Took my flight training in a Cessna. I have only owned low wing , 2 Cherokees(1966&1976), Grumman, Ercoupe, Bonanza, Homebuilt Teenie Two and Homebuilt Stitts Playmate over the years. Allaround and allpurpose best I think was the 1966 Cherokee. Really learned to love that hershey bar. Am now almost 80 and no longer active so I guess it really doesn't make any difference now but to look back with fond memories.

We owned a 140 for years as the family airplane. I absolutely loved it. I think it's one of the best light aircraft ever made.

I'm currently training for my Private with a 1967 Cherokee 140. I flew it one day after a scheduling error and I was shocked by how much better it was in virtually every category than with the 172 I was previously flying. Seriously one of the best aircraft ever made.

Great video and very well thought out, Thanks for making it!

As a student pilot who will now be moving from Cessna 172 to a Cherokee, this was great information. Thanks!

The Cherokee will always be my favorite only because I got my private pilot instrument rating and commercial rating in it

Extremely well-done, interesting & educational! Thank you!

My first flying lessons began in 1974 in a Piper Cherokee 140! I've flown both which includes the Cessna 172, I noticed far better capabilities and rides in the Piper!

Absolute great video and informative. Cherokees and Arrows are my passion and favorite aircrafts.

Excellent review and right on the mark.

I love flying both the C172 and the PA 28.However,my favorite high performance variant of the Cherokee is the 235 hp model.It's a good, fast straight leg little plane!

In addition to the items mentioned in the video, the low wing has a couple more advantages. Ground handling in high winds is one. If you've just landed into a 35 kt gusty headwind, making the 90 degree turn off the runway can be a harrowing experience in the 172, but pretty much a non-event in the Cherokee. The 172's high, heavy wing and relatively narrow main gear will make it want to tip over when encountering strong gusty winds from the side. The Cherokee's wing (and center of gravity) is low and the wider gear spread makes it extremely stable when taxiing in strong winds. The other big advantage is fueling. Fueling (and preflighting) a high wing generally requires a ladder or step stool. Not so with the low wing. Also, if you make the mistake of leaving a gas cap off or loose, in the Cherokee you'll notice it right away. In the 172, you'll notice it somewhere above the ground as the gas gauge plummets for no apparent reason. I've owned both the 172 and Cherokee 180. Both have their plusses and minuses. For example, the 172 has a lot more room for passengers to get in and out. In the Cherokee you get on the wing and have to climb down into the cabin. The Cherokee is also short on rear seat legroom. This was fixed by a 5 inch fuselage stretch that happened about the same time that the Hershey bar wing disappeared, but the early models are pretty tight when it comes to rear seat legroom. Overall, I'd have to say that the Cherokee is my favorite of the two. I've been flying my current one for 25 years now. It goes anywhere from Class B airports to isolated mountain grass strips, while carrying large amounts of people and cargo. What more could you ask for?

Thank you for posting this !

well done and very informative video! Thank you!

First plane I ever flew. The Cherokee 180 is one of the best planes of all time.

My grandmother use to fun Lee airport outside of Annapolis for years and Pipers was our plane of choice for training. It started with J-3s then Colts and Tripacers. We upgraded to the Cherokee 140s and 180Cs. What a great acft. It was honest and tough, that Hershey bar wing was in my opinion better than the taper. I don't know how many hours I put on the different types but was it fun for dates going to the beach. Ahh happy times.

AWESOME VIDEO OF THE PA28..EXCELLENT JOB GUYS..KEEP THESE VIDEOS COMING..😊

Have some great memories in the 172 during 4yrs with my Civil Air Patrol unit, the 926th tactical fighter group NASJRB Belle Chasse, La. in the early ‘80s …My best friend’s dad had a Piper Cub that was too much fun.

A great video for a legendary airplane. I wonder why fly schools don't teach aerodynamics this well and this easy....and even experienced airline and military pilots. Please keep up the good work. Thanks.

Great Video! I learned on the Cherokee Cruiser, in the late 1970s,and later flew the Warrier and Archer. Great airplanes!

Very well done 👍 You explained it to where someone with no clue could make sense of it all.

My first airplane was a Piper PA-28 Warrior II, very similar. And I love it.

I trained in the PA-28 140, 151, 161 and 180. Passed my test in the 161(Warrior II) N3071D. Lots of great memories here! I don't think you will find better basic training aircraft than the Cherokee series, or a better, affordable first airplane for that matter!

not even a pilot, only flew in a single engine 3 times, but still, find myself drawn to these videos..air show videos..military compares..just contagious stuff..great video for a novice to enjoy..

Great video. Learned a lot. Thanks.

There was an ad in "Flying" magazine in the 70s that summed up the difference between both airplanes. It was a full-page photo of a Skyhawk flying away toward the horizon with a man on the ramp holding his suitcase. The caption read, "You *can* fly farther in a 172 than in a Cherokee. You just have to decide who stays home".

Thanks for this very informative video.

Great video of a classic little plane thank you 😎

I learned to fly in a Cherokee back in 1973. It was and still is a sweet bird !

I use to go flying with my dad when I was a kid. A Cherokee D or the Cherokee 6. They were both great planes. Flying figure eights and spirals, practicing stalls. The Cherokee was aerodynamicly a very good plane. I miss him and 38 Lima.

Great Video! As usual with A2A: attention to details.

this video is nice technical video explained in a simple way love it please make similar videos

great video! I own a Cherokee 140... the little brother to the 180. I have to agree that the Hershey bar wing was a wonderful design and the fact that my 1964 Cherokee is still flying strong after all those years is a testament to its design. I prefer the Cherokee's low wing over the Cessna but there is certainly nothing wrong with Cessna design. I know plenty of guys that swear by their cessnas.

Great video.. I think it's a matter of personal preference. I learned to fly in a cherokee, and even though I have time in a C172, the PA 28 will always be my favourite.

GREAT video. I learned a lot

Good video, thanks it gives us more guidance if buying airplane in the future.

When I got my licence I had to take whatever a/c was available on the day. Was jumping from PA 28 Warrior to C 172. I liked the flying characteristics of the PA 28 better & really liked the mechanical flap system. Great little performer.

On a nice cloudless winter day we were cruising over OKC at about 8,000ft. The guys sitting in front were sweltering from the heat. The two guys in the back seat, well you could see their breath due to the cold cabin temp back there. The heaters are not the best. But I love everything else about the "Cherokeet". It is so forgiving. You really have to manhandle it to get in any trouble. And even then it'll try to save you with that great static stability that's built into it. It's a great airplane for experienced pilots, but be forewarned that compared to a Cherokee, other aircraft may seem to "bite" when they stall. If all you've flown are Cherokees, then you should probably take a few hours dual with a CFI before moving on to Cessna's & Beeches. And they do feel solid too. I was very surprised to see a Cherokee weighs less than the 172 does, I thought it would be the other way around.

A fantastic video and a great voice!

Thank You for this video. Just started flight school and have 1.6 hrs. logged in a PA28-180. Was thinking of switching to the 172, but now I think I'll stay with the PA28. :).

goes out and hugs his cherokee, have you hugged yours ?

Like a big comfy armchair in the sky! Loved it :-)

Nice video. Nice comparison. Very honest.

My dad had the Bonanza V-tail, then the Cherrokee and later the Comanche.....loved the Pipers...

I have flown both types of aircraft. For local sightseeing, the 172 is superb. however, for cross country flights, I always took a Cherokee. The Arrow was my favorite.

My favorite things about the Cherokee; no need to tie it down even with 40 kt winds, refuelling is a snap, turbulence penetration is superior to 172, visibility from the cockpit is better (looking forward and downward), door is built rugged/solid. Easy to clean ice/snow off wings/tail. Heater works awesome. My favorite things about 172; side windows open.

Excellent vid. Thanks

Great video!

Great video, thanks

Great video - my favorite plane

Excelent video!

I learned in Cessnas and Cherokee 140. Owned Cessna 150, Cherokee 140 and 180. I found that passengers, especially people who had not flown before, were more comfortable and less fearful in the low wing Cherokee because it feels more secure to sit on top of the center if lift than to be suspended below the center of lift. People can feel the difference when you hit a bump. Being pushed into the wing under your seat feels safer than the feeling of hanging below the high wing.

The piper is so easy to fly. After 20hr in a skyfox gazelle (which is also an easy aircraft to fly) i tried out the piper without ever having flown with a yolk, flaps, trim wheel or mixture to deal with, i was able to fly with minimal verbal instructions and zero intervention from my instructor, including takeoff, circuits and landing. a real testament to the aircraft.

I just bought a Cherokee 235 as my first airplane. Great info which confirms I made the right choice of airplane. Just fast enough to get you there quickly. And enough muscle to carry me and my friends with 84 gallons of fuel.

Great subject matter and discussion on high/low wing..... Can you make a Vid on "T" tailed aircraft VS low-mounted tail feathers and the +/-'s of each configuration? Thanks, Gordon

Having time in both airplanes, I tend to agree with everything you have to say here. There's only one thing that the designers at Piper did, and continues to do, that really makes the Cherokee line of aircraft somewhat slower than it has to be. They have that beautiful Laminar Flow wing on it, but then they completely destroy the laminar flow by the use of protruding rivets! If they got rid of the rivets they're using, and went to a flush rivet system, they would probably gain 10 knots. Laminar Flow Systems, a company in Florida, has proved this by STCing some mods for the Piper wing that allow those rivet to be covered over with strips that restore a good percentage of the laminar flow over the wing. But, if Piper did a flush rivet or bonded wing, they would have a much faster airplane. The other thing, in your comparison, if you wanted to compare the Skyhawk to the 180, you should have compared it instead against the 140, or Warrior, since they were the same engine class. That's for the Hershey bar wing, which is no longer manufactured. However, now that the Skylane has 180 HP, in the latest generation, it carries more weight, at 600 pounds with full fuel versus 582 pounds with full fuel for the Archer, which is the 180 hp Piper now.

really nice video! (I would like to see the same explanations for the Archer tapered wing)

I learned to fly in a C150, 52, and 72, The day I got my Private, I went over to the Piper dealer and got checked out in a Warrior. WOW, what a difference. Hands down, I love those Pipers.

Interesting, I have always wondered about the differences, I have quite a bit of time in Cessna's, but have never flown a Cherokee or any Piper aircraft.

I learned to fly on this aircraft! Love it

The one I learned on was older than I was. And that was in the 80s. No telling how long it ended up flying. Great plane.

Amazing video! I had no idea about the advantages of Piper low wing design. ...I am not a pilot though...and as a passenger I still think that Cessna provides better visibility and comfort. Sitting in the Piper, it feels like your leaning back.....

Agree with TheJacobShapiro on Cherokee 180 (in which I learned to fly in the late 1970's). The Miami University Flying Club owned three late 1960's vintage Hershey Almond Bar winged 180's which were kept variously at Oxford Ohio and Bath, Indiana (Richmond, Indiana) airports.

awesome thanks for the information..

Great none bias reviews. Thanks.

Wonderful aircraft!

Will the A2A planes work in VR or MR in Fltsimx?

Is this A/C available in an X-Plane 11 version?

Really fascinating video extolling the virtues of the Cherokee. In my youth as a lover of the old roundwing aircraft, when the first Cherokees arrived I thought it was sort of boring. But over the decades I've come to appreciate its looks. This was hurried along when I was told that Fred Weick, designer of the timeless Ercoupe/Aircoupe, was part of Piper's design team. I've even developed an affection for the original Cherokee hershey-bar wing! While its true that the Cessna 172 has become the GA trainer of choice for most, this video makes me want to pay far more attention to the Cherokee and its subsequent incarnations than I had before. Thanks!

I want one. I'll have to win the lottery first, but the Cherokee has almost all the characteristics I would want in a beginning aircraft.

Any thoughts on how the Cherokee 140 with 150hp engine compares with the Cherokee Warrior 1 which also has a 150hp engine. Does the bigger wing and body allow for more load carrying ability or less ??

When you're comparing the Bonanza and the Cherokee wings; is that a 3d render of the Bonanza for FSX???

Hi there, A2A! I just bought a copy of the Cherokee for Prepar3D and am experiencing severe framerate issues. I have a GTX 970, 32 GB of RAM and an i7 6700k. Even when reducing all graphics settings to minimum, I achieve only 20 FPS or fewer. Normally, with stock aircraft, I'm able to manage well into the 90 - 120 FPS range. Any advice???

Excellent video! I am in the market to buy an older airplane. I had pretty much decided on an early 60s Cessna 172. Maybe I should find someone to take me up in a Cherokee.

I have most of my flight time in Cherokees but have flown 150, 172 and 182 and did spin training in a 150. I loved the Pipers, easy plane to fly and the Lycoming is a very reliable engine Have been away from flying for years but going to go back soon and looking to buy a Cherokee 180

I remember when I first flew the cherokee. up until that point I had around 50 hrs in a 172. When I flew the cherokee, the differences were instantly noticeble, from take off to landing , and everything in between, the handling was much better.

If it has a single spar how did the ERU wing separation occur?

do you make a Cherokee model for X-Plane? great video

Update - We need this in MSFS!

Thank you featuring a Civil Air Patrol Cesna 172 in your video

That's a nice shout out to the CAP at the end

My dad had a part interest in a Cherokee 6 when I was little. Sadly, one of the other owners was flying out of Mexico, trying to get to the boarder because GA Aircraft are not allowed to fly after dark. For this reason he did not buy any fuel. He calculated what he needed and figured he had enough, but just barely. Unfortunately he had quite a bit of head wind and ran out of fuel still over Mexico. The guy landed without damaging the plane on a beach, then headed to a near by village on foot. He found some people willing to help him move the plane to the village and sell him some fuel but the take off was a bit sketchy. The main street in the village was long enough by a large tree at the end. He called my dad and gave him the numbers and Dad contacted Piper. Piper told him he could clear the tree but only just. He decided not to risk it and made arrangements for a truck. and removed the planes wings. Turned out the cost of getting the plane out of Mexico was going to cost more than the plane was worth, so they wrote it off. Later some doctor from Texas bought the plane, put the wings back on (he was *NOT* an A&P) and took off for Texas. He must have attached the wings wrong because shortly after take off the wings came off in flight. Not sure if it was both wings or just one, in any case he killed himself and his wife. Having "Doctor" in front of your name doesn't mean you are not an idiot.

I got to fly a Bellanca 79 Viking turbo prop, and a Mooney low wing which had manual crank RG. 4 years in mostly a 59 Tripacer though.

I started flying lessons i n an Aronica 7AC. Later I resumed my lessons in a Cherokee 140. My first solo flight was in the Cherokee 140

Prouder than ever of my 180. 👍

Nice video and have been in aviation a long time as pilot and engineer. Sadly Embry Riddle lost a Piper Aero to wing spar cap fatigue early this year. It is a strong wing but as they get older and high cycles (for a GA plane) they need to be inspected more.

My bet is another major contributor to the extra noise is the extra structure right up around your ears. All that energy is being transmitted up through the fuselage and ringing right next to your head.

Love the Cherokee, first ever plane flight was in a 140.

Loved it

I trained on PA28-140, great bird!

I didn't review all of the comments, but I think it's important to look at the development history of the Cherokee and its connection to Fred Weick and the Ercoupe: the Cherokee and Ercoupe share the "dish" just aft and below the wing leading edge, high angle dihedral, and wide gear stance.

Got to fly a Cessna 150 when I first started in 1977. Then a 172 later, but my favorite fun do nothing but screw around plane was a Tri- Pacer. Would like to have a shot with a Cherokee sometime though. Never myself flew a low wing. Bet it’s a different experience, but sometimes I wouldn’t care if it was a bike with wings if it flew.

The December 2018 FAA Air Service Bulletin that requires all Piper Cherokee and Arrow aircraft to have their wing spars checked for cracks, should be added to this video.

My first flying lesson in 1974 was in a Cherokee 140 in Teterboro Airport New Jersey ☺️🛩️

I loved my 180

I have to agree, of the aircraft I have flown the cherokee is the most solid feeling.

I would say the ease of fueling and checking fuel during your pre flight or after fueling would be the largest real world differences in these two aircraft. With the large openings of the engine cowling allowing access to the engine of the Piper being a close second. Just one pilots perspective I guess.

The one place I feel the low wing is superior for sure is crosswind landings. I've always kind of thought of it as surfing (low wing) and hang gliding (high wing). I learned in a 172 but I own a Cherokee 180... I think the Piper flies better but I never turn down a chance to fly a Cessna or anything else for that matter! Good video, great explanation.

I grew up around airplanes all my life, my uncle had a Tri Pacer and a Cessna high wings he liked the ground visibility they had, my first choice always was the Cherokee.

Enjoyable vid