Piper Apache Aircraft
The Apache was Piper’s first entry into the twin engine 4 seat executive aircraft market. It was so successful that it spawned a wide family of executive planes and charter aircraft. Some of the descendants of the Apache are still produced today. The Apache was a landmark for Piper in that it featured a new type of construction. Previous Pipers were designed with tubes and fabric, but the Apache was all metal.
The roots of the apache go back to 1948 when Mr. Piper purchased the assets of the Stinson Division of Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation. A twin model of the Stinson has been in production and Piper drew on its design to create the twin engine executive airplane the Apache. The working prototype of the Apache was the Model 23-1 and featured the standard tube and fabric construction. It was equipped with 4 seats, low wings, fixed trike landing gear, a twin tail, and 2 Lycoming engines. In tests, the prototype exhibited problems with power and control response.
Taking what they’d learned the Piper company decided to totally rehaul the design of the plane. This time they constructed entirely out of metal and equipped it with a vertical fin, retractable gear, and they powered it with 150 hp Lycoming engines along with constant speed propellers. The re-imagined model was finished in 1953, dubbed the PA-23 Apache and was the first of a long line of Piper planes named after Indian tribes. The first Apache was delivered in 1954 and has a price tag of about 32,500. it was the least costly aircraft of its kind. It soon became so popular that the factory had trouble keeping up with orders.
There were 3 versions of the Apache. There was a Standard, a Custom, and a Super Custom. 2,204 of these planes were manufactured between 1953 and 1958. In 1960 Piper gave the Apache an upgrade with 250 hp Lycoming engines, new instruments, and a more aerodynamic swept vertical fin. It was also renamed the Aztec. 4,800 planes were built under the Aztec name. The Apache and Aztec were quite notable for allowing executives of smaller companies to own their own business plane.