First Flight of the Piper Cheyenne III 05-18-1979

First flight of the Piper Aircraft Cheyenne III at Lakeland, Florida on May 18, 1979. I am on the right with my co-pilot, Dave Lawrence. The flight plan to investigate numerous flying qualities of the airplane had to be abandoned due to a difficulty with the roll controls (ailerons) locking in fixed positions approximately 20 degrees left and right of neutral. The ailerons were designed with beveled edges to reduce aileron control forces of the reversible (non hydraulic boosted) system. By carefully rigging the ailerons with a droop the problem was eliminated. It took another 8 months of intensive testing to resolve other problems with the deep stall characteristics. The airplane received FAA Part 23 certification in January 1980. Approximately 80 aircraft were built in the following years and the airplane was later improved as the Cheyenne IIIA and Cheyenne IV equipped with 1000 shaft horsepower Garrett Engines. Additional photographs can be viewed at the blog links located on the lower left panel.