Aircraft model
PIPER PA-22-135
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 135 hp Tri-Pacer, built in the mid-1950s. The extra ten horsepower over the original and a raised gross weight make it a noticeably more usable aeroplane: 108 knots, 930 lb of useful load, and adequate climb with three aboard. It is one of the cheapest genuinely four-seat aeroplanes on the market.
Everything depends on the fabric. Steel tube covered in fabric means a periodic recover that costs more than many of these aircraft are worth, so its age and condition set the value of the aeroplane more than the engine or the avionics do. Look at the tube structure underneath for corrosion while you are there. The handling is idiosyncratic — a high stance that feels tippy while taxiing, interconnected controls on many examples, and a steep power-off descent from the short wing. It is honest transport for short trips and a poor choice for anyone wanting to carry four adults far. Tailwheel conversions to Pacer configuration are common and change both the price and the endorsement required.
Compare with…
Put PIPER PA-22-135 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-22-135
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-290-D2 |
| Horsepower | 135 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1952 |
| Production end | 1954 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 108 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 450 nm |
| Service ceiling | 16,500 ft |
| Climb rate | 725 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 43 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 | $32,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $65,000 |
| 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 | 1,343 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 409 |
| Median year built | 1953.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 19 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 46.451 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 34.232 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 96 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 23.473 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 409 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 409 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 409 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 4.7 of 101 |
| Severity | 7.4 of 102 |
| Access | 4.5 of 103 |
| Support | 7.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 7.5 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 31.2 out of 506 |
- 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.