COMMON
PA23
Piper PA-23 Apache/Aztec
The Aztec
“The twin that hauled anything, anywhere.”
Piper · private
NO PHOTO
Length
31 ft 3 in
Wingspan
37 ft 2 in
Max speed
160 kts
Range
1,000 nmi
Ceiling
18,000 ft
Engines
2x Lycoming O-540 (250 hp each)
Crew
1
Max passengers
5
Typical config
1 pilot + 5 passengers
Built
6,900+
Piper's first twin started life as the gentle Apache trainer and grew into the Aztec — a five-seat workhorse beloved by charter operators, freight dogs, and island-hoppers. It isn't fast or pretty, but it lifts a full cabin without complaint, which is why crews nicknamed it the Aztruck.
Fun fact
Thousands of multi-engine pilots earned their rating in an Apache or Aztec — it was the standard twin trainer for a generation.
How to spot one
Low-wing twin with a rounded nose and a friendly, slightly chubby profile. Aztecs have a longer pointed nose; Apaches are stubbier all around.
Crews call it
The Aztruck
Sounds like
Two big Lycomings in a steady, workmanlike drone
Related
One might be overhead right now.
Bogey turns the The Aztec from a dot in the sky into a card in your logbook. Coming to iOS and Android.
Get Bogey