Airtest — Piper Archer

Piper has been making aeroplanes for over half a century, and the PA-28 series has been in production for the majority of that time. Of the 300,000 odd GA aircraft ever made, Piper built 130,000; 95,000 of these are still in use and supported by them. The company is struggling valiantly to restructure and has recently come out of bankruptcy. This year Piper expects its 410 employees to produce 173 aircraft, enabling it to increase the workforce to 535 by year’s end. More than 80 Archer IIIs have been sold so far.

In 1960 John Thorp designed an all metal four seater to replace Piper’s fabric covered Tri-Pacer. That basic, slightly short winded, rather tinny early Cherokee 140 has since evolved into the sophisticated flying machine we see today. It gained 160, 180 and then 235 horsepower (120, 135 and 175kW) during the mid sixties, and better nose wheel steering was incorporated in 1974, when the 180hp (135kW) model was first renamed Archer. In 1976 this was superseded by the taper winged and much improved Archer II. Tapering the PA-28’s outer wing panels was the first really significant evolutionary step because, although perhaps more expensive to manufacture, the new, thinner, higher aspect ratio mainplane gave better takeoff and climb performance, lower induced drag and reduced stall speeds. Most important of all, its longer ailerons imparted a good roll rate, something lacking in the slab winged early models. These could leave you poorly placed, even with full aileron and rudder, after encountering a strong wing lifting gust at low level on the approach.

Piper has wisely kept the Archer’s airframe changes to a minimum. Sculptured plastic wingtips usefully increase the span by 15cm and contain nav lights, strobes and nicely faired landing lights. The fuel caps are now flush fitting, with key locking and, as ever, tabs indicate half contents; their sump drain Curtiss valves no longer have ‘lock open’ shoulders. Neither the fuel tanks, nor the historically weak structure under the wing root walkway seem to have been beefed up. Big, familiar, all enclosing mainwheel and naked leg nose wheel spats are standard, as is a sharp and shiny polished aluminium spinner on a 7cm propeller hub extension.

This latest Archer’s most noticeable refinement is its cowling shape. Apparently owing much to Roy LoPresti’s liaison with the company during their attempted production of the ‘Swiftfury’ version of the old but fast Globe Swift, this small intake axisymmetric version is indistinguishable from LoPresti’s ‘Wow Cowl’. But Piper insists it was refined by Mississippi State University after the company donated a development Aztec. Whoever takes the credit, the result is not only eye-catching, but should significantly reduce drag, since the airframe in the propeller’s wake is subjected to airspeeds significantly greater than the aircraft’s IAS. Set immediately behind the prop’s disc, poor cowlings are a great drag generator. (This is incidentally one of the reasons why nose-wheels also cause such a disproportionate penalty compared with tailwheels).

The carburettor air intake is also a low drag NACA duct, the underside cooling air outlet is similarly minimized and the exhausts exit rearwards to add a little thrust. The disadvantage to these cowlings is that they afford negligible access to the important interior ironmongery without removing the lot (a somewhat laborious job). The rear fuselage has a covered external power socket and an upward hinging baggage door which is neatly held open by a small strap. This good sized compartment holds a generous 91kg and is accessible from over the rear seats in flight.

But it is upon opening the instantly familiar double latched door that the real advances become noticeable, for the Archer III’s interior is better than any Cherokee’s ever was. Although G-PIPA’s sumptuous leather upholstery is an extra, the seats are standard, and also come in four choices of fabric and vinyl with lap and inertia reel diagonal harnesses all around. Although, as in many such aircraft, the rear seats are slightly cramped for long flights, the pilots’ are comfortably firm, and adjustable fore and aft, vertically and for rake, with a lumbar support inflated by a rubber bulb under the thigh.

In any aircraft it is worth taking time to get one’s seating position right; placing your eye line so that the coaming cuts off the rear half of the cowling generally gives the best compromise between upward view and adequate vision in the flare. This is particularly important in the new Archer, both because of the wide range of adjustments, and to optimise the restricted view between the high coaming and the lowered windscreen top. The Cherokee family has never had excessive window area and I have known more people killed crashing in or with PA-28s than in car accidents, but now some Piper stylist has decided to cut down all the Archer’s transparencies. Although the reduction is not enormous, the windscreen has suffered most. I know some regard me as near fanatical about being able to see out of aeroplanes but, in my opinion, this reduced visibility is the only retrograde step in the aeroplane.

I did not have to mistrust it, anticipate it, outguess it, think too hard or remember anything in particular about the viceless Archer III. Flying it was one of those simple pleasures we often hear about but so rarely encounter in aviation.

The upper windscreen has been lowered to accommodate a new overhead switch panel. I suspect a significant reason for this is the idea that it makes the interior airliner like, implying greater security. Nothing could be further from the truth, because real airliners fly under positive control at all times so their crews do not have to look out for traffic (although, being professionals, we do so anyway). General aviation is quite different, relying on pilots seeing and avoiding other aircraft, even when under radar surveillance, a point apparently quite lost on many pilots.

That said, the overhead panel’s rocker switches are excellent, and sufficiently clearly labelled even for bifocal wearers. Of the main group, the left pair are bar guarded starter and primer buttons (there need be no laborious pumping of leaking plungers in this aircraft), the next three control battery master, alternator and fuel pump, and the right pair are guarded magneto switches. Piper rightly reasons that rotary key switches are no longer desirable, since there have been so many problems with worn older units. Also, if an intruder has managed to get into your aeroplane, and knows anything at all about aircraft, it takes only seconds to circumvent the mag switches anyway. The only risk inherent in their present position is the likelihood of forgetting to turn them off after shutting down the engine.

The attractive flat, beige, all metal instrument panel is 45cm high and, although commendably comprehensive, the standard instrumentation leaves plenty of room for extras. Indeed, the cynic in me suspects much of the open space is there specifically to tempt buyers into fitting plenty of expensive options. However all new Archers come with a full flying panel including an ASI with built-in TAS segment, an altimeter with subscales in both inches and hectoPascals and a neatly positioned OAT gauge recessed into the lower left windscreen pillar. A King avionics suite includes Nav/Com and altitude encoding transponder, with the radio master switch just below, conveniently near the throttle for use immediately after engine starting. There is plenty of room for more radios and/or another full panel on the right, but G-PIPA’s space only held a few circuit breakers and controls for the optional air conditioning. Although adding nearly 30kg to the empty weight, this unit uses ‘environmentally friendly’ HFC-134A fluid, has improved ducting and adjustable vents, and will be indispensable in hot climates. It worked well soon after engine start, and automatically shuts off at full throttle to cut its power drain.

An excellent quartet of engine gauges starts with a tachometer ideally positioned right beside the throttle. To its left is a big, clear, and apparently accurate twin pointer fuel gauge, above which is a triple dial oil temperature and pressure and fuel pressure gauge whose former leak prone ‘wet’ lines have been replaced by airliner like remote transducers and wires. These are a vast improvement over the nasty inaccurate little rectangular ones Piper used for many years. On the right is the largest and clearest EGT gauge I have ever seen, taken straight from the Malibu. This should make for very accurate mixture leaning, leading to both improved engine life and reduced fuel consumption.

The 70 amp alternator and 10 amp hour now run at a fashionable 28 volts, but their digital ammeter is way over on the far side of the right panel. Better placed is the nine light annunciator (of which six are normally used) at top centre. One blue caption (warning the pitot heat was off) remained annoyingly alight throughout, and might prevent one’s noticing if another illuminated. All instruments now have post lighting, supplemented by dimmable ceiling and chart lights.

The yokes are better shaped, and the throttle and mixture levers occupy a nice little quadrant, with the carb heat sensibly separate and operating in a different plane. No Archers’ mixture lever should ever be pulled by mistake. The tank selector’s safety catch similarly prevents you turning off the fuel in error (although it lacks a more convenient ‘both’ position). I was glad to see the slotted flaps’ familiar floor mounted lever. Settings were the same old ten, 25 and 40° and their limit remains at 103kt (191km/h). I make no secret of greatly preferring biceps over other means of flap operation, because you can extend or retract the surfaces by feel and at your own rate. Manual levers also tend to encourage extension within the limits because of the increased effort required at higher speeds. Also familiar were the useful spring bias rudder trim and Piper park brake.

Starting was easy, if novel. The throttle had only to be cracked open slightly and the mags switched on after a momentary dab of the primer button before the quick cranking starter whisked the motor to life. In view of the frequency of over-priming fires and the need for just a tiny prime on this installation, I preferred to use the Pratt & Whitney method, starting cranking first, and then giving the occasional little squirt with the primer as the prop rotated. If the engine seems reluctant to continue running you can keep using short blips until it becomes self-sustaining.

Taxying was similarly simple. The new sloping cowl combined with my high seat position to foreshorten the bonnet and give a brilliant view of the ground ahead. Although the steering remains heavier than some, it works well, with immediate response and a good lock. As with all the PA-28 family, it pays to hold back the yoke over grass to minimise nosewheel stresses. Takeoff acceleration was brisk, and a positive pull was needed to lift off at 60kt (111km/h) before retracting the flaps to climb out at 80. The nose was well out of the way, a big improvement over the old Cherokee 180’s higher cowling. Full throttle (2300rpm) gave us a climb rate of nearly 800ft/min at our 1050kg weight. The rudder trim was handy for reducing the otherwise acceptable load on my right foot as we hummed up to 4000ft for some general handling.

Thanks to a new, much improved, exhaust system (with optional second silencer) and better soundproofing, this new Archer has to be one of the quietest light aircraft I have flown. Headsets really are not necessary, and it is actually possible to converse in a normal voice, even at the higher powers and speeds. Despite its disadvantages, the lowered windscreen top gives a better roof line to cut aerodynamic noise, and the smaller windows reduce its transmission to the cabin. Also this particular O-360 (normally rather an obtrusive powerplant) was smoother and more subdued than any I have previously flown behind, making the aeroplane a comfortable and sophisticated people mover.

Establishing cruise flight and throttling back to 2400rpm gave us 120kt (222km/h) on the ASI, with a TAS of 122 (226km/h) on its outer scale. This is very good, better than I remember, and probably partly due to the new Sensenich propeller, which seems to give improved performance all around. Stability is excellent in all axes, both during the climb and in cruise. The Archer’s control forces, roll rate and general handling are much superior to the earlier Cherokee’s, and only the slightest touch of rudder is needed for enthusiastic rolling in and out of turns. Internal comfort was excellent, with good climate control and that lovely rich smell of leather upholstery and a new interior. My only criticism remains of the poor visibility into right turns.

Stalls were a total non event at our forward CofG, the clean straight-ahead break occurring at 52kt (96km/h) with a reedy wailing horn, after unmistakable buffet and a hefty pull. Full flap depressed the speed to 44kt (82km/h), again preceded by lots of buffet. Holding the stick hard back merely led to prodigious nodding and wallowing while a fair sink rate developed. Handling at speeds just above the stall was fine, and a hard pull in a 30° bank merely led to a lot of nodding and noise, with a temporary reduction in turn rate until the back-pressure was released. This is exemplary low speed handling, as one would expect from the type.

With no landing weight limitation, we simply floated back to base for a few uneventful landings. Like all Archers this Mark Three is in no hurry to descend, so I was not alone in finding myself flying 65kt (120km/h), full flap finals with very little power. The fine ailerons made it easy to straighten up in the last couple of seconds after a curving approach, and only a moderate stick force is needed for a proper hold off. I found it easy to pull off a couple of nose high, mainwheel first touchdowns close to the numbers, stopping in around two-thirds of the 900m grass runway without abusing the brakes.

This latest Archer really is a civilised, refined, and rightly well-established aeroplane. But it has one further, if less obvious attribute. I have encountered a wide and varied range of types since I started assessing aircraft for this magazine. Few have been truly unpleasant to fly, but many have needed vigilance in one or another area of their ‘personality’. A number have been quirky, and several were marginal in some aspect of their handling or performance. Although flight testing can sometimes be a trifle stressful, fortunately few subjects have been downright risky.

After this great variety of more or less demanding machines, it was a real pleasure to fly an aeroplane apparently without bad habits. I did not have to mistrust it, anticipate it, out-guess it, think too hard or remember anything in particular about the viceless Archer III. Flying it was one of those simple pleasures we often hear about but so rarely encounter in aviation. Rightly does Piper offer this new model as the new owner’s ideal first aircraft, giving it a two year warranty. It is just perfect for the someone wanting a trustworthy new aeroplane he or she can be proud of, but without worrying about. You will probably not hear it coming, so keep your eyes peeled for the eye catching new Archer III.