Piper PA-34 Seneca

The Piper PA-34 Seneca is a twin-engine piston aircraft with six or seven seats including the pilot and a cabin without pressurisation. About 5,000 were built in five versions, from Seneca I to Seneca V, and most of them train pilots for multi-engine ratings.

For charter the type suits two to four people on short legs: Zurich to Sion takes 1:00 h, London Farnborough to Jersey 1:16 h. Weight is the main limit. With full tanks only about 300 kg are left for the pilot, passengers and bags, so a full cabin and a long route exclude each other.

Cabin: three rows of two seats

The cabin is about 3.15 m long, 1.24 m wide and 1.06 m high. The pilot and one passenger sit in the front row, and the two rear pairs often face each other like a small meeting table. You sit comfortably but cannot stand or walk through, and boarding is through a wide double door at the rear.

Baggage: two small holds and a tight weight limit

The front hold is in the nose and has an awkward shape, because it wraps around the nose wheel well; the rear one is behind the last seats. Soft bags and small cabin cases fit, while skis, golf bags or a large hard suitcase must be agreed with the operator first. With three or four people the operator takes less fuel, and with a full cabin on a longer leg it plans a stop, so we ask for each person's rough weight.

Engines, runways and weather

Five versions fly under one name. The figures here are for the Seneca V with turbocharged Continental engines of 220 hp; later aircraft have Garmin G1000 screens, older ones are slower. The propellers turn in opposite directions, which makes the aircraft easier to control if one engine fails. The range of 1,611 km assumes full tanks, economy power and no reserves, and is much shorter with passengers.

Any paved runway of about 800 m with AVGAS, the petrol for piston engines, will do on paper. The 1,071 m strip at La Môle near Saint-Tropez is long enough, but the operator confirms access for the type, and Samedan or Sion are flown by crews trained for mountain approaches.

Flying a piston twin in Europe

With two engines the Seneca is not bound by the EU rule that limits single-engine aircraft without SET-IMC approval to daylight and good visibility, so commercial flights at night or in cloud are allowed.

• Alps: Munich - Samedan or Zurich - Sion may need more altitude than is comfortable without oxygen, so the operator plans the route along the valleys or carries oxygen
• Fuel: not every small airfield sells AVGAS, so on an island or a mountain strip the pilot may carry fuel for the return
• Domestic legs: Madrid - Valencia is open to any EU operator, while London - Manchester needs a UK operator, because UK domestic legs are closed to EU operators

Seneca routes from European hubs

Thirty-one one-way legs from all thirteen hubs, all without a fuel stop. Prices are for the whole aircraft with pilot, without airport fees and passenger taxes; flight time includes taxi, climb and approach.

Up to two hours: where a piston twin makes sense

Two to three hours: possible with a light load

Most rows take between 1:00 h and 1:50 h, where a cabin without a toilet is still comfortable. Larnaca - Rhodes (2:06 h), Vienna - Dubrovnik (2:25 h), Geneva - Majorca (2:54 h) and Hamburg - Stockholm (2:56 h) need fuller tanks, so with four people and suitcases the operator may plan a stop.

The calculator gives an indicative price for a Seneca or a similar small twin on your own route, including small airfields near your destination.

What a Seneca charter costs

The indicative rate is EUR 1,000 per flight hour for the whole aircraft with pilot and fuel. A short leg costs more than rate times flight time: Zurich - Sion takes 1:00 h and starts at EUR 4,000, because the quote also covers the minimum charge and the flight from the aircraft's base.

On longer legs the gap shrinks: Frankfurt - Berlin (1:48 h) starts at EUR 5,000 and Hamburg - Stockholm (2:56 h) at EUR 6,000. The price is the same for two people or six.

The price is for the whole aircraft; split between passengers, London Farnborough - Jersey comes to:

Ways to pay less on a piston twin

For one or two people a single-engine piston such as the Cirrus SR22 can cost a little less, but carries passengers only by day and in good visibility.

Empty Legs on a Seneca

Empty Senecas come up rarely, because most aircraft fly locally and return to the same base. When one appears, it is usually a return from an island, such as Corsica to Nice, at 30-60% below a normal charter as an example, not a guarantee.

Seneca or a larger aircraft

The usual alternatives:

What to send us for a quote

Please include:

• route, date and preferred time
• number of people and each person's approximate weight
• number, size and weight of bags
• dog, skis or golf bag on board
• whether the departure can move if the weather is poor

In an aircraft this small these figures decide whether the trip is non-stop. We always try to find a free aircraft close to you, but each case depends on the operator and its contract.

Questions about the Piper Seneca

• • How much does a Seneca flight cost?

  • London Farnborough to Jersey (1:16 h) starts at EUR 4,500 and Madrid to Ibiza (1:54 h) at EUR 5,000 for the whole aircraft one way, before airport fees and passenger taxes.

• • What is included in the price?

  • The aircraft, the pilot and fuel. Airport and handling fees, passenger taxes, positioning, the pilot's hotel on a later return and winter de-icing are listed separately.

• • Why does a one-hour flight cost more than the hourly rate?

  • The operator adds a minimum charge and the flight from its base, so Frankfurt to Luxembourg (1:02 h) starts at EUR 4,000. On Geneva to Majorca (2:54 h, from EUR 6,000) the gap is much smaller.

• • How can I fly a Seneca for less?

  • Return the same day, depart near the aircraft's base, keep the time flexible and travel light.

• • Are there Empty Legs on the Seneca?

  • Rarely, as most aircraft return to their own base. When one comes up, typically from an island to the mainland, it can be 30-60% cheaper on the operator's fixed date and route.

• • How many people can really fly?

  • Five or six passenger seats, but with full tanks only about 300 kg are left for people and bags, pilot included. Three or four fly on a short leg, two or three on a longer one.

• • Is there a toilet on board?

  • No. On a leg over two hours we plan a stop or offer a turboprop with a toilet.

• • Can we bring a dog or skis?

  • A small dog in a carrier flies in the cabin once the operator agrees, with a microchip, rabies vaccination and EU pet passport. Skis depend on their length, because the holds are small and awkward; for several pairs a Cessna 208 Grand Caravan with an underbelly pod is better.

• • Which airports can it use?

  • Paved runways from about 800 m with AVGAS, such as Jersey or Sion; La Môle for Saint-Tropez is long enough, but the operator confirms access. The Courchevel altiport, at 537 m and sloped, is too short for this type and needs a special qualification.