Why & How I Bought a Cherokee Six | Flying the 'Arch Tour' to Thanksgiving at Grandma’s

Рет қаралды 31,016

Жыл бұрын

22 yrs ago my career took us away from our hometown & families. Seven hours driving one way 4-5 times a year for holidays & events? There has to be a better way!
There is! 12 years ago I bought into a 1979 Piper Cherokee Six and it changed our family's life. I’ll explain why the PA-32 platform was perfect for our primary mission, show you the cost per hour to operate, and argue why the Cherokee Six is best family hauler out there. A roomy & comfortable 6 place cabin, lean 15 gph fuel burn @140 kts average airspeed and roughly a 6 hr range that won’t break the bank to operate meaning, the Cherokee Six is essentially a minivan with wings!
Plus where else can you get views of your hometown like this? We fly the “Arch Tour” arrival into St. Louis, hugging the riverfront low & slow for some up close & personal views of Mr. Saarinen’s masterpiece +other famous St. Louis landmarks before arriving a Spirit of St. Louis airport (KSUS) for Thanksgiving at Grandma’s house. HUGE Shout-out and thanks to StL APP for accommodating our request and making it easy for us in such busy airspace.
DISCLAIMER: This video is highly edited for entertainment purposes only. It is NOT for instruction or training. I am not a CFI. Seek qualified CFI and training in your own airplane. Now sit back, relax and enjoy the views! 😀
Music
“We Cruisin'” - Otis McDonald
“SilverWaves” - TrackTribe
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” - DJ Williams
“Desert Planet” - Quincas Moreira
“Forever Young” - Otis McDonald
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Пікірлер: 100

@Winglet520 7 ай бұрын

I flew a Cherokee Six for 10 years. Nearly 5000hrs in it. Besides a few bad mags, elec fuel pump failure, spark plugs, and one cracked cylinder. It never let me down. I literally flew a few thousands people and thousands of loads of cargo in it. Amazing plane.

@6ZeroAlpha 7 ай бұрын

that is awesome! thx for stopping by and sharing. Other than our recent engine troubles, she's be very reliable for us, great airframe.

@salifuosman9101 26 күн бұрын

I'm very impressed with your journey .I promise to one furniture, yes that is great adventure.

@6ZeroAlpha 26 күн бұрын

Awesome! Thank you!

@mmaurice100 Жыл бұрын

We have been through a number of family haulers over the years. Mooney, C-182, C-210, now we are in a PA-46 Malibu. Every upgrade so we can haul more stuff and make the wife and dog more comfortable. All in the name of making family memories.

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

PA-46!! Now you are talking. thx for stopping by #bucketlist

@almarasco8088 Жыл бұрын

I did the same now I’m in 1986 Malibu completely restored. Great airplane.

@michaelrinaldo677 Жыл бұрын

How nice your planes grew with your family. I’m at the beginning of the spectrum :)

@Roblox_Lover_12345 11 ай бұрын

I'm so envious. My wife's view is it's too expensive. Take Southwest. I'm jealous you have the time too! Between work and my children's sports I won't even log 20 hrs this year. Blue skies my friend! Live the dream!

@CaptMoo Жыл бұрын

Awesome video. First time watching. Definitely in my bucketlist to own a plane. Nothing like family time in your own airplane. Thanks for the price breakdown on your plane as well. Love to see your son helping with the cam, mom and daughter enjoying the ride, and moms reaction on landing 😂 Keep it up. New subscriber here.

@6ZeroAlpha 11 ай бұрын

thank you, welcome aboard!

@decidius111 Жыл бұрын

This inspirers me to work harder on my license, keep at it my family and I love your content

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

thanks for the support & kind words. never give up on your dreams, persistence is the key. fly safe.

@taketothesky65 Жыл бұрын

Great video, Great adventure for the family and your wife did a great job of containing her excitement about being back on the ground...LOL

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

thank you! we've had a lot of fun, seen some amazing things, but she still is not a huge fan of "small planes"

@toddlantz511 Жыл бұрын

Great video! Loved the commentary and the view!

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@yingli7232 11 ай бұрын

Love the story! Different angle to look at the city you travel. Super cool.

@6ZeroAlpha 11 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, it was surreal reliving 10 years of my childhood collected at every one of those places in 10 mins from above with my own children making new memories!

@jefferyhampton9323 10 ай бұрын

First time watching, I’m from Missouri. It was cool seeing familiar sights. Soon I’ll be looking to get my license and just punch some holes in the sky. Nice video, loved the music!!!!!

@6ZeroAlpha 10 ай бұрын

thanks for stopping by and the kind words. Go for it, best investment you can make is in yourself, and the memories you will make with it will be awesome - cheers!

@glennthomasson1031 Жыл бұрын

Nice. Well put. I have a 79 also. It’s been an adventure

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

they are fun, memory-making machines for sure! fly safe

@almarasco8088 Жыл бұрын

It’s truly a time machine. God bless.

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

thanks for stopping by!

@eatyourculture3619 10 ай бұрын

This makes my heart smile. Even if it costs a little bit more than the minivan would, it’s so worth it!

@6ZeroAlpha 10 ай бұрын

no argument here! thx for stopping by

@askmehowiknow3571 Жыл бұрын

Great video! I love to see down to earth people flying with their family. I love your humor! Fu** that sh** in the video made me laugh pretty hard. Keep it up!

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

Insider - we used to be on that highway in our minivan pre-6ZeroAlpha. Glad you enjoyed it, thx for stopping by

@authorized411 Жыл бұрын

I live near Indianapolis and am in the middle of working on my PPL. Your channel is exactly why I'm getting my PPL with further plans to own a plane and take my own family on get-a-ways. I've used your videos as examples to my wife to try and help alleviate her fear of flying in a small plane. Keep up the great work.

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

That is awesome to hear, keep up the hard work, it's worth it. After 12 yrs my wife is still scared but with over 500 accident free hrs in 6ZeroAlpha, hopefully she's got some confidence in the bird & pilot by now!? Thanks for watching & the kind words.

@adrianjesus4040 Жыл бұрын

I’m in beech grove working on my PPL as well I’m waiting on my check ride

@pilotdude9833 Жыл бұрын

Get your instrument rating as well before flying your family around. Way to many VFR private pilots killing themselves and their families.

@shitsugane Жыл бұрын

Great video, wonderful family

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

You are so kind, yes they are!

@adamcave 7 ай бұрын

Went to chiropractic school in Chesterfield and looking to start getting my PPL now down in GA… was neat to see so many familiar places

@6ZeroAlpha 7 ай бұрын

ahh yes Logan College, otherwise know as "there's dead bodies in there" neighborhood lore when I was a kid. we had many a double-dog-dare-you to walk up the hill at night and peak in the windows. thx for watching!!

@donaldalmeida2483 Жыл бұрын

That "plush velour interior designed by Audi" was a Piper selling point back in the day. It still looks to be in good shape. I always thought the velour absorbed some of the in-cabin noise, a moot point when noise cancelling headsets were introduced. Excellent video!

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

lol, I didn't know the Audi connection, thanks for sharing. it is certainly nicer to your legs than leather in the summertime. I'd say it's a 5/10, showing it's age particularly around the windows, but as I said in the video, I don't care. Having a solid / safe airplane is more important than looks for us. thx for stopping by and the nice comment, fly safe!

@averyjohnson2321 Жыл бұрын

Awesome Video!!! Beautiful Family and an extremely informative breakdown, related to your specific cost analysis. I really liked how you highlighted all of the various landmarks and stated, “You don’t get views like this on the highway.” Can you do submit a video of how you completed your certifications when obtaining your license. Thanks Sir!!!

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! great idea, problem is I don't have any GP footage from most of my training, it was done before GP was invented (yes I'm old). It would be a lot of still pix and gratuitous use of "ken burns pan & zoom" + a lot of voice overs of me to create the narrative. not exactly exciting exciting stuff for YT, would you wanna watch that? let me think on it to come up with something a bit more exciting, thx for the suggestion.

@chuckceccacci3 Жыл бұрын

Good times! Welcome HOME for a bit. Now to convince my wife that we need a Cherokee 6. If it works....... I owe ya! Cheers.

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

Thanks 👍 Make her watch the video! It took my wife some convincing but she has been a loyal trooper even if she still isn't fond of small planes. You may have to offer your wife something she really wants too for the deal to happen, like a pick up truck. Ask ask me how I know?

@adamtash5839 Жыл бұрын

Nice landing, i currently rent a Cherokee six, great airplane. Trying to convince the wife that we should have our own plane too. 😊

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

Thanks! It's a great HP starter that has a lot of benefits. It took me 5 yrs to convince the wife and she still has trepidation because of the 'small plane' vibe. We test drove a few 6 places and the Cherokee has the most shoulder & leg room, minimizes the small plane vibe to the max, two doors, easy in & out, and room to spread our if just 4-5 of you on a 4-5 hr leg.

@bernardanderson3758 Жыл бұрын

Love the PA32 - 300 Piper Cherokee six and it’s useful load carrying because I have a family of six people

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

sounds liek you have the right airplane for your mission, thx for stopping by.

@michaelgillogly3551 3 ай бұрын

Great video edit buddy, you did life right

@6ZeroAlpha 3 ай бұрын

thank you!

@badsanta69 Жыл бұрын

keep on flyin'

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

whenever I can!

@alphabravoflying Жыл бұрын

Let me know the next time you are in the Lou! I am based out of KCPS Great looking plane and great video!

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

Thanks, we love it and baby it. The PA-32 East Coast fly-in this summer is at KSUS, come on out.

@alphabravoflying Жыл бұрын

@@6ZeroAlpha I might just have to!

@timwood6115 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for allowing me to vicariously experience flying a Cherokee Six! I learned how to fly in a Cherokee 140 while in college and also flew a 160 and 180. I was fascinated by the Cherokee Six, but never had the opportunity to fly one. Alas, I was not able to continue flying because I never made enough money. I still carry my pilot’s license in my wallet. Someday, I might find a way to fly a Cherokee Six with an instructor. I also enjoyed the views of St.Louis. Many of my college friends were from there. (I went to Mizzou.) I flew a couple of friends to St.Louis for fun. We landed at a small airport, the name of which I forgot. As part of my flight training, I flew into Lambert Field at night with my instructor. Thanks for bringing back these great memories! I do have a question, though: flying a private plane is a great way to go places faster than in a car. However, there’s the risk of being “socked in.” Certain weather conditions can ground even a proficient IFR-rated pilot. Anyway, thanks again for sharing your experience.

@6ZeroAlpha 2 ай бұрын

thanks for stopping by and the nice comments! Yes, even with an IFR rating, I have had to cancel a few flights due weather because it was below my personal minimums at the destination. One of our videos ("ICING") details a trip that was extended by a day because it became unsafe to continue and we had to spend an unplanned night in Smyrna TN. You just roll with it and plan contingencies when the forecast isn't ideal.

@FuelCast Жыл бұрын

love it!

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

thanks for stopping by an the nice comment

@CompleteWalkaround 6 ай бұрын

Great story. Congrats

@6ZeroAlpha 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for stopping by!

@samaipata4756 Жыл бұрын

The Cherokee six w/300 hp is the perfect and highly reliable choice as a single engine heavy hauler!

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

I would agree 1000000%

@brianbrickley8229 Жыл бұрын

I'd love to see your plane if you're ever near southern Michigan. Looking to upgrade from my 172.

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

sounds good!

@Jasonrcsd Жыл бұрын

nice video! Friendly Skies! Jason

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

thanks!

@keithalewis1 9 ай бұрын

This was dope

@6ZeroAlpha 9 ай бұрын

thanks!!

@dynomike4142 Жыл бұрын

Great video. I lived in Warsaw and Flora IL. I know that drive. Don't blame you. How does the Cherokee do in cold weather?

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

thanks! just fine with a good preheat in the hangar, and climbs better, burns less fuel and gets a little better true airspeed in the cold air!

@rexcox8165 29 күн бұрын

like the video n plane also

@6ZeroAlpha 26 күн бұрын

thanks for stopping by, we're getting back to that real soon, stay tuned!

@airborne1459 19 күн бұрын

We live in Louisiana! And we fly a PA32 Lance hope y’all had a fun time in New Orleans did yall get any beignets lol

@6ZeroAlpha 17 күн бұрын

we had a blast and just talked about going back! too many, w&b coming home was a challenge.

@airborne1459 17 күн бұрын

@@6ZeroAlpha yeah did yall fly into lakefront

@ejnixon Жыл бұрын

I'm looking at something with a similar useful load for family missions. What is the general price range I should expect for a plane like yours? I'd like one with similar avionics as yours, and upgrade that as I go.

@6ZeroAlpha 11 ай бұрын

Depends, but I have seen a few recently for sale $150-175k asking price, doesn't mean that's what's actually being paid in a sale.

@pierce3571 Жыл бұрын

How tricky is the weight and balance and seating people as well as baggage?

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

not really an issue once you figure it out. Follow the POH and don't cheat on your first couple of W&B calcs because a fully loaded six handles much differently than in your training flights with only you and the instructor aboard. The the six likes to be loaded and is more forgiving aft so always fill up rear baggage and rear 2 seats first. At MGW and full of fuel you might not be able to put much in the nose due to the higher forward CG limit. I loaded our current W&B into Foreflight and have played with it enough to know how to load everything for most flights.

@defenderofthepublic Жыл бұрын

At some point will you downsize to something smaller and faster?

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

likely, although a pressurized would be nice, not many 4 place options for those

@go5582 5 ай бұрын

Hi grear channel, please rebuild the engine asap.

@6ZeroAlpha 5 ай бұрын

thx! Ha - yeas I agree, will be an engine update soon, and "it's not good"!

@pete9364 Жыл бұрын

How about OH cost? if the a/c had 500 hrs left on the engine, and OH cost (say) 50k, you need to add extra $100/hr to come up with 50k by the OH time...and then add 100 hourly and other little hidden costs.

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

as we said in the video, the engine had about 6600 hrs TTSN, and the base cost for the overhaul was $60k. It was very likely many very expensive components would have needed to have been replaced driving the actual OH cost up likely into the $75k-80k range, and you still have an engine with 6600 hrs TTSN. We opted to just do everything now to minimize labor costs in the end +significantly increase the value of the airplane.

@WOL76 9 ай бұрын

I would have flown it under the arch

@6ZeroAlpha 8 ай бұрын

ha! some have, and some went to jail!

@Davi3038849844 Жыл бұрын

Of driving THAAAAT!

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

@Davi3038849844 Жыл бұрын

@@6ZeroAlpha sounds emphatic

@peterssynthetics-independe6786 6 ай бұрын

love the videos hate the bed music

@6ZeroAlpha 6 ай бұрын

Thx for the watching, glad you enjoy the visual parts. I do my best to select from the copyright-free music tracks that fit the mood of the scene/video. Nevertheless, always controversial no matter what! Would you prefer no music all? Would you watch a ~15 min video that has long gaps of silence vs being filled with music? thx for the feedback.

@jwdarn 10 ай бұрын

Tommy Emmanuel?

@6ZeroAlpha 4 ай бұрын

dave....is that you?

@bradmaccoll6533 Жыл бұрын

family don"t look to happy

@6ZeroAlpha Жыл бұрын

yeah it's a rough life back there a sprawled out, tons of leg room, getting a head massage from mom! actually they both hate to fly, doubly so in a small plane, hence the 6 place and club seating for a family of 4.

@Jasonrcsd Жыл бұрын

@@6ZeroAlpha I was thinking that it's nice to know my kids aren't the only ones 😂

@FlyingNDriving 10 ай бұрын

Eh the kids never really appreciate anything until they are older and looking back

@kobyonekanobie2790 2 ай бұрын

Is there a reason you call under carriage during your check list on your fixed gear airplane ?

@6ZeroAlpha 2 ай бұрын

partially just habit from all my training over the years including retract time ("GUMPS" check), also reference for proper flaps setting for a fixed gear plane