Private Single Engine
Overview
The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of single-engine, low-wing, all-metal light aircraft. It first flew on January 14, 1960 and has been in production since 1961. The family covers the Cherokee, Warrior, Archer, Arrow, Dakota and Cadet, and it is flown for personal travel, flight training and air taxi work. The specification panel on this page describes the 1964 PA-28-140.
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Specifications
Units
- Engine
- 1 × Lycoming O-320-E2A
- Engine type
- Piston
- Power
- 150 hp · 112 kW
- Avionics
- —
- Wing tips
- No winglets
- Seats
- 4
- Crew
- —
- Cabin width
- 3 ft 4 in · 1.01 m
- Cabin height
- 3 ft 7 in · 1.09 m
- Cabin length
- 8 ft 2 in · 2.50 m
- Exterior length
- 23 ft 4 in · 7.10 m
- Tail height
- 7 ft 3 in · 2.22 m
- Fuselage diameter
- 3 ft 9 in · 1.15 m
- Wing span
- 30 ft 0 in · 9.14 m
- Baggage volume
- 21 ft³ · 0.6 m³
- Gross weight
- —
- Empty weight
- 1,201 lb · 545 kg
- Max takeoff weight
- 2,150 lb · 1,000 kg
- Max landing weight
- 2,150 lb · 1,000 kg
- Max payload
- 950 lb · 400 kg
- Fuel capacity
- 50 gal · 200 L · 100 kg (AvGas)
- Maximum speed
- 123 kt · 142 mph · 228 km/h
- Cruise speed
- 108 kt · 124 mph · 200 km/h
- Approach speed
- —
- Range
- 465 nm · 540 mi · 860 km
- Fuel burn
- —
- Ceiling
- 14,300 ft · 4,400 m
- Rate of climb
- 660 ft/min · 3 m/s
- Takeoff distance
- 1,650 ft · 500 m
- Landing distance
- 1,850 ft · 560 m
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Operational Context
Table of Contents
What is the Piper PA-28 Cherokee?
The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of single-engine, low-wing, all-metal light aircraft built by Piper Aircraft. The first PA-28 flew on January 14, 1960, and production began in 1961.
More than 32,000 have been built, and the line is still in production. The current Archer and Pilot 100i trainers are direct descendants of the 1960 design.
Why Piper built the Cherokee
Piper designed the Cherokee as a cheaper alternative to its PA-24 Comanche. Fred Weick, Karl Bergey and John Thorp worked on it, with Weick named as the lead designer.
It had simpler construction and lower parts costs than the Comanche. That let it compete with the high-wing Cessna 172, which dominated the four-seat market.
Cherokee variants and what changed
The first Cherokees, the PA-28-150 and PA-28-160, appeared in 1961 with Lycoming O-320 engines. The 180 hp PA-28-180 followed in 1962, and it was the first Cherokee that could comfortably carry four adults.
The PA-28-140 arrived in 1964 as a cheaper two-seat trainer, later offered as a four-seat Cruiser. Its Lycoming O-320-E2A engine is the one described in the specification panel.
A 235 hp PA-28-235 appeared in 1963, and a retractable-gear version, the PA-28R-180 Cherokee Arrow, followed in 1967. The Arrow added a constant-speed propeller as well.
The family then split into named models:
- Challenger and Archer (1973 onward): a 180 hp Lycoming O-360 engine. The Archer II and Archer III followed.
- Warrior (1974 onward): the PA-28-151 and later PA-28-161 Warrior II and III, with 150 or 160 hp O-320 engines and a tapered wing.
- Cadet (1988): a trainer developed from the Warrior II.
- Dakota (1977 onward): a PA-28-236 with a 235 hp Lycoming O-540 engine, plus a turbocharged version in 1979.
- Arrow II, III and IV: retractable-gear models with 200 hp engines. The Arrow IV adopted a T-tail.
The Cherokee today
Piper still builds the family. Its current lineup includes the Archer TX and LX, which use gasoline engines, and the Archer DX and DLX, which use a Continental diesel. The Pilot 100i is sold as a trainer.
The Archer diesel models entered production in 2014. Piper lists the TX, DX and Pilot 100i as trainers and the LX and DLX for personal flying.
Reading the specification panel
The full specification table for the aircraft is on this page, and it describes the 1964 PA-28-140. That matters because the family spans a wide range of engines and weights.
Later Archers and Dakotas carry more power than the 140 and a higher gross weight. Treat the panel as the baseline Cherokee, not the whole family.
The speed rows are easy to misread. The panel’s max cruise speed row holds the 140’s top speed,, and the cruise speed is listed separately.
Accidents and incidents
The Cherokee’s numbers mean it appears in many accident records. Two midair collisions with airliners shaped US airspace rules.
In 1969, Allegheny Airlines Flight 853, a DC-9, collided with a PA-28R over Indiana. In 1986, Aeromexico Flight 498 collided with a PA-28-181 Archer over Cerritos, California, which led to transponder and TCAS requirements.
In 2018, a PA-28 operated by Embry-Riddle lost its left wing to metal fatigue in the spar. Wikipedia records that the accident killed two people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the specifications of the Piper Cherokee 180?
The PA-28-180 was introduced in 1962 with a 180 hp Lycoming O-360 engine. The extra power let it carry four people comfortably, and the specification panel on this page describes the smaller PA-28-140 for comparison.
Is the Piper Cherokee still in production?
Yes. Piper still builds the Archer TX, Archer LX, Archer DX, Archer DLX and Pilot 100i, all descended from the PA-28.
How many Piper Cherokees have been built?
More than 32,000 PA-28 family aircraft have been built since production began in 1961.
What is the difference between a Cherokee and a Warrior?
The Warrior is a later development with a tapered wing, while the original Cherokee uses a straight, untapered wing. Both belong to the PA-28 family.
Who designed the Piper Cherokee?
Fred Weick led the design, working with Karl Bergey and John Thorp. It was built as a cheaper alternative to the Comanche.
Sources and references used for research and fact-checking.