PIPER PA-32R-301

The Saratoga SP, the normally aspirated retractable version of Piper's six-seat single. It has the longer tapered wing and the conventional tail that replaced the disliked T-tail Lances, 300 hp, and a 1,500 lb useful load — enough for six people with partial fuel or four with the full 102 gallons and a 900-mile leg. It is a genuine family and small-business aeroplane. The designation ran from 1980 to 2009 under two names. Through 1992 it is the Saratoga SP; from 1993 it is the Saratoga II HP, which is the same engine and airframe with a restyled interior, a tidier panel and systems updates rather than any change in performance. The panel then moved with the times: from the 2004 model year the Avidyne Entegra glass panel was offered, and from 2007 the Garmin G1000 replaced it until the line ended in 2009. So a 1990 aircraft is an SP with round dials, a 2000 is a II HP with round dials and Garmin navigators, and a 2008 has the G1000.

It is a big, heavy single and flies like one: firm controls, a long float if flown fast on final, and real sensitivity to aft loading when the rearmost seats are occupied, which must be calculated rather than estimated. The IO-540 burns 16-17 gallons an hour and is expensive at overhaul. The retractable gear adds insurance cost, a complex endorsement requirement and an inspection burden. Against that, the cabin is the widest in this class, the two separate baggage compartments are genuinely useful, and the aeroplane is far better finished than the 1970s Lances. Good examples hold their value well.