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On 30 June 1980 Piper began production deliveries of a new version of the Cheyenne range of twin turboprop aircraft. Intended for use as a 6/11-seat corporate or commuter transport, this Cheyenne III differs considerably from its predecessors, a fact reflected in the changed company designation Piper PA-42. It has a wing of increased span, lengthened fuselage, a T-tail, and more powerful Pratt & Whitney Aircraft of Canada PT6A turboprop engines installed in lengthened nacelles. The Cheyenne III remains as a current production model, being complemented by the Cheyenne IIIA which differs primarily by having 634kW PT6A-61 turboprop engines flat-rated at 537kW and offering performance improvements. In addition to the Cheyenne III, Piper was involved in the certification programme of a new Cheyenne IV during 1983, with two 1,227kW Garrett TPE331-14A/14B counter-rotating turboprop engines, each of them flat-rated at 746kW. Deliveries of the Cheyenne IV began in the early summer of 1984. It was one of the fastest propeller light twins, at over 644km/h.
The Cheyenne is one of the very few Piper products to remain in volume production after the company's financial reorganisation in 1991/92. Current versions on offer include the Cheyenne IIIA of which 59 had been delivered by early 1993. Nine Cheyenne Ills delivered to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, fitted with AN/APG-66 radar and a ventral FLIR, are used for day- and nighttime surveillance missions. They are
known as Customs High Endurance
Tracker (CHET) aircraft. Cheyenne Ills are joined at the Lock Haven production line by the PA-42-1000 Cheyenne
400. Originally the Cheyenne IV, it later became the Cheyenne 400LS. Deliveries total 43.
| MODEL | PA-42-Cheyenne III |
| CREW | 6-11 |
| ENGINE | 2 x Pratt & Whitney Aircraft of Canada PT6A-41 turboprops, 537kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 5080 kg | 11200 lb |
| Empty weight | 2898 kg | 6389 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 14.53 m | 48 ft 8 in |
| Length | 13.23 m | 43 ft 5 in |
| Height | 4.5 m | 15 ft 9 in |
| Wing area | 27.22 m2 | 292.99 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 549 km/h | 341 mph |
| Ceiling | 9755 m | 32000 ft |
| Range | 4150 km | 2579 miles |
| Waldo, rgb927=yahoo.com, 22.08.2012 The Cheyenne III was designed and built at the Lakeland,FL plant...It was never assembled in Lock Haven | | J.DStewart, 23.03.2010 Correction, Garrett engines. | | J.D. Stewart, 23.03.2010 The photo your using for the Cheyenne III is actually a Piper Cheyenne IV, which utilized Air Research engines. |
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