The Piper PA-28 family, including the Cherokee, Warrior, Archer, Dakota and Arrow, is a line of four-seat, low-wing, single-engine airplanes used for training and private flying since 1960. Next to the Cessna 172, it is the small plane you will see most often over US towns.
Piper PA-28 at a glance
- First flight
- 1960
- Length
- ~24 ft (7.3 m)
- Wingspan
- 30 ft (9.1 m) early; 35 ft (10.7 m) tapered wing
- Engines
- 1 × Lycoming O-320, O-360 or IO-360 piston engine (140–200 hp)
- Seats
- 4
- Cruise speed
- ~110–140 kt (127–161 mph)
- Service ceiling
- ~11,000–14,000 ft
- Range
- ~450–600 nmi
How to recognize the Piper PA-28
The PA-28 is the low-wing counterpart to the Cessna 172. From below it looks like a small cross: a straight wing under the cabin and a single propeller.
- Low wing: mounted under the cabin with no struts. Early Cherokees have a constant-chord "Hershey bar" wing; models from the mid-1970s on (Warrior, Archer) have a longer, tapered wing.
- Landing gear: fixed tricycle gear on most models; the Arrow (P28R and P28T) has retractable gear.
- Tail: a stabilator, a one-piece moving horizontal tail. Most have a low tail; the Arrow IV (P28T) has a T-tail.
- Engine: one piston engine in the nose with a two-bladed propeller.
- Cabin: one door on the right side, over the wing.
- Sound: a typical small-plane buzz, very similar to a Cessna's.
- Speed and altitude: 100 to 140 kt, usually under 10,000 ft.
The quickest way to tell it from a Cessna 172 is wing placement: low on the Piper, high on the Cessna. The Cirrus SR22 is also low-winged, but sleeker, faster and usually with a three-bladed prop.
On the ground, the PA-28 looks low and wide, with its wings close to the ground and the single door on the right side.
Where and when you'll see it
PA-28s fly from flight schools, flying clubs and private hangars all over the US. Large training organizations, including ATP and many university programs, use Archers for primary training, and thousands are privately owned. Expect to see them on weekend mornings and clear afternoons.
They typically fly 1,500 to 9,500 ft. On ADS-B they usually broadcast the N-number as the callsign; the type code depends on the model: P28A for Cherokee, Warrior and Archer; P28B for the 235 and Dakota; P28R for the Arrow; P28T for the T-tail Arrow IV. See how ADS-B works to understand why small planes sometimes appear and disappear.
Flight schools and private owners fly PA-28s on short trips between local airports, often on weekends. They are also used for sightseeing flights and pilot proficiency checks.
Easily confused with
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk: The Cessna 172 has a high wing with struts.
- Cirrus SR22: The SR22 has a sleeker composite body, a three-blade prop and a longer, tapered wing.
Quick facts
- More than 30,000 PA-28s have been built in dozens of variants since 1960.
- The PA-28's all-moving horizontal tail, called a stabilator, gives it light and responsive pitch control.
- The Archer is still in production, more than 60 years after the first Cherokee flew.
Piper PA-28 questions
What is the difference between a Cherokee, Warrior and Archer?
They are all PA-28s. The names mark different engines and wing designs: the Warrior and Archer have the longer tapered wing, and the Archer has a 180 hp engine.
Why does my tracker say P28A?
P28A is the ICAO designator covering most fixed-gear PA-28 models, including the Cherokee, Warrior and Archer.
Cities where it's a regular
Spot one live
Open the live sky tool and look for P28A in the type column, or browse the live map on airplanes.live.