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I came across a Piper Tomahawk on bidbuyandfly.com for R110 000. (That
is about $16 000 to our American friends). ) time on engine and prop. I
have done some searches on the internet to find out if this would be a
good buy, and have read some rumors and some good feedbacks on this
plane.I have 72 hours on my log, so I'm still kind of a newbie. Most of these
(42) on a 152. I have no knowledge whatsoever about the Tomahawk. Can
someone please advise? Is this a good buy? Has anyone on here flown the
Tomahawk?
-- Chris du Toit, September 13, 2010
You haven't said what year the airplane is or how many hours total time. Nor have you said how long it has been since the engine was overhauled (if more than 12 calendar years, you need a new engine (about $25,000)). The Vref price for a 1978 Tomahawk with 6400 hours and a mid-time engine is $14,000. Our flight school has three Tomahawks and they're reasonably good trainers for students and instructors who weigh less than 170 lbs.
-- Philip Greenspun, September 13, 2010
John: Regarding your question (below) about the Tomahawk's stall characteristics and safety record... I don't think that the airplane is as forgiving as a Cessna 152, but it is still a slow and easy-to-fly airplane. I hadn't looked at the referenced Web site, but if the airplane is not in fly-away-and-enjoy-for-five-years condition, it certainly isn't worth $16,000 according to Vref (which is based on actual selling prices reported by dealers, not the fanciful asking prices you might see on Web sites).
-- Philip Greenspun, September 22, 2010
Note that that is the start price for an upcoming auction. We have no idea what it will sell for. More importantly, it is offered as a "Complete aircraft rebuild project." You probably do not want something like that. Philip, don't the Tomahawks have bad stall characteristics due to a flexing wing that resulted when Piper changed their construction design _after_ receiving type certification?
-- John Pardillo, September 21, 2010
Thank you for the responses guys
-- Chris du Toit, October 5, 2010