Piper PA-15 Vagabond#Variants
{{short description|1940s American light aircraft}}
{{Infobox aircraft
|name = PA-15 & PA-17 Vagabond
|image = PiperPA-17VagabondN4612H01.JPG
|caption = PA-17 Vagabond
|type = Personal and training aircraft
|national_origin = United States
|manufacturer = Piper Aircraft
|designer =
|first_flight = 1948 (PA-15)
|introduction = 1948 (PA-15)
1949 (PA-17)Plane and Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory, page 59. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. {{ISBN|0-918312-00-0}}
|retired =
|status =
|primary_user =
|more_users =
|produced =
|number_built = 601
|program cost =
|unit cost = {{AircraftCost|USA|1995|year=1948}}
|developed_from = Piper J-3 Cub
|variants =
}}
The Piper PA-15 Vagabond and PA-17 Vagabond are both two-seat, high-wing, conventional gear light aircraft that were designed for personal use and for flight training and built by Piper Aircraft starting in 1948.Montgomery, MR and Gerald Foster,: A Field Guide to Airplanes - Second Edition, page 72. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. {{ISBN|0-395-62888-1}}
Development
The PA-15 was the first post-World War II Piper aircraft design. It utilized much of the same production tooling that created the famous Piper Cub, as well as many of the Cub structural components (tail surfaces, landing gear, most of the wing parts).{{cite journal|journal=Sport Aviation|date=January 1961|title=The Vagabond Story}} The Vagabond has a wing that is one bay shorter ({{convert|30|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} versus {{convert|36|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}) than that on the Cub, which led to the unofficial term describing the type: Short Wing Piper. This allowed the aircraft to be built with minimal material, design and development costs, and is credited with saving Piper Aircraft from bankruptcy after the war.
The prototype PA-15 made its first flight on 3 November 1947, with deliveries of production aircraft beginning in January 1948.Archive 1993 No. 4, p. 93
Vagabonds used a new fuselage with side-by-side seating for two instead of the Cub's tandem seating.
The PA-17 Vagabond version features dual controls, enabling it to be used for pilot training. It has a bungee cord shock-absorbed landing gear (solid gear on the PA-15), and a {{convert|65|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Continental A-65 engine. There was a small increase in climb rate and useful load over the PA-15, despite an increase in empty weight.
The Vagabond was followed by the Piper PA-16 Clipper, which is essentially a Vagabond with a {{convert|17|in|cm|0|abbr=on}} longer fuselage, Lycoming O-235 engine of {{convert|108|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}}, extra wing fuel tank, and four seats. The Pacer, Tri-Pacer and Colt are all variations of the Vagabond design and thus all Short Wing Pipers.
Operational history
In March 2018 there were still 167 PA-15s{{cite web |url=http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=Piper&Modeltxt=PA-15&pageNo= |title=FAA REGISTRY - Make / Model Inquiry Results - PA-15 |access-date=17 March 2018 |author=Federal Aviation Administration |author-link=Federal Aviation Administration |date=March 2018}} and 101 PA-17s{{cite web |url=http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=Piper&Modeltxt=PA-17&pageNo= |title=FAA REGISTRY - Make / Model Inquiry Results - PA-17 |access-date=17 March 2018 |author=Federal Aviation Administration |author-link=Federal Aviation Administration |date=March 2018}} registered in the USA.
There were 13 PA-15s and 12 PA-17s registered in Canada in March 2018.{{cite web |url=http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/2/CCARCS-RIACC/DDZip.aspx |title=Canadian Civil Aircraft Register (File download link) |access-date=17 March 2018 |last=Transport Canada |date=March 2018}}
Variants
File:Piper PA-15 Vagabond.jpg.]]
;PA-15 Vagabond
:Side-by-side two-seater powered by one {{convert|65|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Lycoming O-145 engine.Bridgman 1948, p. 311c. 387 built, plus one converted from a PA-17.Archive 1994 No. 3, p. 74.
;PA-17 Vagabond
:Also known as the Vagabond Trainer a variant of the PA-15 with dual-controls, shock-cord suspension and powered by one {{convert|65|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Continental A-65-8 engine. 214 built.Simpson 1995, p. 295
Specifications (PA-15)
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=1978 Aircraft Directory{{cite book |title=Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1949-50 |editor1-last=Bridgman |editor1-first=Leonard |year=1949 |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & Co |location=London |pages=268cā269c}}{{cite web |title=Service Memo No. 49|url=https://www.univair.com/content/PIP_SM049.pdf |website=Univair |publisher=Piper Aircraft |access-date=31 July 2023}}
|prime units?=imp
|crew=one
|capacity=one passenger
|length ft=18
|length in=8
|length note=
|span ft=29
|span in=3+1/8
|span sigfig=3
|span note=
|height ft=6
|height in=
|height note=
|wing area sqft=147.5
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|empty weight lb=630
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=1100
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|12|u.s.gal}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Lycoming O-145
|eng1 type=4-cylinder air-cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine
|eng1 hp=65
|eng1 note=
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=fixed-pitch propeller
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop dia note=
|max speed mph=100
|max speed note=
|cruise speed mph=90
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed mph=45
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed note=
|range miles=250
|range note=
|combat range miles=
|combat range note=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling ft=10000
|ceiling note=
- Absolute ceiling: {{cvt|11500|ft}}
|climb rate ftmin=510
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|wing loading lb/sqft=7.5
|wing loading note=
|power/mass={{cvt|0.06|hp/lb}}
|more performance=
- Take-off run: {{cvt|900|ft}}
- Landing run: {{cvt|300|ft}}
|avionics=
}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
- {{cite magazine |title=Aircraft Production List: 6: The Piper Vagabond: Part One |magazine=Archive |publisher=Air-Britain |year=1993 |issue=4 |pages=101ā102 |issn=0262-4923}}
- {{cite magazine |title=Aircraft Production List: 6: The Piper Vagabond: Part Four|magazine=Archive |publisher=Air-Britain |year=1994 |issue=3 |pages=73ā74 |issn=0262-4923}}
- {{cite book |editor1-last=Bridgman |editor1-first=Leonard |title=Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1948 |year=1948 |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & Co |location=London}}
- {{cite book |last1=Montgomery |first1=M. R. |last2=Foster |first2=Gerald L. |title=A Field Guide to Airplanes of North America |edition=Second |year=1992 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992 |isbn=0-395-62888-1}}
- {{cite book |last=Simpson |first=R. W. |title=Airlife's General Aviation |year=1995 |edition=Second |location=Shrewsbury |publisher=Airlife Publishing Ltd. |isbn=1-85310-577-5}}
External links
{{commons category-inline|Piper PA-15 Vagabond}}
{{Piper}}
{{Piper Cub aircraft}}
Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft
Category:1940s United States civil utility aircraft
Category:Aircraft first flown in 1948