Aircraft model
PIPER PA-20-135
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Pacer 135: the top of the Pacer range, with a 135 hp Lycoming O-290-D2 in place of the 125 hp O-290-D and maximum weight raised from 1,800 to 1,950 lb. It is the version most Pacer owners want, because the aeroplane's problem was never drag and always power -- ten extra horsepower and a hundred and fifty pounds of gross weight turn it from a two-plus-baggage machine into a genuine four-seater on a reasonable runway.
Ownership is steel tube and fabric ownership. The recover is the periodic bill that dwarfs everything else, corrosion in the tubing under the fabric is what ends these airframes, and the lift strut inspection requirement is a real one. Against that, the engines are among the cheapest four-cylinder Lycomings to overhaul and the parts trade for the type is unusually good, because Univair and others still make almost everything. Pacers are taildraggers and short-coupled ones, so tailwheel time and a careful checkout are not optional. Against the Tri-Pacer the Pacer is worth more, flies better and is harder to find, which is an unusual combination in used light aircraft and reflects how many Tri-Pacers have been converted to tailwheel gear in the years since.
Compare with…
Put PIPER PA-20-135 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-20-135
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-290-D2 |
| Horsepower | 135 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1952 |
| Production end | 1954 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 109 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 470 nm |
| Service ceiling | 15,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 620 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 42 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,600 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,280 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 930 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 714 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,950 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,020 lb |
| Usable fuel | 36 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 7.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $40,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $115,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $26,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $36,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 118 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 42 |
| Median year built | 1952.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 5 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 119.05 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 95.24 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 8 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 19.05 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 42 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 42 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 42 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 6.8 of 103 |
| Support | 1.6 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 4 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 32.28 · 202 models in class.
- Severity: class median 12.5.
- Access: class median 775.
- Support: class median 147.5.
- Liquidity: class median 19.9.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.