Piper 235 interior room

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muleywannabe

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Cherokee235
If two 6' males were to sit in the front seats of a piper 235, how much room does it leave in the back seat for two more people, i.e. children, or small women etc. I know they haul some pretty good weight but was curious about the interior room. I know the front cabin is roomy for two bigger guys, which is good.
 
I don't know about the 235, but there is enough room in the back seat of an Archer for what you want.
 
Not much room in the back seat
 
just my opinion, the 180hp cherokee is the PA28 that makes sense. The 235 doesn't have enough cubic feet of volume to take advantage of it's weight carrying capability. If you need to carry the weight then the PA-32-260 is the same purchase price, same MX, and for all practical purposes the same fuel as a 235.
 
muleywannabe said:
its a 1968
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Mine is 1968 235. Since I put the seat back fully, you can't sit behind me unless I pull the seat forward. The front seat TOUCHES the rear seat.

You can carry 3 adults pretty much OK.

I flew 3 kids at Young Eagles rallies and on other occasions.

Two 6 foot guys will also be squeezed at the shoulders. Ask me how I know how that goes.
 
I flew with 3 other adults, my Grandmother who is 5'4 125lbs, my friend who is 5'10 175lbs, my cfi who sat right seat is 6'2 210lbs and myself who is 6'3 285lbs.

If your in the front seat that means you have to accomodate the rear passengers, tell them to let you know when your scooting your seat back where its comfortable for the both of you. If your like me and have longer legs then you'll have to kinda sacrifice the most comfort because my knees rest on the side of the airplane and when im flying longer XC's it does get a little uncomfortable. But it can be done!

When im by myself I actually have too much leg room.
 
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Jhernandez04 said:
I flew with 3 other adults, my Grandmother who is 5'4 125lbs, my friend who is 5'10 175lbs, my cfi who sat right seat is 6'2 210lbs and myself who is 6'3 285lbs.

If your in the front seat that means you have to accomodate the rear passengers, tell them to let you know when your scooting your seat back where its comfortable for the both of you. If your like me and have longer legs then you'll have to kinda sacrifice the most comfort because my knees rest on the side of the airplane and when im flying longer XC's it does get a little uncomfortable. But it can be done!

When im by myself I actually have too much leg room.
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Thank you for the info. myself and my partners are 6' tall or shorter, so this should be just fine. our wives are a foot shorter than us, haha
 
do yourself a favor, if pipers are your thing, sit in a PA32 and a comanche. You don't be thinking about 6-cyl PA28's after that.
 
1. Check around and find a local owner of the aircraft you're interested in and ask if you can sit in it for a few minutes.

2. But keep in mind, sitting in something for 3-5 minutes is not the same as 2-3 hours. If the owner you're speaking with is game, offer cost of fuel and buy him/her lunch to go on a flight lasting at least 45 minutes each way. That will really answer the "can I fit comfortably" question. And that $150 hamburger might save you thousands in helping to select the right aircraft for your mission.
 
I fly a 64 235 and we've had 4 adult males in the plane for a 1 hour trip - it was fine...I was in the backseat (I'm 6' / 220lbs) and I wouldn't want to go much further than that.

As far as the front seat goes - it's quite comfortable. My CFI is about the same size as me and we never had any issues - maybe elbow bumping from time to time but most folks comment that once they get in it's bigger than it looks/feels from the outside.
 
Where is Clark when you need him!!!!

I thought the 235, 236 was the same fuselage as the rest of the PA28 line. The Fuselage was stretched 5" in 1973 with the Arrow getting the stretch in 72.

I am not aware of the 235 or 236 ever being wider that the rest of the PA28 line.
 
tmyers said:
Where is Clark when you need him!!!!

I thought the 235, 236 was the same fuselage as the rest of the PA28 line. The Fuselage was stretched 5" in 1973 with the Arrow getting the stretch in 72.

I am not aware of the 235 or 236 ever being wider that the rest of the PA28 line.
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That's correct, the PA-28 airframe in any variant never got wider. The only difference is the backseat depending on the year the 235, Arrow, and 160/180 cherokees got their respective fuse stretch, which are all the same 5 inches. The prices usually reflect a premium for the strecth.

The short versions of the pa-28 are not ergonomically honest as 4 seaters, even for FAA adults. For people who don't need a 4 seater but can't afford experimental hot rods, it is a good compromise since they're generally cheaper than their stretched versions.
 
The PA-32-260 may be the way to go. The cockpit is wider (4 inches I think) than the PA-28-235. It has the same engine (redline at 2700 instead of 2400). Gobs of legroom in the 3rd row and more baggage volume than you can use.

The insurance on a PA-32 will be higher just because it has 2 extra seats though. I paid about 2400$/year for my '66 PA-32, but I had ~200 hrs PIC time, so if you and your partners have more experience then it may not be a significant amount more than the PA-28.
 
Did the insurance cost come down once you had more PA-32 time?

COFlyBoy said:
The PA-32-260 may be the way to go. The cockpit is wider (4 inches I think) than the PA-28-235. It has the same engine (redline at 2700 instead of 2400). Gobs of legroom in the 3rd row and more baggage volume than you can use.

The insurance on a PA-32 will be higher just because it has 2 extra seats though. I paid about 2400$/year for my '66 PA-32, but I had ~200 hrs PIC time, so if you and your partners have more experience then it may not be a significant amount more than the PA-28.
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I can vouch that the pre-73 PA-28's have very little legroom in the back.

I fly a late 60's 140 right now. I'm 5'9" and the space behind me is maybe 4 or 5 inches with the seat set. Not enough to comfortably sit. If you are 6'0"+ you'll probably be touching the backseat.

But when they did the 5 inch fuselage stretch, all of it went to the backseat and they are much more usable after that. So look for a post-73 Archer or Dakota.
 
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tmyers said:
Where is Clark when you need him!!!!

I thought the 235, 236 was the same fuselage as the rest of the PA28 line. The Fuselage was stretched 5" in 1973 with the Arrow getting the stretch in 72.

I am not aware of the 235 or 236 ever being wider that the rest of the PA28 line.
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You got it, no Clark needed...

Fuselage stretch about 73' and wing change about 78 or 79 depending on flavor of PA-28. Bigger stab along with the wing change.
 
Clark1961 said:
Fuselage stretch about 73'
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PA-28-180: 1973 (called Cherokee Challenger for 1973, Cherokee Archer for 1974-75)
PA-28-235: 1973 (called Cherokee Charger for 1973, Cherokee Pathfinder for 1974-77)
PA-28R-200 Cherokee Arrow II: 1972
PA-28-140: never

and wing change about 78 or 79 depending on flavor of PA-28.
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PA-28-151 Cherokee Warrior: introduced 1974
PA-28-181 Cherokee Archer II: 1976
PA-28-236 Dakota: 1979 (there was no 235 hp model for 1978)
PA-28R-201 Cherokee Arrow III: 1977
PA-28-140: never

Bigger stab along with the wing change.
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Bigger stabilator came with the fuselage stretch. -180 and Arrow also got 1-foot extension on each wingtip, matching the -235's 32-foot wingspan. "Cherokee" names dropped after 1977.
 
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muleywannabe said:
If two 6' males were to sit in the front seats of a piper 235, how much room does it leave in the back seat for two more people, i.e. children, or small women etc. I know they haul some pretty good weight but was curious about the interior room.
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Well, that depends. Do you ever want them to fly with you again?

The answer is "not much."

I know the front cabin is roomy for two bigger guys, which is good.
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It's certainly not what I would call roomy. It's the same as the rest of the Cherokee line. Tolerable, but I wouldn't want to own one if I was gonna be flying with someone other than my wife in the other front seat.

mikea said:
Mine is 1968 235. Since I put the seat back fully, you can't sit behind me unless I pull the seat forward. The front seat TOUCHES the rear seat.

Two 6 foot guys will also be squeezed at the shoulders. Ask me how I know how that goes.
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Same reason I do! :D And we had a 3rd person with us in the back, she was about 5'4" and spent most of the trip sitting sideways and was NOT comfortable.

OP, since you're carrying wives and presumably want them to fly with you again - You should look elsewhere. PA28-235 is not going to keep the pax comfortable enough.
 
muleywannabe said:
its a 1968
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About the same room as a '68 180. Pretty much a Cherokee 140/150/160/180 with 235hp and tip tanks. Will haul a heavy load, burn gas, and go a tad faster.
But the newer versions, like the dakota, and pathfinder, have a longer fuselage, giving more room in the back seat.
 
I'm 6' tall and have sat in the back with 2 other similar sized dudes in front for an hour flight.

It wasn't that bad. Much longer, probably not going to happen and I wouldn't subject any passengers to that.
 
Put it this way, if the world is ending like the movie 2012... no one is gonna *****. But if you take people up acting like it's a jetliner then they will be sorely disappointed. Lol
 
Jhernandez04 said:
Put it this way, if the world is ending like the movie 2012... no one is gonna *****. But if you take people up acting like it's a jetliner then they will be sorely disappointed. Lol
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Thread creep but can't resist:

My friend and I took is 3-year old son up for a ride in a 172. His comment in the air, "Daddy, can't we go faster?"
 
midlifeflyer said:
Thread creep but can't resist:

My friend and I took is 3-year old son up for a ride in a 172. His comment in the air, "Daddy, can't we go faster?"
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I took my relatives for flights over their one road town in Pennsylvania.
AFTER I land they ask, can we go lower? :dunno:
 
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