Since this group has a section for just this sort of nonsense, here's my $.02...

The five great things about owning a Tripacer:

1. The Shortwing Piper Club

Since it's tube and fabric, a good percentage of owners have completed ground-up restorations and know Everything there is to know about keeping them going. The Shortwing Piper Club has a very active national orgainziation and local chapters, and the absolute best newsletter for a type-club going.

2. The famously poor glide ratio

Sure, when the fan stops, it comming down Right Now. On the other hand, when you're trying to get into somewhere short, cut the power and it settles right down... no float. Tripacer drivers love it when ATC requests an "expedited approach" from downwind; just pull the ripcord, make a 180, and your touching down on the numbers.

3. Easy-to-Remove Rear Seat

'nuff said.

4. No Plastic

None of that awful vacuum-formed plastic you find all over the inside of a '70's Cessna, cracking and falling apart. The panel has these retro-cool stamped-aluminum covers, although admittedly not in the modern "six-pack" instrument arrangement, nor as cool as C-170 "piano keys".

5. The "Little Old Man" Phenomenon

Nearly every single time I go on a cross country, at least once I stop somewhere and a little old man walks up to admire the plane. They always say the same thing: "I used to have one of them way back in '58; flew it all over. Sure had a lot of fun with it. Then I got a [something bigger, faster, more expensive]. Wish I'd never gotten rid of that Tripacer."

The last guy who gave me this speech then climed aboard his King Air and flew away.

-----

Kelly McArthur
N3238Z @ HIO

Welcome Kelly, that's great, I busted a gut!
Kurt

i learned to fly in my dad's pie-tracer and have many hours of good times in it. a very underrated aircraft in my opinion.
ours has madras drooped tips and VG's and the 150 hp.
i made my first off airport landing in it. it was in a farmers field- and i was hooked from then on. but the drum brakes add pucker factor to the shorter fields.

Last year we were talking about Monache Meadows in the Sierras, and I found this blurb on a guy's website about his fond memories of the Tri-Pacer.

http://pacer.calpoly.edu/tri/pacer/monache.html

Cute lil milkstools.