Tomahawk Page
Latest Entries: Diamond vs Tomahawk
The Tomahawk had an engine makeover last year. The 125HP STC was installed in April (2006) and it's a winner! A short period of anxiety until the prop was re-pitched because the RPMs were not as high as I thought they should be, but after the prop came back from Atlanta the revs are turning in the high 2700s and the bird has a sustained climb of 800 -850 fpm in the Georgia summer heat. Looking forward to winter weather! Might challenge one of the F-16s here at Robins to a climb contest, but then I wouldn't want to embarrass the AF pilot if I won. Don't laugh... I think I could climb faster and higher than any F-16 as long as we both had only 30 gallons of fuel on takeoff!!
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Panel update late 2006 - King KMA-24 Audio Panel and a King KLX-135A and an audio master switch. I use a Garmin 295 GPS for help on VHS navigation, but the King is a super back-up, plus having the flip-flop capabilities along with the old dependable 170B.
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Video**First
landing at 5A2**Video Thanks to Dale & Dale for the video and pictures Video
** Pattern at PXE N2470D
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Took a Katana up for an hour today, and couldn't help comparing it to my Tomahawk. Beauty being in the "eyes of the beholder", I'll give them a draw on that, although the wasp waist is striking. The Diamond owns the pre-flight, hands down. A two-minute drill with everything in apple-pie order (the only exception being - crawling under the belly for the fuel sump) makes the normal PA-38 pre-flight seem like an ordeal. A run-up is a run-up, but the Katana panel is exceptionally well-laid out. Score a squeaker for the Diamond. Take-off is less stressful in the Piper. Of course I've got a couple of hundred TO's in the Tomahawk and a total of 6 now in then Katana. Climb-out? I love to see 850 fpm in the Tommie, but a thousand is no big deal for the Diamond. The thing climbs like it was born on a ladder. Impressive! Landing with the Diamond is a non-issue, as are stalls. It doesn't like to descend, and you had better pull power well ahead of the curve to avoid a slip on final. Now.... let's talk about flying. You know, that fun part between the take-off and landing. The Tomahawk is so far ahead of the Diamond in fun flying, it's not even close! There is no pucker factor in the Katana, as far as I can tell in an hour or so. I would even class it as more docile than a Cherokee or 152. I certainly enjoyed the hour, but for me, the Tomahawk is still the most fun you can have with your wings on.
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