History of the Cherokee

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The History of the Cherokee - By Wade Sullivan

A short Read on a Long History:  Single-Engine Piper Cherokees:

 Throughout the 1950’s, Piper had great success in the low-end airplane market with its PA-20 Pacer and PA-22 Tri-Pacer.  Although old-school tube-and-fabric designs, Piper was able to produce them cheaply, and they performed very well compared to their competition.  As early as 1952, however, the need for a more-modern, all-metal airplane to compete with Cessna’s Model 170 had been acknowledged.  It was then that Piper officials tried to purchase a 4-place Mooney design (that eventually became the Mooney Mark 20), but designer Al Mooney refused to sell.

After considering other designs available at the time, Piper decided to design its own modern airplane.  In 1953, aeronautical engineer Fred Weick (NACA cowling, Ercoupe) did a cost study for Piper to find if building an all-aluminum airplane was economically feasible.  Weick determined that Piper was spending 8% more to produce the Tri Pacer than Cessna was spending to produce the 170. 

Weick had developed a friendship with Pug Piper, son of company president William Piper.  Together, in 1956, Weick and Pug Piper established the overall design of a next-generation Piper airplane.  It was to be an all-metal design, with low wing, tricycle landing gear, 150 HP Lycoming engine, and would have a cabin width of 42 inches, roomier than the Tri Pacer, but not as wide as the more-expensive PA-24 Comanche that was just entering production.

In early 1957, Piper contracted with airplane designer John Thorpe (T-18, Sky Scooter) to do a preliminary design study of the PA-28.  By April of that year, Weick had joined Piper as the director and chief engineer of the Piper development center.  He and aeronautical engineer Karl Bergey began the final design of the PA-28 using Thorpe’s study and input from Pug Piper. 

The final result was dubbed the “Cherokee” by Piper, and had less than 50% as many parts as the similarly all-metal Comanche.  The airplane was simple to build, simple to maintain, and simple to fly, light, reasonable fast, and could be produced less-expensively than the Tri pacer.  Many thoughtful and innovative features were incorporated into the design:

·          All-Flying stabilator designed by John Thorpe, similar to many other Thorpe designs, saved weight and reduced wetted area in the tail.

·          Beaded skins on the tail and control surfaces, also used by Thorpe on many of his other designs, which provide stiffness without increasing the parts count.

·          Fuel tanks of similar design to the Ercoupe designed by Fred Weick, which form the leading edge airfoil and structure of the wing, saving weight, reducing parts count, and simplifying fuel tank maintenance.

·          Fiberglass used for non-structural complex shapes such places as cowlings, wingtips, and stabilizer tips for ease of manufacture, lightness, and durability.

·          Extremely simple construction, with very few complex curves in any aluminum panels.

·          Tricycle landing gear with 10-foot tread for ease of handling, similar to Fred Weick’s Ercoupe design.  Simple oleo-strut landing gear designed by John Thorpe.

·          Single cockpit entry door on the right side, similar to the contemporary Beechcraft Bonanza.

·          NACA 65-415 airfoil for the wing, with the maximum thickness near the mid-chord, allowing a deep and strong single wing spar.  By having the spar located at the mid-chord, it was possible to locate the rear seat over the spar, making for a wide-open cabin floor under the front seats.  This airfoil is also a laminar-flow section, improving performance of the airplane.

·          Simple manually-operated flaps saved weight and give the pilot direct control of the movement of the flaps.

·          External stiffeners under the cabin floor (which is also the outside skin of the airplane) save weight and simplify construction compared to contemporary internal-structure designs from Cessna and Beechcraft.  By installing the stiffeners externally, there is more headroom in the cabin without having to make the cabin section of the airplane taller.

Cutaway drawing of the PA-32 Cherokee Six

This view shows the original constant-chord wing common to all Cherokees prior to 1977.

(Flight International)

An experimental prototype was completed and made its first flight on January 10, 1960.  After an accelerated flight testing program, a type certificate for the type was issued on October 31, 1960.  The airplane was a sales hit from the very beginning, selling 286 in the first year, and ramping up and spawning several variants.

The prototype Cherokee first flew on January 10, 1960.

(Piper Aviation Museum)

A variety of powerplants were eventually approved for the basic airframe, from a 140-HP Lycoming O-320 to a 235-HP Lycoming O-540.  The model numbers of the airplanes denote the engine horsepower.  For example, the PA-28-140 has the 140-HP engine, the PA-28-180 has the 180-HP engine, and so on.  The basic airframe of the different models is the same.

The next big advance came in the form of Cherokee six.  The concept for this airplane actually started out as a six-place trimotor airplane, with three Lycoming O-235 engines and fixed-pitch propellers.  An experimental prototype was constructed by modifying a PA-28-235 with the following changes:

·          The cabin area of the fuselage was literally cut longitudinally along the centerline and a 7-inch plug installed between the two halves, making the cabin 7 inches wider than the basic PA-28.  The original idea was to provide a 7-inch aisle for passengers to reach the rear seats.  The prototype did not feature a rear door, as later installed on the PA-32 and PA-34 models.

·          A 36 inch plug was installed at the aft end of the cabin area, creating room enough for two additional seats, for a total of six.

·          The tail cone from the aft end of the cabin aft, was split down the middle, and a triangular section added so that at the front of the tailcone the width matched the new cabin dimensions, and at the rear it was the same as the original Cherokee.

·          To maintain balance, an additional plug was added between the front of the cabin and the front (center) engine.  This area was used as a baggage compartment.

·          The original PA-28-235 wings and tail were retained, but for the trimotor prototype an engine were added to leading edge of each of the wings.

After testing the concept the trimotor did not work out, but Fred Weick recognized the potential of an airplane with the larger cabin, so the wing engines were removed and a single 260-HP Lycoming O-540 installed in the nose.  The new single-engine airplane became the PA-32-260 Cherokee Six, one of Piper’s best load-hauling airplanes.  When equipped with a large rear door on the left side of the aft cabin, the type competed with Cessna’s model 206.  The type also served as the basis for the twin-engine PA-34 Seminole series airplanes, with the single engine removed and an engine mounted in each of the wings.

A Timeline of introductions for major models in the Cherokee Lineup:

January 1960:  First flight of the PA-28 Cherokee

October 1960:  Type certificate for the PA-28 issued

January 1961:  Airplane offered in two Major variants:  PA-28-150 with a 150-HP Lycoming O-320 engine and PA-28-160 with a 160 HP Lycoming O-320 engine.

August 1962:  PA-28-180 introduced with a 180 HP Lycoming O-360 engine.

February 1963:  PA-28S-160 and PA-28S-180 seaplane versions offered

August 1963:  PA-28-235 introduced to compete with Cessna’s model 182, with a 235 HP Lycoming O-540 engine.

February 1964:  PA-28-140 introduced with a de-rated 140 HP Lycoming O-320 engine to compete with Cessna’s model 150.

May 1965:  PA-32-260 Cherokee Six introduced to compete with Cessna’s Model 206.  Similar to a PA-28, except with a 4-foot longer and 7 inch wider cabin, accommodations for six seats, longer wings, and 260 HP Lycoming O-540 engine.

1967:  PA-32-300 Cherokee Six introduced, similar to PA-32-260 except with a 300 HP Lycoming IO-540 engine.

June 1697:  PA-28R-180 Arrow introduced, similar to PA-28-180 but with retractable gear.

1969:  PA-28R-200 Arrow introduced, same as PA-28R-180 except with 200 HP Lycoming IO-360 engine.

1972:  PA-28 Cherokee models get a 5-inch fuselage “stretch” adding more legroom for the rear seats.

1974:  PA-28-151 Warrior replaced the PA-28-150.  Similar to the PA-28-150, except with semi-tapered wing.

August 1974:  PA-32R-300 Lance Introduced, similar to the Cherokee Six but with retractable gear.

1976:  PA-28-181 Archer II replaced the PA-28-180.  Similar to the PA-28-180, except with semi-tapered wings.

1977:  PA-28-236 replaced the PA-28-235.  Similar to the PA-28-235, except with semi-tapered wings.

1978:  PA-28-161 Warrior replaced the PA-28-151.  Similar to the PA-28-151 except for 160 HP Lycoming O-320 engine.

The earliest Cherokee airplane still listed on the FAA registry is serial number 12, based in Arizona.  PA-28 airplanes are still being produced to this day:  The PA-28-181 Warrior III and PA-28R-200 Arrow are still available from Piper Aircraft.

The most-produced version of the Cherokee through the years has been the PA-28-180/-181 series.  Well over 10,000 have been built.  The carbureted 180 HP Lycoming O-360 engines installed on these airplanes has proven to be a combination of reliability, economy, and power that attract owners.  Below is a comparison between the first PA-28-180’s and the later PA-28-181 Archer airplanes:

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