Aviation's Apex - Piper's Perfection

[niss]

Never before has a fury been unleashed upon the skies like C-FUBC with an extra 10 ponies under the cowl and I at the helm.

Who needs sexy fighter lines when you have 18" thick Hershey bar wings?

Who needs the grace and splendor of a sail plane riding thermals aloft, when you you have a glide ratio marginally better than a cinder block.

You can keep your fancy computer driven jets, and vintage warbirds, for I chose to be a skipper on the mighty PA28 who can soar with the grace and speed of many types of sea gulls and only if the weather permits.

My ship and I are the pinnacle of aviation, but only during the day and in VFR.

I am the captain of the mighty Cherokee! The envy of the skies!

[pdw]

Over 30,000 built ...

[5x5]

Congrats on the return to the heavens niss. (BTW, spell check corrects niss to a similar word starting with the preceding consonant, just so you know. )

Over 30,000 built ...

And thank you Mr. Buzzkill.

[CFR]

Never before has a fury been unleashed upon the skies like C-FUBC with an extra 10 ponies under the cowl and I at the helm.

Who needs sexy fighter lines when you have 18" thick Hershey bar wings?

Who needs the grace and splendor of a sail plane riding thermals aloft, when you you have a glide ratio marginally better than a cinder block.

You can keep your fancy computer driven jets, and vintage warbirds, for I chose to be a skipper on the mighty PA28 who can soar with the grace and speed of many types of sea gulls and only if the weather permits.

My ship and I are the pinnacle of aviation, but only during the day and in VFR.

I am the captain of the mighty Cherokee! The envy of the skies!

[sstaurus]

I'm sure those seagulls fly VFR only too!

[trey kule]

I am pretty sure Jonathon Livingston was IF and night rated. (I have to wonder, how many people here will get this reference)

Anyway, Niss, glad to ser you are enjoying the plane. It is actually real flying.

[Meatservo]

I am pretty sure Jonathon Livingston was IF and night rated. (I have to wonder, how many people here will get this reference)

Richard Bach. Former USAF fighter-pilot-turned-authour. Wrote some pretty good feelings-ey sort of stuff about flying before going nuts and writing about leaving his body and soul-mates and stuff.

[iflyforpie]

I love the Cherokee.

Every time I do an annual on one... I am absolutely amazed at what the design engineers came up with even though ten years before they were building tube and fabric piss pots. The simplicity, the synergy, the adaptability of the airframe, and the performance on such a modest horsepower budget.

Let's put an NACA 6-series laminar flow wing on it. Not because it will make any difference in performance on such a lightly loaded airframe... but because it will sell more airplanes to the jet-set and allow us to make the main spar carry through into the front of the rear seats.

Forget about a sub floor... it adds frontal area and weight... we'll make a raceway down the center for the controls, and put chines on the bottom for extra strength just like Grumman does (even though they do it on boats ).

The stabilator... pure genius... just like that F-104 that just came out... but also less drag in a variety of trimmed conditions.

Wide track landing gear that are bolted straight to the main spar.

Fuel tanks that are simply removed and installed without mucking with access panels (as long as someone put structural screws back in).

Then good ol' Piper stables... manual flaps, the right brand of engine up front, and the hand brakes.

Plus the thing looks like it's going Mach 2 just on the ramp... and also when it is going 95 knots overhead....


Yeah... the controls are anemic, the climb rate atrocious, the cockpit a greenhouse, and it gives your passengers a wonderful view of the wing when flying... The parts are more difficult to come by. You need to be a contortionist to get in and out. You will get soaked in the rain standing outside of it. You will tire of lugging everything up onto the wing to put it in the one tiny door. You will always have to pay more for hangar space unless you know a couple of people with Lamborghinis that can park under the wings. But all minor things compared to the plane that makes any pilot look good flying it.

Piper Cherokee... we salute you. And the Challengers, and the Sixes, and the Warriors, and the Dakotas, and the Archers, and the Arrows, and Lances, and the Saratogas.... should we include the Senecas and Seminoles in this too?

[eddyb123]

''You will tire of lugging everything up onto the wing to put it in the one tiny door.''

Not on my PA-28-160. The luggage compartment is conveniently located just before the wing, and you can drop stuff into it from the pilot seat by lobbing said stuff over the back seat.

The view isn't that bad. As I flew over the Rockies the other year I was over come with delight with the view.

[Big Pistons Forever]

Flying a Cherokee may not seem terribly sexy but you are still doing something less than 1 % of the population can do.

[iflyforpie]

''You will tire of lugging everything up onto the wing to put it in the one tiny door.''

Not on my PA-28-160. The luggage compartment is conveniently located just before the wing, and you can drop stuff into it from the pilot seat by lobbing said stuff over the back seat.

What happened to the step?

[Shiny Side Up]

''You will tire of lugging everything up onto the wing to put it in the one tiny door.''

Not on my PA-28-160. The luggage compartment is conveniently located just before the wing, and you can drop stuff into it from the pilot seat by lobbing said stuff over the back seat.

What happened to the step?

Probably removed as part of a Knots2U STC.

I've always liked the Cherokee, in spite of some of its shortfalls. It doesn't matter what you ride as long as you ride after all.

[CpnCrunch]

The Archer is very nice - the 180hp gives a really good climb and decent cruise. It's only ruined by having that single door.

[niss]

''You will tire of lugging everything up onto the wing to put it in the one tiny door.''

Not on my PA-28-160. The luggage compartment is conveniently located just before the wing, and you can drop stuff into it from the pilot seat by lobbing said stuff over the back seat.

Ugh.. I would give my middle nut to have a luggage compartment on UBC. Anyone know of an STC or should I just go at it with a sawzall, some cardboard and ducttape?

[eddyb123]

It never had a step when I bought it ,but walmart had a plastic stool for 10 bucks, so that's what I use. I saw a step kit for not much cash but somehow I don't need the step. The guy who had the A/C before me was 82 when he quit, he owned it for 26 years, used to just sit down on the wing and then stand up from there. I'm still jumping off the wing but a sit down is starting to look good.

[iflyforpie]

I was being a bit facetious. The step is a common thing to break on those planes and most that are still attached are quite distorted... making mounting the airplane a little difficult when carrying child seats, stepping on that step, trying to avoid the no step area of the flap, and twisting your hand around to reach the hand hold while trying to not get caught on the sharp edges of the open baggage door if you forgot to close it... The Walmart step would definitely be an improvement!

Of course.... we Cessna drivers have the shin bashers to deal with.... along with the occasional bout of 'diamonds in the forehead'.

[Rookie50]

I was being a bit facetious. The step is a common thing to break on those planes and most that are still attached are quite distorted... making mounting the airplane a little difficult when carrying child seats, stepping on that step, trying to avoid the no step area of the flap, and twisting your hand around to reach the hand hold while trying to not get caught on the sharp edges of the open baggage door if you forgot to close it... The Walmart step would definitely be an improvement!

Of course.... we Cessna drivers have the shin bashers to deal with.... along with the occasional bout of 'diamonds in the forehead'.

Yep, got a few forehead dents.

[Old Dog Flying]

Good old UBC; got lots of hours instructing in that beast at Moose Jaw, 1971-76.

Barney Snowflake One

[PilotDAR]

PA 28 raft access modification - not STC'd

[CamAero]

Of course.... we Cessna drivers have the shin bashers to deal with.... along with the occasional bout of 'diamonds in the forehead'.

Yup...

Would like to install that beaded trailing edge into the flaps on my A/C one day.