View source for Piper PA-28 Cherokee

{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Piper PA-28 Cherokee
| image = G-AVRZ Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee C at Northrepps.jpg
| caption = Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee C. Photo: Mike Burdett, CC BY-SA 2.0, via [[commons:File:G-AVRZ Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee C at Northrepps.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Piper
| type = Civil utility aircraft
| first_flight = January 14, 1960
| produced = 1961–present
| number_built = 32,778+
| faa_registered = 18,213 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| seats = one, three passengers
| engine = Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 hp
| cruise = 108 kn (1964 model PA-28-140 Cherokee 140)
| range = 465 nmi (1964 model PA-28-140 Cherokee 140)
| ceiling = 14,300 ft (1964 model PA-28-140 Cherokee 140)
| gross_weight = 2,150 lb (1964 model PA-28-140 Cherokee 140)
| category = Piston singles
}}

The '''Piper PA-28 Cherokee''' is a family of all-metal, low-wing, single-engine light airplanes with two or four seats, built by Piper Aircraft for flight training, air taxi and personal flying. It is the fourth most produced aircraft in history: the first PA-28 was certified by the FAA in 1960, and the series is still built today.<ref name="wp"/> In the United States it is the most common airplane family of all, with 18,213 valid registrations.<ref name="faa"/>

Over the years Piper sold it under many names: Cherokee, Warrior, Archer, Dakota, Arrow and more. Engines run from 140 to 300 hp, and some versions added turbocharging, retractable landing gear or constant-speed propellers. Every PA-28 has a single door on the right side, reached by stepping onto the wing.<ref name="wp"/>

== History ==
When the Cherokee arrived, Piper's all-metal single was the larger, faster and costlier PA-24 Comanche. Karl Bergey, Fred Weick and John Thorp designed the Cherokee as a cheaper airplane to build and maintain, aimed squarely at the Cessna 172. The two Piper lines were built side by side for more than a decade, until the Comanche ended in 1972.<ref name="wp"/>

Production began in 1961 with the 150 and 160 hp Cherokees (the model number usually gives the horsepower). The PA-28-160 was certified first, on October 31, 1960. In 1962 came the 180 hp Cherokee 180 with a Lycoming O-360; the extra power made flying with four seats practical, and the model is still popular on the used market.<ref name="wp"/> Later additions included the simpler PA-28-140 trainer and the six-cylinder PA-28-235.<ref name="wp"/>

Piper stopped building the Archer in 2009, then put it back into production in 2010 under new ownership. As of 2026 five models were in production: the Archer TX and LX, the diesel Archer DX and DLX, and the Pilot 100i.<ref name="wp"/>

== Two wings: "Hershey Bar" and tapered ==
Early Cherokees have a straight, constant-chord wing that owners call the "Hershey Bar" wing for its likeness to the chocolate bar. Starting with the Warrior in 1974, Piper switched to a semi-tapered wing 2 feet longer in span. Lead designer Fred Weick said the change was made to improve stall behavior and add span, and side-by-side tests found better climb with the new wing. The first 1974 version of the tapered wing had a structural weakness, fixed on all later wings.<ref name="wp"/>

The six-seat PA-32 Cherokee Six grew out of the PA-28.<ref name="wp"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''18,213''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| PA-28-140 || 4,157
|-
| PA-28-180 || 3,451
|-
| PA-28-181 || 3,429
|-
| PA-28-161 || 1,501
|-
| PA-28R-200 || 1,203
|-
| PA-28-151 || 940
|-
| PA-28-235 || 843
|-
| PA-28R-180 || 528
|-
| PA-28-236 || 476
|-
| PA-28R-201T || 363
|-
| PA-28R-201 || 346
|-
| PA-28RT-201T || 254
|-
| PA-28-160 || 247
|-
| PA-28RT-201 || 178
|-
| PA-28-150 || 120
|-
| PA-28 || 114
|-
| PA-28-201T || 62
|-
| PA-28S-180 || 1
|}
</div>

== Specifications (1964 model PA-28-140 Cherokee 140) ==
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable"
! Item !! 1964 model PA-28-140 Cherokee 140
|-
| Crew || one
|-
| Passengers / capacity || three passengers
|-
| Length || 23 ft 3.6 in
|-
| Wingspan || 30 ft
|-
| Height || 7 ft 3.6 in
|-
| Wing area || 160 sq ft
|-
| Empty weight || 1,201 lb
|-
| Maximum takeoff weight || 2,150 lb
|-
| Engine || Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 hp (4-cylinder air-cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine)
|-
| Propeller || Sensenich M74DM
|-
| Maximum speed || 123 kn
|-
| Cruise speed || 108 kn
|-
| Stall speed || 47 kn
|-
| Range || 465 nmi
|-
| Service ceiling || 14,300 ft
|-
| Rate of climb || 660 ft/min
|}
</div>
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.<ref name="wp"/>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:Polly in flight riat2008 arp.jpg|Polly Vacher arrives at RIAT 2008 in her Piper PA-28-236 Dakota (G-FRGN). Photo: Adrian Pingstone (Arpingstone), Public domain
File:Piper PA-28 on floats N7866W.jpg|1964 Piper PA-28-180 on Floats. Photo: TimothyMN (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
File:Piper warrior.jpg|PA-28-161 Warrior II flying in the livery of the Singapore Youth Flying Club (SYFC). Photo: Bonchygeez at English Wikipedia, Public domain
File:Piper Chincul PA-28 Arrow.jpg|Argentine aircraft Piper Chincul PA-28 Arrow. Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
File:Piper PA-28 Cherokee - nice piper on a nice day (540786133).jpg|a nice piper on a nice day. Photo: Cory W. Watts from Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
File:Piper PA-28 Cherokee Rafael Luiz (28981730641).jpg|Piper PA-28 Cherokee. Photo: Rafael Luiz Canossa, CC BY-SA 2.0
File:Piper PA-28 Cherokee Rafael Luiz (14687208168).jpg|Piper PA-28 Cherokee. Photo: Rafael Luiz Canossa, CC BY-SA 2.0
File:Cockpit of Piper PA-28-151 (G-BOYH) at Bristol Airport, England 15May2016 arp.jpg|The cockpit of a Piper Aircraft Corporation PA-28-151 at Bristol Airport, England. Photo: Myself (Adrian Pingstone)., Public domain
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Piper PA-28 Cherokee ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_PA-28_Cherokee Piper PA-28 Cherokee]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download Releasable Aircraft Database], file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.</ref>
</references>