The Pacer was essentially a four-place version of the two-place PA-17 Vagabond light aircraft. It features a steel tube fuselage and an aluminum frame wing, covered with fabric, much like Piper's most famous aircraft, the Cub and Super Cub. An aircraft prized for its ruggedness, spacious cabin, and, for its time, impressive speed, many Pacers continue to fly today. Factory installed 125 hp (93 kW), 135 hp (100 kW), 150 hp (112 kW), and 160 hp (120 kW) engine options were available, and 180 hp (135 kW) engine after-market conversions are an option. The Piper PA-20 Pacer was originally designed as a tailwheel aircraft and thus had somewhat limited forward visibility on the ground and more demanding ground-handling characteristics. To help introduce more pilots to easier, safer flying, from February 1951, Piper introduced the PA-22 Tri-Pacer with a nosewheel instead of the tailwheel landing gear. Both the Pacer and the Tri-Pacer belong to a sub-group of Piper aircraft called "Short Wing Pipers." Additionally, the Tri-Pacer offered higher-powered engine options in the form of 150 hp (112 kW) and 160 HP (120 kW) engines, whereas the largest engine available to the original Pacer had an output of 135 hp (100 kW). At the time the tricycle undercarriage became a popular preference and 1953 saw the PA-22 Tri-Pacer outsell the Pacer by a ratio of six to one. Due to the geometry of the nosewheel installation it is sometimes called the "Flying Milk Stool". For more information, and details of the 14 variants, click here. Specifications below are for the 1958 PA-22-160 Tri-Pacer variant. PA-20 Pacer PA-22 Tripacer
