What callsign for Piper Cherokee derivatives?

If you are ever unsure just say "experimental" .

Or maybe 'mental for short.
 
I spend most of my time flying the PA-24 Comanche. I've been called Cherokee, Archer, Saratoga, Seneca, and even Mooney by ATC before.
 
Ryanb said:
The problem with that is ‘Piper’ could be anything from a Tomahawk to a Malibu. Best to differentiate at least somewhat as to the model you’re flying, rather than just ‘Piper’ as it’s too broad.
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Guess I should have been a bit more specific.

Piper aircraft of the size/speed/class of the more common Piper aircraft. Like Warriors, Archers, Cherokees and Arrows. Not a Malibu. Not a Meridian. Not a Tomahawk. Not a cub.

Better?
 
Sac Arrow said:
"Uh, Cessna three seven tango, you appear to be flying upside down."
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Affirmative. I am inverted, keeping up international relations.

Relative to jets at 195, all cherokees move at the same speed.
 
jkaduk said:
If I fly a 90's Tiger (American General) I, and most people I hear, call it a Grumman. When flying a Debonair I've been called a Bonanza, which is understandable. When flying a Bonanza I've been called a Debonair and even a Baron.
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Some people just get confused. I forgive controllers who slip and call my Mooney a Bonanza. But when they called me Baron, I didn't comment about "inbound on one engine" because I needed to land to pick up the DPE for my Instrument ride, and p!ssing off Tower would be an inauspicious beginning to that . . . .

But I had a whopping tailwind, showing 163 knots just a few miles out and kind of low. Gusting variable winds didn't help any.
 
Ryanb said:
The problem with that is ‘Piper’ could be anything from a Tomahawk to a Malibu. Best to differentiate at least somewhat as to the model you’re flying, rather than just ‘Piper’ as it’s too broad.
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Same thing for Cessna. Anything from a 150 to a 210. Can't say I've heard many 210's referred to as "Centurion N1234"
 
If I'm flying a taper wing Cherokee, I call it an Archer or Warrior. If I'm flying a Hershey Bar, I call them all Cherokees. If I'm flying an Arrow, I call it an Arrow.

Of course, it has little importance. I've been called a Cherokee when flying a Grumman, which is kind of insulting. I've been called a SkyHawk when flying a Cherokee, which is extremely insulting.

I do think differentiating between an Arrow and other 4 seat Cherokees is important, because people might be looking for gear hanging down.
 
I'll let you fellas in on a little secret: A lot of today's controllers don't know a Cessna from a Cesspool. They all go by the speed indicated on their radar. I remember I was training someone in local control (tower for the people who don't know the jargon) when a H-60 helicopter was inbound on a PAR approach. In the data block was P7X which switches back and forth from the approach to the type aircraft. The P stood for PAR approach, the 7 was the channel he was talking on to the PAR controller, the X meant that he was going back to Phoenix after his approach. When the trainee was attempting to give traffic to someone else on the helicopter, he caught it at the right time when it was on the approach flash. "Traffic is a pea seven ex on a five mile final."

So unless the controller is a good one that can differentiate aircraft by sight (which is few and far between these days) don't take it personally when they call you something you aren't. A lot of times it isn't their fault, they just call you whatever the person who typed your information into the computer which spit out your transponder code. That may have been quite a few controllers ago.
 
Timbeck2 said:
I'll let you fellas in on a little secret: A lot of today's controllers don't know a Cessna from a Cesspool. They all go by the speed indicated on their radar. I remember I was training someone in local control (tower for the people who don't know the jargon) when a H-60 helicopter was inbound on a PAR approach. In the data block was P7X which switches back and forth from the approach to the type aircraft. The P stood for PAR approach, the 7 was the channel he was talking on to the PAR controller, the X meant that he was going back to Phoenix after his approach. When the trainee was attempting to give traffic to someone else on the helicopter, he caught it at the right time when it was on the approach flash. "Traffic is a pea seven ex on a five mile final."

So unless the controller is a good one that can differentiate aircraft by sight (which is few and far between these days) don't take it personally when they call you something you aren't. A lot of times it isn't their fault, they just call you whatever the person who typed your information into the computer which spit out your transponder code. That may have been quite a few controllers ago.
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You know (most of us anyway) are just joking :p. That said, it is kind of important to tell the difference between a Cherokee and a SkyHawk ;-).

Funny thing about the strip. I got a call recently asking me to confirm that I was a Grumman Tiger. I answered affirmative and they said "yeah, the guy who made your strip had you as a G-44 Amphib." That was hilarious.
 
<--- has been called just about everything but Cherokee. Just giving another point of view. I personally don't like to work with controllers who don't make an effort to learn different types of aircraft, especially military aircraft.
 
N1120A said:
Funny thing about the strip. I got a call recently asking me to confirm that I was a Grumman Tiger. I answered affirmative and they said "yeah, the guy who made your strip had you as a G-44 Amphib." That was hilarious.
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One day I flew my Cheetah past Redding CA, where at the time CDF was using a number of exotic warbird types in firefighting operations. It was the only time ATC asked me, “Say type Grumman”!
 
N1120A said:
You know (most of us anyway) are just joking :p. That said, it is kind of important to tell the difference between a Cherokee and a SkyHawk ;-).

Funny thing about the strip. I got a call recently asking me to confirm that I was a Grumman Tiger. I answered affirmative and they said "yeah, the guy who made your strip had you as a G-44 Amphib." That was hilarious.
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It’d be nice to have a Widgeon.
 
In 1979 Piper published a "Controller Information Guide" listing its then-current products, with silhouette sketches and performance parameters that would be of interest to ATC -- like gear extension speed, final approach speed and takeoff and landing distances. Note that the FAA type designations for most of these airplanes have changed since then, to conform with ICAO.

PCIG-01.jpg PCIG-02.jpg
 
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I fly an Arrow. I say Arrow. Sometimes ATC calls me Cherokee and I switch to that. Often they just call me November and I roll with it. The way I see it, the call sign has a few purposes. One of them is to differentiate between the various aircraft talking to ATC and/or to each other, and that one is served best by following ATC’s lead. (The others I am aware of, which are helping ATC and other traffic visually identify the aircraft they have been talking to and helping ATC and other traffic estimate how fast you will get from where you last said you were to in the way of other traffic, are completely unaffected by whether you are flying any of the PA-28 series.)
 
jkaduk said:
Can't say I've heard many 210's referred to as "Centurion N1234"
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Of course the 210 had been in production for four years before the name "Centurion" was ever applied to it (1964 210D). "Skyhawk" was first used in 1961, but until 1976 that name only referred to an optional equipment package available for 172s.

But for ATC purposes you don't have to be exact to communicate the necessary information. Even for a 1960 210, "Centurion" tells ATC all it needs to know about performance capabilities and general appearance. Likewise "Skyhawk" for a pre-1961 172, or "Stationair" for a 205 or early 206.
 
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