Regarded as one of the workhorses of general aviation, the Piper Navajo has found a substantial market in the charter business. But it’s also an appealing twin for owners who want to fly themselves in relative comfort and luxury. Like the Cessna 402, as one example, you don’t find many Navajos in private ownership, although some aircraft sales professionals we spoke with during our research told us that’s changing—and good ones sell for a premium.
The Navajo model line is confusing. The PA-31 was produced in a half-dozen variants spanning two fuselage sizes over a 17-year production run beginning in 1967 and ending in 1984. All told, just over 1500 were built, the lion’s share of them the long-fuselage Chieftain version. Many of these have found their way to Europe and the Pacific, where they are valued as commuter airliners.