Tantalum
Final Approach
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San_Diego_Pilot
Maybe great minds think alike? lol
Should I Fly the Arrow?
- Thread starter Skid
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zaitcev
En-Route
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Pete Zaitcev
Heh, I can tell right away which place it was, because only one school had a 182RG in town. They were also the only place that had a 150 _and_ their insurance permitted operations on unpaved surfaces. The only requirement was that the airport had a public access. Since I wanted to fly a 150 before buying it, I went there. Imagine my surprise when they made me to sign a release for them to request a background check on me from local police. So, they are somewhat infamous for weird policies around here.
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Aztec Flyer
Why bother. We're all going to end up with fixed gear when Cirrus finishes taking over the entire world.
Better we outfit the others with a fake red handle in the headliner so we can all practice pulling it as part of the transition.
Ghery
Touchdown! Greaser!
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Ghery Pettit
When our club had an Arrow (we sold it a year and a half ago) the insurance requirements for solo (assuming no previous time in type) were 5 hours dual and 100 hours TT. By some strange coincidence, I hit both at the same time (a long time ago). 10 hours strikes me as a bit high.
That said, another consideration in making the choice is how comfortable (physically) you are in the Arrow. And I don't mean a quick trip around the pattern. I can fly our 172s or 182 for hours without a problem. The Arrow had about a 3 hour limit. At that point my knees hurt and it was all I could do to crawl out of that plane. I don't miss it for that reason. YMMV. The 182 is far more comfortable (for me), as well as being a few knots faster. The Arrow did have a higher full fuel payload, however. Another key point - the back seat was great for cargo, and only cargo. I never took anyone flying I disliked enough to put in the back seat, at least not on the pilot's side. No legroom there. None. The plane was great for carrying stuff across the state with my wife and me aboard. Newer Arrows have a longer fuselage, and probably have more legroom in the back seat. Check.
Some good points made by others, but I'll repeat them. Ours was a 1969 PA-28R-200. 200 hp. 48 gallons useable. Hershey bar wings. Had what my original CFI called a "safe mode" glide. It glided like a safe. Gear up, even with the approach numbers, pull the power to idle. Turn for the runway NOW. Don't drop the gear until short final and you'll make it to the runway. Wait to turn or drop the gear early and all bets are off. It does not glide like a 172 or 182.
Check W&B. Seriously, calculate it. We had a 3 blade prop on the Arrow and with two 200 pound people in the front seat I had to have about 50 pounds in the cargo compartment to get the CG aft of the forward limit. Watch this item.
The Arrow is about as simple a complex plane as you are going to find and is easy to transition to from a Cessna. I had no trouble. One good thing about the Hershey bar wings, I NEVER bounced a landing in the Arrow. When the mains touched down it was finished flying. I can't make the same statement about a 172. I can bounce a landing in them with the best of them, and I have a bunch more hours in 172s than Arrows.
Have fun!
That said, another consideration in making the choice is how comfortable (physically) you are in the Arrow. And I don't mean a quick trip around the pattern. I can fly our 172s or 182 for hours without a problem. The Arrow had about a 3 hour limit. At that point my knees hurt and it was all I could do to crawl out of that plane. I don't miss it for that reason. YMMV. The 182 is far more comfortable (for me), as well as being a few knots faster. The Arrow did have a higher full fuel payload, however. Another key point - the back seat was great for cargo, and only cargo. I never took anyone flying I disliked enough to put in the back seat, at least not on the pilot's side. No legroom there. None. The plane was great for carrying stuff across the state with my wife and me aboard. Newer Arrows have a longer fuselage, and probably have more legroom in the back seat. Check.
Some good points made by others, but I'll repeat them. Ours was a 1969 PA-28R-200. 200 hp. 48 gallons useable. Hershey bar wings. Had what my original CFI called a "safe mode" glide. It glided like a safe. Gear up, even with the approach numbers, pull the power to idle. Turn for the runway NOW. Don't drop the gear until short final and you'll make it to the runway. Wait to turn or drop the gear early and all bets are off. It does not glide like a 172 or 182.
Check W&B. Seriously, calculate it. We had a 3 blade prop on the Arrow and with two 200 pound people in the front seat I had to have about 50 pounds in the cargo compartment to get the CG aft of the forward limit. Watch this item.
The Arrow is about as simple a complex plane as you are going to find and is easy to transition to from a Cessna. I had no trouble. One good thing about the Hershey bar wings, I NEVER bounced a landing in the Arrow. When the mains touched down it was finished flying. I can't make the same statement about a 172. I can bounce a landing in them with the best of them, and I have a bunch more hours in 172s than Arrows.
Have fun!