To create the Seneca, Piper started with the ûsame fuselage used in the Cherokee Six/Sar- atoga series.

When the owner of a single-engine airplane starts thinking about twins, he’s liable to begin not in the cheap seats but with something pricey and fast, perhaps a Baron or a cabin-class Cessna. But putting a sharp pencil to the equation usually points the would-be twin driver at something more realistic and often, a Piper Seneca fills the bill.

As well it should. The venerable Seneca is available in several models so there’s wide price stratification, it’s got decent if not blistering speed and it carries a fair load on a reasonable fuel burn. In short, the Seneca doesn’t excel at anything but does everything reasonably well at an affordable price.…