PA28-140 aircraft technical information. This page is mainly copied from the pilot’s operating handbook which is the definitive source for all things relating to this aircraft. The PA28 was introduced in 1961 although the concept was being explored by Piper Aircraft Corporation in 1953. It was designed to compete with the Cessna 172 which is the most produced aircraft in the world including military aircraft of the Second World War. The PA28 has an all metal airframe with just one door on the passenger side. It has a tubular steel engine mount. The engine power is 150hp at 2700 rpm. 

The fuel type is AVGAS 100LL available at our base airfield. G-ATON cannot run on 91UL. All PA28s are built at Vero Beach, Florida with around 24 designated variants. Our aircraft (PA-28 Cherokee), serial number: 28-21654 was manufactured in 1966. This makes it a vintage aircraft and is powered by a Lycoming O320-E2A four cylinder engine with a Sensenich M74DM6-0-58 two-bladed, aluminium propeller. Being an older, vintage aircraft, it has a cabin roof trim, hand brake lever near your right knee in the left hand seat and no audible stall warning indicator merely a red light on the left hand side of the panel.

The wingspan is shorter than later models of PA28 and handling is not compromised. Stalling is quite a docile affair with no tendency to drop a wing (famous last words). As always, treat the edges of the flight envelope with respect exploring only with sufficient height above ground level with all of the normal checks etc. Despite not having toe brakes, steering on the ground is very good – easily as good as with differential braking. Care should be taken when extending the flaps during the A-Check as there are reported cases of flaps not retracting from stage 3 (40 degrees) when there’s no airflow over the wings.