Piper PA-23 Apache and Aztec

The Piper PA-23, sold first as the Apache and later in a more powerful form as the Aztec, was the first twin-engined aircraft Piper put into production. It began as the Twin Stinson, a design Piper inherited when it bought the Stinson Aircraft Company, and the prototype first flew on March 2, 1952 before being redesigned with a single vertical tail and stronger Lycoming engines. The Apache entered production in 1954 and the 250 horsepower Aztec followed in 1959, staying in production until 1982. The type carried four to six people as a general aviation light twin, and the United States Navy bought twenty Aztecs as the UO-1, later the U-11A.