking, bloodied, passengers the airline is dragging out that same aisle and door.
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Well played!
 
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