1965 Piper Cherokee 180
Purchased in April 2022. New pilot currently working on IFR rating out of KCCB.
Upgraded the panel, since purchasing. Fun Fact: She looks shiny, but the paint job is actually from the 90s and painted at my home airport back in the day when there was a paint shop. She resided in Big Bear when I purchased her and she has always been in Southern California.
Side note: Any CFIIs looking for a client, please contact me.
KCCB
1965 PA-28-180C
~Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.
Comments
Nice work on a good old bird! Happy flying.
carl
48 yrs A/P IA DAL aircraft inspector. 172N
Beautiful plane and welcome!
Jim "Doc Griff" Griffin
PA28 - 161
Chicago area
Congrats! I got my IFR rating in a PA28-180 with a configuration like your original panel. I never worked so hard to keep track of where I am and where I am headed.
A single Nav head, no flip flop and crossing radials inspired me to upgrade and add a DME... It was a huge work load reduction and was what I could afford at the time.
Your new panel is slick! Keep us updated on your IFR rating, I think it is one of the most satisfying ratings in GA.
Eric Panning
1981 Seneca III
Hillsboro, OR (KHIO)
@planewrench & @griff390 - thank you for the warm welcome!
@empannin -she had a DME when I bought her, but I removed it because it wasn't working along with the ADF.
I'll keep you posted on IFR, passed written, so ready for the best part. ;)
KCCB
1965 PA-28-180C
~Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.
Congratulations! You are going to love the 180. Two questions….do you still have the Narco CP136 audio panel or the Com 120’s and why do you have a manifold pressure gauge?
Regards,
Mike
Good catch, Mike! I've never seen a manifold gauge on a plane with a fixed pitch prop.
Scott Sherer
Wright Brothers Master Pilot, FAA Commercial Pilot
I know the Cherokee could have an O-360-A3A engine with a hollow crank for a constant speed prop or an O-360-A4A with the solid crank. Perhaps it had a constant speed prop in the past? I had an A3A in my fixed pitch airplane and when it was time for an overhaul, I changed to the A4A. That did away with the AD for recurring hollow crank inspections and the RPM restriction from 2150-2350 RPM.
NIce updates! I kinda miss the period avionics. Number of years back we took care of a very early Aztec with very original MK12 radios! If the heater quit, you could stay warm by the glow of the radio tubes! Happy flying. Carl
48 yrs A/P IA DAL aircraft inspector. 172N
@MikeJJ - not sure about the manifold gauge, I wondered about it as well. The old coms weren't working well. It's hot here in the summer in Southern California. They were overheating.
KCCB
1965 PA-28-180C
~Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.
An avionics fan will keep your radios cooler. An avionics shop can help with this. The original ram air cooling to the radio stack is often not sufficient as we cram more and more equipment into the same panel space. I have one in my Cherokee and the radios run much cooler. It also makes a “cool” sound starting up 😬
Regards,
Mike
Keeping avionics cool in that airframe is nothing new. Used to have a PA28 with previous generation avionics: Dual King NAV/COMMs, DME, ADF, LORAN. After a few heat related early repairs, and based on inputs from friends whom experienced heat shedding issues in other planes, a simple practice fixed the issue. Pointed the right seat's floor vent forward and upward (~10:30 position) during warmer times to direct outside air into the panel. Problem solved, no cost.
Had an educational experience in a Hershey bar PA-28-180. CFI (also a professor in aerospace) wanted to test a buddy's comment / theory that the 180 with a Hershey bar wing would not stall at WOT while in calm weather (the buddy read about it somewhere). So as part of one of the check ride's unusual attitude recovery scenarios, the CFI had me get the plane into slow flight, start pulling back on the yolk to induce a stall, and then the CFI gradually added power until WOT. Sure enough, I had the yolk pulled full aft, wings gave just a minor buffet, and the plane simply would not break into a stall. Both of us were impressed. After about 30 seconds of this, I pointed out that the VSI needle was hard downward (cannot remember if it was 1K or 1,500 ft / min down) and recommended that the expirment end soon. With that comment, the CFI called for a recovery.
Good thing one of you was keeping an eye on the ball with wide open throttle and mushing nose up or you could have had a laundry experience as well 😁