Thank you very much!

Hey, thanks for watching the video and for the question. Here’s a link to the company that makes the tug. It’s fantastic and have zero regrets or issues after 3+ years of ownership. Btw - if you aren’t already a member, I’d suggest you join the PA-32 forum on Facebook. Great forum with very active and knowledge owners. If you ever have a question someone will be able to answer. Highly recommend. redlineaviation.com/sidewinder-for-piper/

I am a member of the PA-32 group on Facebook. If you are looking for good, honest feedback join that group and do a search on this subject…it’s been covered A LOT!!! My two cents, don’t believe the nay sayers. To your point 99% of them have never flown a T-tail and have no real world experience. There’s absolutely nothing wrong or bad about a T-tail Lance. Lots of upside like, cheaper to buy, looks better on the ramp, still pretty much flies like a straight tail, etc. Now, does a T-tail require more runway for takeoff and landing, yes. But it’s not a big difference. There are guys in the FB forum who claim they land/takeoff from 2000ft grass strips. My personal minimum runway distance is 2800ft. So, short runways are doable but you need to plan accordingly. Good luck with the purchase but I can say I have zero regrets after 3+ years owning my T-tail Lance.

@@piperjim3188 Thank you - I went and joined up and have been learning a ton!

Thanks for watching and responding. If you look through the previous comments and my responses this question has been addressed a few times, but if you need more detail let me know.

No, not at this time. I plan on keeping this one for a long time after all the upgrades.

Thanks for watching and responding. This question has been asked a lot. If you check out the comments from other posters I provide cost break downs for interior, paint, and avionics.

Give or take, but yes…that’s about what I paid all in. Likely more now. This was over 2 years ago.

All in was about 100k. Most expensive was the paint. Least expensive was the interior. If you check the other threads I provide a bit more detail on the pricing. Thanks!

@@piperjim3188 the paint was more than the glass panel? Beautiful plane!

Actually no, that was a typo :). Panel was more than double the paint cost. So from most to least expensive was panel, paint, then the interior. Sorry for the confusion.

Sal - take a look at some of the other replies to this question. I break it down for the interior, paint and panel, but all in expect $100k US, or maybe a little more now given rising costs for everything.

Allowed, yes, if assisted by a qualified mechanic or avionics installer but I did not assist with any of it. Not geographically close to where I live so not really an option. But I’d encourage anyone who has the time to assist wherever possible.

The GoPro 360 Max is attached to the wing with a custom mount I ordered from another pilot friend. He sells them on Etsy. Here’s the link: www.etsy.com/listing/1183976100/piper-saratoga-fixed-gear-pa32-301?click_key=4934b534d25c50d3205576ff05161d5c1c46de7a%3A1183976100&click_sum=33443571&ref=shop_home_active_1 The Hero 5 is attached to a mount that attaches to the tie down hoops. Here’s a link the mount I use: www.mypilotstore.com/MyPilotStore/sep/11253?gclid=CjwKCAjw8sCRBhA6EiwA6_IF4eGMI2kREa0wNHuEt8HWrf3opJAZW5hASUClvEA3ZwIl8xFN5Hhm8BoCQKgQAvD_BwE Hope that helps and thanks for joining my channel.

Thank you! And keep up the work. It will pay off I promise. Keep me posted on your progress and let me know if you have any questions. I am an instrument rated commercial pilot with a little over 750hrs of flying time. Happy to help if I can.

Thank you. I’ve really been enjoying it.

Oh boy…this is what we PA-32 owners call the “great debate.” So ask a t-tail owner what’s wrong with a t-tail and they will tell you absolutely nothing. Great airplane all the way around. Ask a non t-tail owner what’s wrong with a t-tail and you’d better grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy the ride. T-tails have a bad (unwarranted in my opinion) reputation because they are not considered short field planes. Because the tail is up and out of the prop wash it takes more airflow over the stabilator to gain authority. We aren’t talking much, maybe 5kts or so. But that need for a bit more airspeed for stabilator authority means a slightly longer ground roll for takeoff and landing…like 200ft. Not a big deal for most pilots who land on runways 3000ft or longer. Other than that, no difference really between a low tail and a t-tail…except the t-tail looks way cooler and the stigma means they usually cost less. Hope that helps.

Hey Mark - so couple of things about this video. First, I had a grand total of 30hrs in this plane at the time. I moved up from an Archer to this plane and was keeping the speeds up until I got comfortable with the handling characteristics. Secondly, this is a t-tail, not a straight tail. So the landing and takeoff speeds are a bit higher…as is the stall speed. I now have over 250hrs in this plane and no longer use 90kts as my approach speed. I’m more in the 75-80kt range across the threshold. This tends to work much better and I’ll adjust accordingly depending on wind and/or weight. Although I haven’t tried it I’d feel very comfortable landing and taking off on a runway as short as 2500ft as long as I’m not at full gross weight. It’s a great airplane and the t-tail gets a bad rep because of the longer takeoff and landing distances, but in the grand scheme of things it’s not that much different. Lastly, there is a lot of debate around dumping flaps on touch down. I was taught to do this by my instructor and actually dumping flaps slows the plane down faster as there is not enough speed to create lift. I’ve tried this both ways and for me dumping flaps on touch down reduces my ground roll. And I’m prepared for a go around if necessary. Oh and I’ve tried taking off with one notch of flaps. Didn’t notice much difference. But if I have four people in the plane and close to full fuel I’ll use that technique. Seems to work better with higher weight. Appreciate the comments and always love hearing from other, more experienced, PA-32 pilots.

I gained 42lbs of useful load back after updating the panel. You’d be surprised how much the old steam gauges and wiring weigh.

Joseph - correct on the interior. Matt at Advantage did that beautiful work. However Ben at Smart Avionics did not do the panel. Jason over at Freedom Aviation in Lynchburg (KLYH) did that outstanding work. I did reach out to Ben but he was backed up nearly a year and I wanted the work done a little closer to home. Oh and believe me…I am thoroughly enjoying it!!

Check out responses to other posters. I provide a pretty detailed breakdown in a few of the responses. But long story short, I’d budget around 100k US for everything.

AlexA - thank you! We love our Lance. By the way, a few other posters asked the same question. Take a look at the other comments and my responses. That should answer your question(s) but if not let me know.

Luke - I did not have the Yaw Damper installed and for me I don’t really need it. But to answer your question, yes, there is some “wag” and Dutch roll but not enough for me to justify the extra expense. My wife rides in the rear forward facing seats all the time and it doesn’t bother her. Also, the shop that did my panel said the cost isn’t that much less doing it at the same time as the panel upgrade or later if I decide to add it. Having said that, if you have the funds go ahead and add it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

@@piperjim3188 thanks Jim. Much appreciated. Yeah it’s a few amu’s but likely worth it since I frequently have the girls sitting in the rear seats on 3+hr XC’s. Also going to install a relief tube back there.