N5972H

N5972H is a Piper PA-16 Clipper, a single-engine piston aircraft operated by CASTONGUAY DONN H. SkyMeter has tracked 128 flights totalling 40 hours of airtime via ADS-B across 2 callsigns. The most frequent segment is 41NK to KPOU. Service window in our records spans 403 days. Of those flights, 2 (1.6%) carry at least one detected incident: a go-around, unstable approach, stall warning, or runway excursion. The Piper PA-16 Clipper has a 29 ft wingspan, a maximum takeoff weight of 1,650 lb.

About the Piper PA-16 Clipper

The Piper PA-16 Clipper was a short-lived but charming attempt by Piper Aircraft to stretch the beloved J-3 Cub into a proper four-seat family airplane. Introduced in 1949, the Clipper featured a widened fuselage to accommodate two bench seats, a 108-115 horsepower Lycoming engine, and the classic high-wing, taildragger configuration that defined Piper's postwar lightplane lineup. Only about 736 Clippers were built before production ended in 1950, as the design was quickly overshadowed by the more refined PA-20 Pacer and the tricycle-gear PA-22 Tri-Pacer that followed.

The PA-16 occupies an interesting niche in aviation history as one of the last true four-seat taildraggers aimed at the family market before nosewheel designs took over general aviation. Its performance envelope was modest (cruise around 100 knots, never-exceed speed of 135 knots, and a stall speed in the high 30s), but it offered genuine backcountry capability and the forgiving handling characteristics inherited from the Cub lineage. Today the Clipper is a relatively rare sight, prized by vintage aircraft enthusiasts for its classic lines and connection to Piper's golden age.

SkyMeter has tracked flights across airframes and operators, with the largest observed operator.