Plane & Pilot just did a review on the Saratoga. Full fuel gave +500
pounds useful. If I remember right that included the deicing system. What
a waste of money on a 6 seat, 180 knot plane...

I just sat in a new Saratoga that Piper brought in for the Cherokee Pilots
Association fly-in (held annually at Tan-Tar-A resort), and marveled at the
incredible plushness of, well, everything. It's like sitting in a Lincoln
Continental or Mercedes limo, especially in the "way-back"... The change
from the cheap plastic interiors of bygone years is remarkable.

I then spoke with Karl Berge, one of the original designers of the Cherokee
(who was speaking at the convention), and he went off on a long (albeit
low-key) rant about how Piper (and, actually, ALL the other manufacturers)
have gotten so "fat", and lost so much useful load.

According to Karl, in the 1960s they had one iron-clad rule at Piper: In
order to add a pound you first had to find a pound to take away. This
rule kept everything light and (as many of us have since found) not very
durable in the long run.

But, of course, they were designing them to last five years, tops. We
weren't supposed to be flying them around for decades!

Anyway, that's why a Saratoga is left with a paltry 500 useful load, while a
1960s vintage Cherokee Six has a 980 pound useful load. (Both weights after
fuel.)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"