Originally Posted by Grants_Pass_Bill
Originally Posted by Rick_Durden
Carlos,

The Cherokee 180 is a nice machine and handles turf fields well, but it's not a short field airplane. With Texas heat, 1,000 feet would be pretty tight if you're anywhere near gross weight. If you tack on any extra speed on approach, it will eat up runway on landing.

Warmest regards,
Rick



lol, Jeff and Kathie Davis, (former 150/150 owners), took extraordinary delight in showing us how their Cherokee 180 was superior to our 150/150 where one memorable example was at Bryce Canyon, Utah, (7586' elevation), and they had that airplane loaded to the gills!! grin

Bill


Ah, Bill, always respectful.

Book takeoff roll for the airplane on a standard day, depending on the source is 720-800 feet on pavement at gross. Add an appropriate percentage for grass and that the airplane may not be in perfect condition... I may be old fashioned, but I generally add 50% for the fact the airplane isn't in new condition and 50% for grass. So, standard day, for planning, allow 1400-1600 feet to break ground. Then, if the temp is above standard...

Take a look at the NTSB website for 180 accidents - a fair number of runway over runs on landing, and a fair number on attempted go arounds after the pilot thought he couldn't get stopped.

I like the airplane a lot; I've flown them on and off since 1970 and have given instruction in them. It does very well, but, IMHO, it's not a STOL machine even though a knowledgable pilot can get some beautiful performance out of one. Tacking an extra 10 knots onto the published approach speed will make the float a painfully long time. The tapered wing (Archer) gave a little better takeoff performance and ceiling.

Warmest regards,
Rick