Another fun Ferry flight

[ntbjounin]

Just got back from Tampa.

Yesterday I started my journey by airlining it up to SGF (Springfield, MO), taking a bus down to Branson, and greeting my new steed. A PA28-151 with a 180hp engine in it. I'll put the pics in order. The first one is On the ramp at Branson, MO.

I gave it a thorough preflight, parused all the logbooks, and found everything in order. It was well kept, with fresh oil and a 3 month old annual and it had been flown last week, so that was good to hear. I got in, cranked her up, and did a good runup, looked everything over and then did a lap in the pattern. She climbed like a monkey on speed! I pointed her up for Vy which gave me 1500'a min! In a cherokee! I was not expecting that. My previous cherokee experience was hundreds of flight hours ago, so I dont really remember it exactly. I remember the nosewheel being wobbly on taxi, and not wanting to turn too sharply, all that was true.

So I headed east, over Memphis (photo included), and reached Tupelo, MS. It was nice, and gas was $4.52!!!! (though it was advertised as $4.40... how dare they! lol) Gas stations in Springfield, MO by the way, had $3.14/gallon!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!!!? Maybe it'll catch on? Anyway, they were nice over at Tupelo, and it looked like they had a little house where pilots could overnight. It's not obvious at all though. It's over by the SS pumps at the FAR north end very out of sight from the FBO or terminal. And off I go again with full tanks! Full tanks... No problem, can you say 1500 fpm? it was impressive. (I did a shortfield takeoff b/c the runway was kinda rough and crappy, it was being worked on).

Anyway, over Tuscaloosa, AL (not pictured, although I got a decent pic of the Hyundai factory and a LOT of cars!), and on to Bainbridge, GA. Night fell, so I got a nice smooth evening ride all the way to touchdown in GA. Took a couple of night pictures, and slept in the pilot's lounge. I had called to ask if there were sleeping quarters, and the guy said feel free to stay in the pilot's lounge, you can get in 24/7 w/ CTAF freq. Anyway, I used their Slow Internet to read some posts by you guys.. and went to bed. Awoke, predawn to go preflight, eat my vending machine breakfast, and search for fuel. FS only at Bainbridge, and they dont open 'til 8am on weekends. So I went down to Quincy, FL! A CUTE little airstrip. (Grassy area could be used as a runway) There are no taxiways to the paved runway, so you just drive along the grass over to the pumps $4.98. Really nice people there even at 645am.

Then off I go to Lakeland! I didnt fill up because he would only be draining the tanks in lakeland anyway. I tried to go min, fuel but safety always trumps my thriftiness. A quick 2 hrs later with the friendly Floridian controllers and I'm on the ground in Lakeland. During my flare the tower says "WELCOME TO LAKELAND". I'm kind of focused at that point, so not really when I want to talk to the tower, but they sure were friendly! I saw it was going to be a long taxi, so I landed long, but it should have been longer, much longer. That runway's huge! No wonder they land 'em 3 at a time at Sun n Fun.

Well, it was another fun trip. Can't wait for the next one!

 

[CJones]

Sounds like a fun flight. Thanks for the pics!

JOOC, what is the difference between a PA28-151 w/ a 180hp conversion and a PA28-180? I have a handful of hours in a PA28-180 and another handful in the -181, but no experience with the -151. Are the fuse/wings different than on the -180 or -181? Is it hershey bar like the -180 or tapered like the -181?

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Sounds like a fun flight! Thanks for posting.

But...

A PA28-151 with a 180hp engine in it.

It's not a PA28-151. What exactly it is, is still somewhat of a mystery to me! It says "1977 Cherokee Cruiser" on the side, but the FAA database says it's a 1976 PA28-140. The Cherokee Cruiser did have the PA28-140 designation, but I didn't think they had made them as late as 1976, since the Warrior had been introduced in 1974 and both would have had the same HP engine. I guess I was wrong - The Cruiser was produced until 1977. (Not the first time Piper's product line hasn't made sense!)

The first clue to me that it wasn't a PA28-151 was that it's got a hershey-bar wing. The -xx1 Cherokees are the taper-wing variety.

Another thing I notice is that it has the full wheel pants and gear fairings that were introduced around 1980, so those aren't original. They do have an impressive effect on performance, though - Most of the Archers I've flown have been the old variety and get 115 knots. The one I flew with the new fairings got 125. That can't all be the fairings, but I don't think there was any other difference except for the newer one was very clean.

Those may have been replaced after one of the two accidents the plane had - Hard landing and collapsed nose gear in 1990 in Santa Rosa, CA and fuel exhaustion crash in Nicholasville, KY in 1984, with FIVE PEOPLE aboard! Luckily, none were injured.

These things have an interesting history, for sure!

 

[Dean]

Thanks for letting us in SW Missouri know you were in the area. My office is only 15 minutes from the Branson (Taney County) airport. I would have been more than happy to give you a ride or pick you up at the airport.

 

[ntbjounin]

Thanks for letting us in SW Missouri know you were in the area. My office is only 15 minutes from the Branson (Taney County) airport. I would have been more than happy to give you a ride or pick you up at the airport.

oh sorry, thanks though. Branson was a nice little airport with friendly people. Did you see Richard Cooper's hangar!? OMG that's a lot of VERY different planes! He said it was someone's private collection! He and another guy went flying in the Breezy on floats just before I left. That thing was crazy lookin!

I'm headed up to MO again soon for another flight, if it's in that area, I'll definitely let you know!

 

[RotorAndWing]

Just as a technical point, the plane pictured is a PA28-150. The hershy bar wing Cherokees were designated 150, 180, 200 while the taper wing Cherokees were 151, 181 and 201.

 

[ntbjounin]

well it started out as a pa28-140 (150hp engine) but then a 180hp was put in... so i dont know what that makes it... but thats what it was... the POH was misleading.

 

[AdamZ]

Just as a technical point, the plane pictured is a PA28-150. The hershy bar wing Cherokees were designated 150, 180, 200 while the taper wing Cherokees were 151, 181 and 201.

Don't forget the venerable Cherokee 140 which also had the hershey bar wing and was identical to the 150s etc. many are upgraded with the 160hp engine.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Just as a technical point, the plane pictured is a PA28-150. The hershy bar wing Cherokees were designated 150, 180, 200 while the taper wing Cherokees were 151, 181 and 201.

Even the Cherokee 150 was designated PA28-140.

 

[ScottM]

JOOC, what is the difference between a PA28-151 w/ a 180hp conversion and a PA28-180?

The wing and useful load.

The PA28-151 will have a taper wing and the PA28-180 will have the hershey bar one. Useful load will vary between the two but I am unsure by how much.