This Piper Tomahawk (PA-38-112) belongs to Ascent Aviation. These guys are new on the field (last year) and have set up shop over at Gulf Central Aviation.
Keep trashing the Tomahawk. It keeps them affordable for folks who discover what a great trainer they are. Most folks who criticize them have never flown them. The tail doesn’t shake, by the way. The fuselage is doing the flexing just as it’s designed to do. No recorded inflight structural failures either. Wing is life limited due to being Part23 unlike the C-152.
Guest
28-Mar-2007 04:29
i've heard nothing good about these either. i'm surprised someone has the money for the insurance to train in these...
Guest
23-Apr-2006 16:03
I have had one and only one flight in a Traumahawk - THANK GOD! The CFI & I did some slow flight and he told me to look back at the tail, I wish I didn't. The ENTIRE tail was flexing back and forth!! Not very encouraging to say the least. The R.O.C. also didn't impress me. With its wing area much less than a Cessna 150/152, climb performance suffers! And upon landing, the elevators were EXTREMELY sensitive in the flare, it was like a roller coaster ride!! One more thing too... the wings are life limited parts! When they reach 10,000 hrs, they are history!! A throw away airplane. Piper really blew it with this thing. The only thing they are good for was to be a WIND-TEE at the local field. Nice photo though!
