TWO YEARS AFTER starting work on the aircraft, New Piper Aircraft has unveiled its Seneca V cabin-class piston twin, its first new product since emerging from the bankruptcy of the former Piper Aircraft (Flight International, 8-14 January).
"We look at the Seneca V as a dual-purpose aircraft, with features that should appeal to the owner-flown market and the corporate flight-department as well," says New Piper president Chuck Suma.
The Seneca V sports a five-seat interior as standard, with the first installation in a piston twin of an entertainment/business console behind the co-pilot's seat. This can house an optional AM/FM/CD unit, video-entertainment system, AlliedSignal Flitefone and hook-ups for a lap-top computer and facsimile machine.
The customer also has the option of selecting a six-place interior which deletes the entertainment/ business centre, but adds a folding desk built into the starboard fuselage-side.
Inside the new composite cowlings with their tuned port inlets are turbocharged Teledyne Continental L/TSIO-360-RB engines which deliver 165kW (220hp) at altitudes up to 19,500ft (5,950m) and power the Seneca V to its maximum cruise speed of 200kt (365km/h) at 18,500ft.
Sporting aftercoolers to increase efficiency, the engines can lift the Seneca V to its service ceiling of 25,000ft with climb rates still well into four digits to 20,000ft.
The instrument panel includes turbine-style engine gauges and a digital engine-management information system. The avionics equipment is supplied by AlliedSignal. The equipment includes a Bendix/King KLN 90B instrument-flight-rules certificated global-positioning system.
The anti-icing option requires installation of two three-blade McCauley propellers in place of the standard two-blade units.
New Piperplans to build 36 Seneca Vs in 1997, with a base price of $472,900
Source: Flight International
