(by Sean Smith)
1. Fuel flow is from EITHER Left or Right tank, there is no “BOTH”. So good practice is to remember to switch from one tank to the other every half hour. Switch is by the pilot’s left knee. A handy tip: Jot down the times you switch tanks on your kneeboard, so you won’t find yourself thinking “gee, did I switch tanks in the last half hour?”
2. There is a secondary fuel pump, which the checklist will tell you to turn on for take-off, and for landing. It is normally off for cruise, but should be turned on when switching tanks. This is in case the primary engine-driven lift pump ever fails at a critical stage in flight, the secondary pump is already operational. (remember, it has to suck fuel up from those low wing tanks – no gravity feed here!) It should be turned on prior to start-up, so you will be able to hear the pump come on, confirming it is operational.
3. There is one door, with a roof-mounted latching mechanism. Getting in and out is a bit more awkward than the 2-door Cessnas. Passengers who have mobility issues will find this awkward. And, bear in mind, in the event of an off-field landing, the only way out is across the passenger, via the right-side door. The overhead latch needs to be verified as fully closed. I have had it happen myself that a passenger latched it, thought it was engaged, but shortly after take-off a distinct wind-noise makes it clear that the door is not fully closed. It will not open in flight (the slip-stream keeps it mostly closed), but it can be distracting, especially for nervous passengers.
4. Useful load is somewhat less than the standard 172. Yes, there are back seats, and seat belts for 4, but these planes were designed back in the day when the average American was not overweight, and 4 seats meant Mom and Dad in front, and the kids in the back.
5. The wheel pants, while looking very cool, and adding perhaps a couple knots to cruising speed, do mean that checking / filling tires (if needed) is awkward, and they really aren’t suited to grass field operations, as clumps of grass (especially if wet) can get plugged up inside the wheel pants.
6. Instead of electrically-activated flaps on a toggle switch, the Cherokee uses a manual flap system, with a “Johnson Bar“, looks very much like an old school car hand-brake. I consider this to be an advantage, no electric motors or wiring to fail when you least expect it.
7. Elevator trim is via a hand-crank on the ceiling, not the standard trim wheel like in Cessnas. I seem to always start cranking the wrong way at first, but you will know it immediately (within a half-turn), but after that it is quite easy to use and works well. Handy tip: if you rotate the crank so the handle will (almost) hit you in the forehead, this is nose up. If you rotate the other way so the handle might hit you in the back of the head, this is nose down. The elevator is the entire horizontal stabilizer, with the trim tab spanning the entire back half of the elevator, not a separate little trim tab on the right side like on the Cessna.
8. There is a separate rudder trim wheel, which can be handy for minor adjustments in cruise, if you find you need to keep some constant manual rudder trim on. Do not try adjusting rudder trim while on the ground, this puts tension on the cables.
9. The rudder is not movable when on the ground, so this is not a feature which can be checked with the rudder pedals when fully stopped, unlike the Cessna.
10. The throttle and mixture control are in a true “throttle quadrant“, not push-pull knobs like the Cessna. You’ll probably like the feel of it, feels much sportier and more like something you’d find in the bigger planes.
11. While the “six-pack” is a standard arrangement (and you’ll like the digital AV-30 instrument which replaces the old attitude indicator), some of the other features like ignition key, power switches, etc., are in a different layout than in the 172. This means that if you rely on a memorized, left-to-right pre-landing check procedure, you’ll find some items are not where you are expecting, and this can throw you off your game a bit until you get used to it.
12. The ignition key needs to be turned to “START” and pushed in simultaneously to engage the starter. Otherwise nothing happens. I think this feature is designed to throw off rookies and airplane thieves.
13. The fresh air vents, sadly, are inferior to the Cessna “cans” at the top of the windscreen. The Piper vents are on the floor, at the ankles, so not the greatest at directing fresh air upwards to the pilot’s sweaty brow. (and the curved windshield canopy can be much more like a greenhouse). No opening window either, just a small vent window for shouting “Clear Prop!”. On hot days, taxiing with the right-side door partially open is common practice, but bear in mind the need to ensure it is fully latched before take-off. The vents are opened & closed by little metal tabs that can be hard to reach. (especially the passenger side one, for some reason). And, even when fully closed, there is a strong draft of cold air on winter days. I had to stuff a toque partly into one of them once on a winter flight.
14. Our Cherokee is fully IFR instrument equipped, with a functional VOR, and a CDI slaved to the GPS system. These can be fun to use if trying to get more instrument experience, or as general aids to navigation for cross-country flights. (I also prefer the Cherokee for night flights, I find the interior lighting to be the best of the 3 planes.)
15. The check-list procedure for use of the Carb Heat differs from the 172. Carb heat is on for power-off descents, but should be turned off at short final. I believe the rationale here is that if you need to do a last-minute go-around, you will have full power to do so.
16. There is NO Stall Warning Horn. Instead, there is a red light, at the left of the panel on the pilot’s side, which will light up when a stall is imminent. Instead of using the reed-based horn system that Cessnas have, it uses a small metal flap on the leading edge of the left wing.
17. There are fewer things visible for inspection on the walk-around. The cables for tail empennage flight surfaces are mostly within the airframe and not visible. Checking bolts and hinges on the underside of the wings requires getting down on your knees for a good look-around. On the plus side, the engine cowling is fully accessible on both sides. SOOO much smarter than the Cessna design. You can see everything. Just make sure the latches are closed properly.
18. If you ever have to fill up the fuel tanks yourself, you will LOVE the Cherokee! None of this getting out ladders and dragging heavy hoses up on top of the wing foolishness. Just walk right up to it, dead easy. The tanks hold a total of 48 gallons useable (24 per side). When you look inside the filler vent, you will see a little metal tab, this indicates fuel level of 18 gallons, so it’s a quick way to gauge whether you have tanks at 3/4 full (or not). There is no “straw”, instead we use a calibrated wooden dipstick. This can be harder to gauge to see where the fuel level actually is. I believe you can get straws for the Cherokee, but they are harder to come by, and have gotten lost in the past. You cannot use a Cessna straw, it will give you an incorrect reading due to the different size & shape of the tanks.
19. Toe brakes are ONLY on the pilot (left hand) side. Co-pilot side has rudder pedals, but no toe brakes. Must have been a cost-saving option. It does mean that whenever you do a check-ride, you’ll be the only one who can operate the brakes.
20. While visibility to the sides is not the greatest, due to the low-wing, you will love the visibility when turning. Wing disappears! You can totally see where you are going (and other A/C) instead of having to try and peer ahead of the wing. You will realize why all fighter planes are low-wing design.
21. The wing being a bit shorter than the 172, you will find roll rate to be faster. It will feel a bit more twitchy and unstable at first, until you get used to it. It also cruises faster (about 110 knots) due to less drag. But the sink rate is also higher on account of that.
22. Sink rate notwithstanding, you may find landings to be much smoother, as there is greater ground effect with the low wing, this tends to soften the touch-down.
After you get used to these different features, you should find the Cherokee to be fun and sporty to fly.