So still lickin' my chops over PA22s on barnstormers, controller, etc...

Mission... 4 place, docile as a manatee in slow flight, 100kt cruise, sub 1500' runway operation.

So with the expectation of much laughter I'm still going to ask the following Qs.

Hypothetically if one was to acquire a PA22 and wanted to have the following STCs completed, what would the final cost be out the hangar door? (we're talking ballpark folks)

Seaplane Doors (pilot side and passenger side)...

Skylight...

Squared off Wing Tips...

VGs...


I realize this is somewhat repetitive from a previous post but any other STCs for a PA22 would be interesting to see as well.

Now to make some popcorn

What do you mean by 4 place? Like a four-place tent which houses 2 people and gear or are you actually talking about putting 4 people in it?

Cost is all about what you are willing to pay, and what someone else is willing to sell it for.

Wingtips and VGs...not very much. You're looking at the cost of wingtips (Sullivan, Dakota, Stewart, etc) and prob 2 days of associated work depending on the state of the wings when you get them. Some have the original tip bow, some have been trimmed back to the last rib. In my case if I want to put on different tips besides my Madras/Demer tips, I'll have to do a spar splice to regain the wing length to original. More days.

Seaplane doors: This one will cost you if you're not a talented fabricator/welder yourself. It requires Eddie Trimmer's STCs for one or both sides, and if you choose left side door you'll need another STC to reroute the fuel plumbing that travels through the area where the left side door will need to go. $850 total in just paper, which is pretty reasonable.

As for the shop hours I don't even know where to start. Weeks. Multiply that times your shop's rate. For mine it would be $50/hr. It adds up.

The skylight is not quite as involved as the seaplane doors, but still a fair amount of work. The Steve's Aircraft STC is reasonably priced. Brian himself can probably quote this stuff for you.

The idea of seaplane doors especially on both sides would be amazing, add to that they can be open inflight... come on.

That said tips and VGs sound like the best bang for your buck for performance and safety.

I look at the idea of a two place with gear and full tanks or a 4 place to take the inlaws up with half tanks fits 99% of the flying I do now... emphasis on "now".

Its fairly clear (all thanks to this forum!) that upgrading any aircraft especially a PA22 will not likely give you a return on investment if/when it comes time to sell... That said a PA22 seems like a damn swiss army knife albeit a very costly one.

Rickshaw84 wrote:That said a PA22 seems like a damn swiss army knife albeit a very costly one.

They are a good canvas for modification, but few people consider them the ultimate airplane, so the market price does have a ceiling regardless how modded.

Take a Skywagon though...many people consider them the ultimate 4-place airplane. The price ceiling is pretty poorly defined as people with more resources at their disposal will just pay the high price to have it.

Another way to look at things is...if you like it, buy it. Too many decisions are driven by resale considerations. There's so much opportunity to piss away money in airplanes that the mods are probably the safer bet.

The first 3 mods will be expensive. The wingtips, seaplane door, and skylight will likely cost as much as the value of the plane if done as stand alone mods. If your heart is set on those mods then your best bet is to get a ramp queen and restore it. Then you could add in your mods as part of the resto with little extra cost and have a great bird once you are done. The vg's are a fairly simple mod and should be relatively cheap.

That all being said stock Tripacers are incredibly useful little birds. Go try one out with the odd left/right front and rear doors and you will find they work surprisingly well. Find one with a 58" pitch prop (the most common one) and you got a great little utility bird that can handle itself out in the backcountry. I can regularly come and go in 1,000 ft. Then I can cruise at 110mph and 2500rpm with 3 adults, baggage, and enough fuel to go some distance. Oh yeah, and it costs less than a 172 to operate.

Go get a Tripacer. Don't worry about looking sexy or cool. Just giggle about how goofy your little milkstool looks and be happy about how useful your bird is. Then go fly it. A lot.

The first mod will be the most expensive one... there are a ton of structural changes that have to be done... especially for the left side door... that is a modification best done during a complete tear down and recover of the fuselage... even then it would run you upward of 5 to 6 grand or more to accomplish...

Wing tips run between 2500 to 3500 and more depending on which STC that is done..

The skylight is my STC... I have done it from as cheap as 2000 without doing any interior finish work to as high as 3500 with new headliner installed and completely trimmed out... that is on a covered airplane... when I do it on a recover job it adds about 6 to 8 hours to the entire job... consider it takes 250 to 300 hours to do a fuselage and it’s peanuts...

The VG’s are the cheapest mod on your list... I can have a set painted and installed for around 1500, probably less...

Brian


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Really good info Brain! Thanks for that... I'm certainly reminded (thanks to Huskytracks) that the PA22 is a great little plane and boiling it down just acquiring a damn plane would be a good start! as long as its a good plane that is.