The Piper Cheyenne is a medium-sized turboprop aircraft designed and developed by Piper Aircraft. Designed in the early 1970s, it was one of the most innovative designs of its time. This article explores some innovative aspects of the Cheyenne family of aircraft.
1 Wingtip fuel tanks Total fuel capacity: 390 US gallons Fuel is carried in six tanks Three interconnected tanks in each A wing-wet nacelle tank Two bladder-type fuel cells Two optional wingtip tanks The Piper Cheyenne was one of the first aircraft to design and use wingtip fuel tanks successfully. A unique feature seen in the early Cheyenne aircraft in the late 1960s, the 30-gallon wingtip fuel tanks provided additional range for the aircraft. Remarkably, the wingtip fuel tanks were offered as an optional feature on the aircraft.
However, almost all operators selected the option. The company designed and developed several aircraft from the late 1940s to the 1950s. 2 The flight stability augmentation system For longitudinal stability Following the two Boeing 737 MAX crashes in October 2018 and March 2019, and the type’s reputation, the aviation world is aware of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
It may be surprising for some that the Piper Cheyenne featured a similar system, the flight stability augmentation system, in the 1970s. The system was designed to control the longitudinal stability of the aircraft, which was affected by its powerful engines. Notably, the following variant, Cheyenn.