Need comparative review of Piper Tomahawk and Socata Rallye

[Ultranomad]

Hi everyone,
For some flights away from home, I need to make a provisional choice between a Piper Tomahawk and a Socata Rallye 110. Having flown neither of the two, I am at a loss. Yes, I have checked out all the characteristics, etc. Frankly speaking, each of them seems nice in its own unique way. Would anyone who has flown BOTH of them share a thought or two?

[gaxan]

A purely subjective thing - go for the rallye! Its got stick for a start. I know the Tomahawk can be a bit tight on weight with 2 consenting adults on board. Dont know about the Rallye110 - only flown the the 180 hp version.

[captain_flynn]

I've only flown the Tomahawk! It's a nice aeroplane but I prefer to fly C172's.. so I can't really make your choice for you as I havent flown a Rallye before. I find the Tomahawk lacks take-off performance on a grass runway.

[jabberwok]

Rallye every time as it really is a fun aircraft - and with superb visibility and short field performance. The Tomahawk is OK but I can't really say it has been one of the "must fly again" aircraft on my list.

[englishal]

Rallye!

I'm not sure about the 110 model it is probably a bit under powered, I would go for 160HP or greater if you're intending to buy. I fly a 160HP one now, and as far as simple aeroplanes go when compared to the 172's and PA28's the Rallye is brilliant. They are a joy to fly, comfortable, excellent visibility in all directions, brilliant STOL performance due to automatic LE slats, and good load carrying ability. They are relatively benign aeroplanes as well, there is an urban myth of some people who got lost and ran out of fuel at night in a Rallye, they just held the stick back and did a falling leaf at 700 fpm and landed in someones back yard, busting the UC but walking away - aeilerons remain effective right into the stall.

They are not the fastest aeroplane out there but are comparable IMHO to a 160 Warrior, ours cruises comfortably at 95 kts at about 2300 RPM, but will cruise at 100 if pushed a little. We had 4 adults in it off a 700 tarmac runway and were airborne in about 300m or less. Two up we had 1000 fpm rate of climb, though it was pretty cold. Our happens to be approved for certain aerobatics as well, including rolls, spins, loops and stall turns, which is a bonus. And they are cheap, you get a lot of value for money with the Rallye, although they did suffer from corrosion problems in the past which is something to look closely at..........

I am certainly converted :ok:

[Keef]

I learned on a Rallye - the 100 HP version. Performance wasn't sparkling, but the handling was a delight. The vis is superb.

I flew a Tomahawk briefly in the USA and wasn't as impressed. Nothing wrong with it, just not so enjoyable.

Given a choice, I'd go for the Rallye every time.

But if you're buying one, do the research into the spar problems and corrosion issues. If yours is OK, fine. If it's not...

[cavortingcheetah]

:)

I know nothing of the Rallye but I have quite a lot of insrtuctional time on the Tomahawk. I admit that most of this was flown in Johannesburg in summer when density altitudes can quite easily crank up to 8,000ft. However, notwithstanding its appalling performance, in my opinion, the PA 112 is not an aeroplane at all. A motorised barn door is a phrase that might best describe the machine.:yuk: