Piper Arrow Guide and Specs: Is It High Performance?
Introduction This is the Piper Arrow, one of
the Piper PA28 ‘Cherokee’ aircraft, a whole family of fairly similar aircraft built by Piper, mainly
designed for flight training and general aviation use. Despite that, the Arrow isn't the fastest,
the roomiest, or the most stylish single-engine retractable available on the used market. But-just
as all cross-country airplanes are compromises-it has enough of those qualities to give it enduring
popularity. And it might be the most economical, if you don't mind giving up some cruise speed to
others in its class, like a Mooney or Bonanza. It also has the advantage of not being an
orphan-the Arrow is still being made.
Design Overview The arrow is all-metal aircraft,
single-engined, piston-powered airplane, with low-mounted wings and one door on
the right-hand side. Piper don’t get enough credit for the beauty of this plane, because
to my opinion, the P-seeries are one of the most sleek and beautiful airplanes in general aviation.
From the landing gear legs and retractable gear system to the lighting on the exterior
of the aircraft, this is an aircraft that the Piper Design team put a lot of effort
into making sure that it looks as excellent as it gets. From top to bottom it impresses.
Interior
Access to the cabin is via a single door on the right side of the plane.
The interior is quite comfortable, with space for four passengers. Because of the single door,
egress is not the best; especially when compared to the double-doored Cardinal RG,
Cutlass RG, Commander 112 and the Beech Sierra. Performance (Arrow III)
The 200-HP Arrow is an unremarkable performer; the 180-HP version is even less remarkable.
Cruise speeds range from 130-knots in the 180-HP model to 143-knots in the normally aspirated
200-HP T-tail model, and as high as 170-knots for a turbocharged model flown in the teens.
The normally aspirated Arrows generally burn 9 to 12 GPH, while the turbocharged versions drink
about 14 GPH when pushed. The Arrow 1 and 2 had limited range, because the fuel capacity was only
48 gallons. Beginning with the taper-wing Arrow III, 72-gallon fuel tanks eliminated that problem.
Climbing performance is abysmal. To start with, the Arrow is not a STOL airplane,
but it doesn’t lift off the runway easily like other planes in its class.
Handling
The Arrow handles much like any PA-28, which is to say it’s fairly benign. Stalls are a non-event.
The wing loading is lower than higher-performance retractables like the Bonanza and Mooney,
which means a less solid ride in turbulence and at lower speeds. However, that’s also a benefit
during landing. The Piper Arrow is similar to all the PA28 Cherokee family in being easy to
fly and having no real vices. In fact, it is so similar that it has been described as a repurposed
Cherokee. One important way it stands out from its siblings is that– it has retractable landing gear,
providing extra speed and saving fuel. Also, it is designed to be an excellent first retractable
for pilots, in that the landing gear on an Arrow is automatic. This ingenious system
prevents the gear from being raised too early on takeoff or put down too late before landing.
How it works is that after takeoff, the system will not let the gear retract
until a safe climb speed has been reached, and during the approach to landing,
it automatically extends the wheels if power and airspeed go below a certain amount.
Variants
The Piper Arrow has had a large number of variants during the more than 50 years it
has been produced. The original 1967 Arrow had a 180 horsepower Lycoming engine,
and more than 1,100 of these were sold in the first two years of production.
This was then increased to a 200-horsepower engine.
Next, in 1972, came the Piper Arrow II. This had an extended fuselage for increased passenger
comfort, wider cabin windows and doors, and an updated paint scheme. It also got a modified
upswept rudder and an increase in wingspan to improve the takeoff run and rate of climb.
The Piper Arrow III came along in 1977. It had a new semi-tapered wing, which was actually a copy
of that of the Cherokee 140. It also had improved glide performance and better fuel capacity.
The Turbo Arrow III, which was produced in 1977, was the first turbo version of the Arrow.
Next, in 1979, came the Piper Arrow IV, with a new T-tail design. This was meant to improve things,
but was not successful overall and was removed by the end of the 1980s.
The turbo version of the Arrow IV was given the same T-tail,
but with the same result. Finally, we have the New Piper Arrow, the current model. This
is powered by a 200-horsepower Lycoming engine and also has Garmin G500 avionics.
So there really are numerous different Piper Arrows for different pilot requirements
and wallet sizes! Common Problems
The automatic landing gear is one thing owners should pay a considerable attention to. Many
pilots have no issues at all with it, and Piper even provided a kit to disable it.
Like all the PA28 series, the Arrow has only one door on the right-hand side. Some people find
this a problem, as it means the passengers have to enter the aircraft last and leave it first.
This could cause difficulties for passengers unfamiliar with light aircraft or who need
assistance climbing aboard or getting out. Indeed, in an emergency, it could even prevent everyone
from leaving quickly, although I have never heard of this being the cause of an accident.
But some pilots do not like PA28s for this reason, and it is certainly worth bearing in mind.
Wing spar cracks is a problem this model generally face, just as almost all PA28 aircraft. Other than
these, the Arrow has few problems and is generally a safe, comfortable, and easy-to-fly aircraft. Of
course, there are the usual problems relating to pilot error and occasional mechanical malfunction,
but not much else specific to the Arrow. Maintenance
Maintaining a Piper Arrow is similar to that of the rest of the PA28 family.
Since these aircraft are so popular, it should not be hard to find mechanics and engineers who are
familiar with them. When it comes to sourcing for parts, since the Piper Archer is still in
production, obtaining new parts is not at all difficult, and numerous companies sell them,
or they can be obtained from Piper itself. And many companies can be found online selling parts
for older models. Market Performance
While the market has changed, the Arrow soldiers on. When the Arrow was introduced,
its only real competition came from Mooney's early M20s. Other manufacturers soon realized
the viability of the market segment, however, and it wasn't long before other competitors appeared.
Beech's offering was the rather lackluster but roomy Sierra,
while Cessna weighed in first with the Cardinal RG, then the Cutlass. Rockwell also got into the
small retractable business with the Commander 112, and Mooney upped the ante with the landmark 201.
Mooney won in the sense of speed and efficiency, which have great value.
With nearly 7,000 Arrows produced overall, a large number of all the different variants
are still in circulation. Therefore, there is an extremely wide range of prices when second-hand
models are considered in addition to new Arrows. The best buys are the early models. You can get
one in good condition for $100,000 or less, but as mentioned before, they have a limited range,
so if you decide to get the Arrow 3, be prepared to spend anything around $150,000
for one maintained nicely. Arrows to keep their value well, and you are unlikely to lose money
when you want to sell yours. Of course, prices vary to a large extent depending on the variant
and how well it has been maintained. Similar Aircraft
For me, the Arrow competes primarily with the fixed gear Cessna 172, the Grumman AA-5 series,
and the Beechcraft Musketeer. The Musketeer was a big deal when it was newly introduced.
With all-metal fuselages, trailing link landing gear, and great handling characteristics,
it was one of the most exciting planes to fly. You can get one with a Lycoming engine,
or a Continental engine if you go for one of the early models. The Musketeer family are solid,
decent performers, roomier than their competitors, and reasonable to own and maintain. There are
Musketeers ranging from the 150-hp Sport, designed for training with one fewer window per side,
to the Custom III (which was later named "Sundowner") to the Super III, a 200-hp fixed-gear
model that would cruise at an advertised 130 knots and close to that in real life.
The 200-hp, retractable-gear Sierra isn’t a great bargain on the used market,
though it’s developed from the same type certificate as the original Musketeer of 1966.
The cheapest musketeer I saw during my research was listed for $60,000, a 74-sport model. There
are a number of other aircraft in this price category; indeed, prospective buyers are quite
spoiled for choice when it comes to aircraft like this, and it depends to a large extent on exactly
what you want. The advantage of the Arrow is that it is retractable, which is fairly unusual in
aircraft of this type and price range. Conclusion
The Piper Arrow is an easy-to-fly, safe aircraft and is very popular. It is bought
by many pilots as their first aircraft with retractable gear and is designed to
make this aspect of flying easy for those new to it. It comes in many different variants to
suit different pilots with different levels of experience and wanting different price ranges,
so there should be a version to suit everyone. Why not try flying one and see what you think?