Piper Turbo Lance II
Piston single engine • Low Wing • Retractable gear
Range Map
• nm at current load
• click map to move • two fingers to move map
Payload vs. Range
Configure weights
Default: 190 lbs
Default: 30 lbs
gal
Fuel on board
lbs
Extra weight
nm
Range
Mission Profile
- High-Performance
- Complex
Estimated Ownership Costs
About the Piper Turbo Lance II
Type certificated 1978 Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet
Overview
The Piper PA-32RT-300T Turbo Lance II is the turbocharged, T-tailed member of the retractable PA-32R family – type-certificated in 1978 on FAA TCDS A3SO and built through 1979. It takes the Lance’s Hershey-bar wing and six-to-seven-seat load-hauling cabin, swaps the conventional tail for a T-tail, and adds a turbocharged 300 hp Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD that holds power into the high teens – lifting the service ceiling to 20,000 ft and sustaining a 175-knot cruise above the weather.
It shares its exact engine with the tapered-wing Turbo Saratoga SP; the difference is the wing and the tail. Against the naturally aspirated Lance it trades simplicity and a lower fuel burn for genuine high-altitude capability. Choose the Turbo Lance II when you want six-seat retractable hauling that still climbs and cruises hard at altitude, and you accept the turbo’s extra maintenance and fuel to get it.
Key Features for GA Buyers
- Turbocharged altitude performance. The TIO-540-S1AD holds 300 hp into the high teens, so the airframe keeps its climb and 175-knot cruise where a naturally aspirated PA-32 would fade – a 20,000 ft service ceiling.
- Six-seat load-hauling. The wide PA-32 cabin seats seven (six with club seating) and carries a useful load over 1,500 lb behind the twin cargo doors.
- T-tail layout. The horizontal stabilator sits atop the fin, clear of the propeller wash – distinguishing the Lance II airframe from the earlier conventional-tail Lance and the later Saratogas.
- Cabin-class single mission. It carries four to six people and their baggage at 175 knots in the high teens – a mission that otherwise reaches for a light twin.
Trade-offs
- T-tail handling. With the stabilator out of the propwash, elevator authority is lighter at low speed; the airplane wants speed to build before rotation, and pitch must be managed deliberately on takeoff.
- Turbo complexity and burn. The turbocharger adds maintenance and runs hot; expect roughly 17 to 19 gph to hold the high-altitude cruise, more than the naturally aspirated Lance.
- Shorter engine TBO. The turbocharged TIO-540-S1AD carries an 1,800-hour TBO versus the 2,000 hours of the naturally aspirated IO-540, raising the hourly overhaul reserve.
See Also
- Piper Turbo Saratoga SP – the tapered-wing turbocharged retractable on the same TIO-540-S1AD engine. Compare
- Piper PA-32R Lance – the naturally aspirated, conventional-tail predecessor. Compare
- Piper Cherokee Six – the fixed-gear, naturally aspirated ancestor of the line. Compare
Base model
Piper Cherokee SixTechnical Specifications
Dimensions & Weights
- Height
- 9.5 ft
- Length
- 27.75 ft
- Parking area (ft2)
- 1402.68 ft2
- Max Takeoff Weight
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 3,600 lbs
- Max Landing Weight
- 3,600 lbs
- Useful Load
- 1,535 lbs
- Fuel Capacity
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 94 gal
Performance
- Cruise Speed
- Source: manufacturer figure 175 KTAS
- Never-Exceed (VNE)
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 189 KIAS
- Max Structural Cruise (VNO)
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 150 KIAS
- Approach Speed
- 82 KIAS
- Range
- Source: manufacturer figure 648 NM
- Service Ceiling
- 20,000 ft
- Rate of Climb
- 1050 fpm
- Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle
- 1,875 ft
- Landing ground roll
- 1,050 ft
Sources
Where the figures on this page come from. Piper Turbo Lance II specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.
Similar to the Piper Turbo Lance II
Similar PistonsPiper Turbo Saratoga SP
Piper PA-32R Lance
Piper Saratoga II TC
Beechcraft Bonanza G36
Beechcraft Bonanza A36
Beechcraft Bonanza B36TC
Beechcraft Bonanza 33
Beechcraft Bonanza V35B
See how the Piper Turbo Lance II stacks up against similar aircraft
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