The story
Piper introduced the PA-28R-180 Cherokee Arrow in 1967: a Cherokee with retractable landing gear and a constant-speed propeller. A 200-hp version followed in 1969, the Arrow II stretched the fuselage by five inches for rear-seat legroom in 1972, and the 1977 Arrow III brought a semi-tapered wing and bigger fuel tanks (its turbocharged twin, the Turbo Arrow III, has its own type code). Piper built about 4,500 non-turbo, conventional-tail Arrows by 1978, and went back to this layout after the T-tailed Arrow IV years.
Many Arrows carry a backup gear extender: a small mast on the side of the fuselage senses airspeed and propeller slipstream, and lowers the wheels by itself when the airplane is slow with the power back, whatever the gear lever says.
Quick answers
How do you identify a PA-28R Arrow?
Looks like any low-wing Cherokee until the wheels come up; the fixed-gear Archer and Warrior never retract them. Arrow I, II and III have the conventional low tail. A T-tailed Arrow is an Arrow IV, which has its own type code, and a turbocharged conventional-tail Arrow is a Turbo Arrow III, which has another.
What does a PA-28R Arrow sound like?
A Cherokee growl with the smoother pitch of a constant-speed prop.
How many people does the PA-28R Arrow carry?
Typical configuration: 1 pilot + 3 passengers.
When did the PA-28R Arrow first fly?
Its first flight was in 1967.
How many PA-28R Arrows have been built?
4,500+ built.
How rare is a PA-28R Arrow in Bogey?
COMMON. Everyday traffic. You will catch plenty of these, and every first catch still counts. Your first PA-28R Arrow catch is worth 25 points.
