New Owner: 1975 PA28R-200!

Soldier64

Soldier64

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Oct 20, 2013
Messages
257
Location
Fort Rucker, AL
Display Name
Display name:
Bill H.
Well, I have joined the ranks of airplane ownership and could not be more happy. I purchased a 1975 PA28R-200 at the begining of the month and have been learning to fly her the past few weeks. Such a smooth airplane to fly and will be a good traveling machine for myself. It has a basic panel with an older GPS but I kinda like that for now.

Currently I have a little box in the luggage compartment with a qt of oil, Leatherman Multi-tool, tire pressure guage, flathead and philips screwdriver, rags, and some cleaning material. What else do you guys carry with you in the plane?

What are some absolute must haves for an owner that I should purchase?

Pics to follow. I'm at work and dont have them on this computer.

Again, thank you all for a very good resource and I look forward to learning as I go!
 

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Welcome to the ranks!

A spark plug wrench and a spare plug saved my butt one late Sunday afternoon far away from home. Nice to have on hand.
 
Soldier64 said:
Well, I have joined the ranks of airplane ownership and could not be more happy. I purchased a 1975 PA28R-200 at the begining of the month and have been learning to fly her the past few weeks. Such a smooth airplane to fly and will be a good traveling machine for myself. It has a basic panel with an older GPS but I kinda like that for now.

Currently I have a little box in the luggage compartment with a qt of oil, Leatherman Multi-tool, tire pressure guage, flathead and philips screwdriver, rags, and some cleaning material. What else do you guys carry with you in the plane?

What are some absolute must haves for an owner that I should purchase?

Pics to follow. I'm at work and dont have them on this computer.

Again, thank you all for a very good resource and I look forward to learning as I go!
Click to expand...


Funnels, chocks, and just a smidgin of blow.


Congratulations!
 
Thank you! Glad to hear they are a good workhorse. I read probably every "What plane for me?" on here before this one came for sale to me.

It had a gear up in 2009 and in 2011 it was rebuilt with a new engine, aintjob, and interior. I bought it with 227 hours on the engine and everything else still looks brank new as it has been kept in a hangar since the work was done.
 
Congrats! We want pictures!!

Soldier64 said:
Currently I have a little box in the luggage compartment with a qt of oil, Leatherman Multi-tool, tire pressure guage, flathead and philips screwdriver, rags, and some cleaning material. What else do you guys carry with you in the plane?
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That's a good start. I'd add a first-aid/survival kit, chocks [already mentioned], tie-down ropes or straps, and sunshades.

Consider a hand-held comm (mine has been needed for real three times, once IFR). Definitely get a carbon monoxide alerter.

Spare batteries.

Scan the logbooks into pdf and save them on a CD-ROM or SD card to keep in the glove box. Then if you have a mechanical issue away from home, the mechanic will have access to your logs.
 
jk.....batteries for flashlights, headsets, etc. I also keep barf bags on board. Empty Gatorade bottle, but keep that closer to the front.
 

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I fly over a lot of desolate land in the center west of the country. I bought a cheap handheld radio and wrapped it in a red blanket then put it in the back under the seat. I figure if I go down hard and damage everything, I should be able to find the bright red radio wrap and get some kind of signal out. Also can use the blanket to keep warm kind of.
 
Pilawt said:
Congrats! We want pictures!!


That's a good start. I'd add a first-aid/survival kit, chocks [already mentioned], tie-down ropes or straps, and sunshades.

Consider a hand-held comm (mine has been needed for real three times, once IFR). Definitely get a carbon monoxide alerter.

Spare batteries.

Scan the logbooks into pdf and save them on a CD-ROM or SD card to keep in the glove box. Then if you have a mechanical issue away from home, the mechanic will have access to your logs.
Click to expand...

First-aid is a good thought. I'll have to pick a small one up or throw one of my extra military issued ones in there.

I have a handheld VHF, but never thought about having that in the plane. Great, thanks!

The Logbook idea makes sense, but I usually have my logbook bag (all logs) in the plane. Is that bad practice?
 
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Soldier64 said:
The Logbook idea makes sense, but I usually have my logbook bag (all ligs) in the plane. Is that bad practice?
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Those original logbooks represent a significant part of your airplane's resale value. I'd keep 'em in a safe place on the ground, with backup copies (paper or electronic) elsewhere.

An e-copy on a disk, memory card or flash drive in the airplane (instead of the originals), saves space, weight and worry.
 
Please understand that according to forum rules you technically do not own a new to you plane until such time as you post photos including panel shots.
 
Good choice. I've been pretty happy with mine so far.
 
1626.jpg
 
I used to own a Turbo Arrow III. The Arrow II I own in a partnership is a whole lot easier on the wallet plus I actually like the way it flies better.
 
OP updated with pictures. It's official, now I own an Arrow II! Haha.

The autopilot panel is off in the picture but you get the idea. Also the GPS screen is dead in the lower left but I can still see and use what I need to. The avionics are older and that's the only thing I would prefer to work on for upgrades for now.
 
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Nice...glad to see another Army Aviator with an Arrow it just an easy to fly fun aircraft...Had mine up to 186 Knots Ground Speed yesterday coming home from Tulsa to Houston riding the edge of a front....something I had never seen before....
 
Hey you got the kind with the extra prop blade! Kewl.
 
Congratulation! Very nice plane and excellent production year... :)
 
Nice plane. I get fly a friends late 60s arrow it's nice and smooth with the three blade prop and feels solid. Congrats...

The one thing I would second ( was already mentioned) is a CO detector. We found out that when the heat was on 1/2 way the air mixing flap valve is located near the bottom of the fire wall and pulls air in from the engine compartment so full open no problem full closed no problem....half way....it's a problem and when landing gear is down it's compounded . Nothing broke or leaking ...just not great design..but it may be different from yours...

I would recommend the BT Technologies CO detector....just got a new one for $120 on amazon and it's good for 2 years..


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Congratulations! I would carry tie down ropes, chocks, a carbon monoxide detector and a fire extinguisher with what you have already.
 
I would add a towbar for easier ground handling.
And a sticker that says three bladed props are sexy!
 
Consider what you need if for some reason you're stuck at an away from home airport.

Tie-downs are a must carry. Some places have them, some don't. Carry your own in case. I don't carry chocks, if I feel that the parking brake won't be enough I just tie down.... basically meaning if it's an overnight stay or winds are bad or something.

If going more than an hour or two from home I'd say bring two bottles of oil just in case and don't forget a funnel.

I carry a clean pair of underwear and socks in my flight bag. Re-wearing the same pair of jeans and shirt from yesterday is one thing... dirty underwear and socks though.. ugh.

For in flight comfort I generally bring a bag of beef jerky and bottled water.

After recent winter flying experiences, I'm highly tempted to add cowl plugs, an engine cover, an extension cord, and something to brush snow/frost off the wings with to that list.

Oh and don't forget your credit card and a checkbook.
 
for some strange reason i really grew attached to the arrow during my cpl training. i love how the wing dihedral looks. it is a good economical cross country machine at 135-140 knots. crosswind and gusty landings are yawners in this airplane amd the initial 1500 fpm climb is pretty solid. i call it "LA FLECHA":D:D
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. Some things I never thought about in here. I hope to be able to join in on some of the fly-ins soon!
 
I owned a 73 arrow. Can't say enough good things about it. A little short on range for IFR. A good tow bar and a jumper cable .
 
oh, and if no one said it yet.......awesome Scooby Doo floor mats!!!!
 
Congrats!!! great looking plane.
 
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