A2A Piper Cherokee 180 - Procedures - General Specifications

What to expect?

This guide will be a work in in progress for as long as i see fit. And who knows i might never get finished? :)

The guide will cover normale procedures, some abnormal procedures (to come), basic description of the airplane, systems and in flight safety

(MORE TO COME THIS IS JUST A BETA VERSION OF IT AND IT IS IS STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS)

Information about the guide

Sources:

• A2A Cherokee 180 Pilot's Manual
  
• www.pilotfriend.com
  
• Piper Cherokee Pilot Operation Handbook
  
• www.wikipedia.org

Writing this guide was pure pleasure.

All pictures are mine unless stated.



So with that out of the way. Please continue.

And just FYI english is not my native language, so please bare with me.

The airplane, airframe, engine and propeller, landing gear and controls.

The Airplane.

The Cherokee 180 is a single-engine, low wing monoplane of all metal construction.

The Cherokee is a commonly used trainer. The reason for this is the simplicty of it. Fixed gear, Simple avionics, simple mechanical control rods.

The Airframe.

The airframe is of aliminum alloy contructions - wing tips, tail surfaces and cowlings are of durable fiberglass


PA28 POH

The engine and propeller.

The aircraft is powered by a 4 cylindered horizontally-opposed Lycoming O-360 engine. Delivering 180 HP (134 kW) at 2700 rpm. It's dry weight is around 258 lb (117 kW)
The animation shows a basic insight of the engine.
copyright to wikipedia.

Like most GA engines the O-360 uses double magnetos. The engine has a 4 stroke combustion stage. It has a Compression ratio of: 8.5:1. The engine keeps itself cool by an intake at the front of the aircraft

Engine controls include: Throttle, mixture, carburetor heat, starter, ignition (magnetos) and fuel selector.

Propeller
Sensenich 76EM8S5-60 fixed pitch aluminum. It has a 74 inch diameter, with a standard pitch of 58 inches.

The landing gear and flight controls.

The Cherokee is provided with dual controls by defualt, this means you can fly from both left or right. The controls operate via a cable system.
The elevator trim or stabilator is located on, you guessed it. The tail. It acts as a longitudinal trim tab. You can operate the trim with a handle in the celling of the airplane.
The PA28 also has a rudder trim.
The flaps retract or deploy the second you use the lever. Takes some time getting used to when you are on approach. The reasons is because it is mechanical

Performance:
Source: Wikipedia

• Service ceiling: 14,300 feet (4400 m)
  
• Range: 465 nm (535 mi, 867 km)
  
• Stall speed: 47 knots (54 mph, 87 km/h)
  
• Cruise speed: 108 knots (124 mph, 200 km/h)
  
• Maximum speed: 123 knots (142 mph, 230 km/h)

General characteristics
Source: Wikipedia

• 
  
• Capacity: three passengers and one pilot
  
• Airfoil: NACA 652-415
  
• Max. takeoff weight: 2150 lb (975 kg)
  
• Loaded weight: Same as above
  
• Empty weight: 1201 lb (544 kg)

Measures:
Source: Wikipedia

• Height: 7.3 feet (2.25 m)
  
• Wingspan: 30.0 feet (9.2 m)
  
• Length: 23.3 feet (7.16 m)
  
• Wing area: 160 sq ft (15.14 m²)

Cockpit layout

Now where we have learned a bit about the PA28's exterior, controls and engine. We are going to take a look at the cockpit.

The cockpit consists of all the conventional gauges, you would find in most any general aviation aircraft.
But it does have an unusual gauge called the D-VOR or Digtal - VHF Omnidirectional Range
It is located in the top left part of the dashboard, beside the airspeed indicator and above the
chronometer

Here is a picture by Sky Blue Radio.
with points and text to what the different switches and gauges are:

Copyright to Sky Blue Radio

The RPM gauge is out of site and you will have to move you're head to the side to see it. And this is not so easy in FSX.

This was a short rundown of the cockpit layout

Starting up, taxing and taking off

Starting up

When you walk up to the aircraft.
Open the door and remove the seatbelt control lock to free the controls.
Now you can go ahead and press Shift+2, to open the checklist. Complete the Upon entering cabin checklist:


Once completed press Shift+8 to begin the walkaround. The walkaround 2d panel looks like this:

Note: if you use Ezdok or Ezdok v2, you will have to do the walkaround reversed.
Once you have completed your walkaround, confirm you have removed all the remove berfore flight equipment like: Chocks, pitot cover, tie downs. You can do this by opening Shift + 3.

Now you should do your preflight.

Continue to page 2 in the Shift+2 tab.
Follow the checklist it should be pretty straight forward.

Note: In winter prime 2-3 times. In sommer prime 1-2 times.

Once you have clompeted the checklist, you are ready to taxi!
Before you begin to taxi wait for the oil temperature to get up in the green, this can take a while. Depending on season

The oil temp gauge is located in the six gauge pack on the right dash. It is the lowest right gauge.

Taxing

By now you have completed the Starting up section and you will begin your taxi.
Check you're engine gauges are in the green. And add a little bit of power to get moving. Remeber to lean the mixture to avoid fouling spark plugs.

Find a suiting place to do you're run up or ground check, as it is called in the Shift+2 tab.

Slowly advance the throttle to 2000 rpm. Remeber to richen the mixture, again to avoid fouling the spark plugs. Check the magnetos and carb heat as described in the checklist. And check the engine instruments. Slowly decrease the throttle and lean the mixture for 1000 rpm.

Start taxi to the runway.

Taking off

You have now made it to the runway. You are lined up and ready to go, but first you will have to do the Takeoff checklist on page 4

Once again this checklist should be pretty easy to follow.
Checklist completed release the parking brake and add full power.
Speeds:

Put a little bit of back pressure on the yoke to start the climb. Rotate at around 65 to 75 MPH
You're climb speed should be around 89 mph for the best rate of climb
and 80 mph for the best angle of climb.

Congratulations you have now started up, taxied and taken off!

Climb, cruise and descent

Climb

You are climbing out, and you are ready to complete the climb check

Countine you to climb with 89 mph for the best angle of climb, or 80 for the best rate of climb

Cruise

Once you reach you're cruising altitude, let's say 6000 ft. you can throttle back and lean the mixture.

And of course do the cruise checklist

Note: once you get the hang of leaning the mixture it should be pretty easy
Now you are all setup for cruise!

Autopilot use:

The autopilot might be a bit tricky for the first time. But i hope this guide will help you.
If it doesn't there is alot of usefull videos available.

To activate the autopilot, press the switch called autopilot master on the left side of the dash.
Let it self test and once all lights have distinguished, you can select the mode you want by pressing the button on the gauge.
There also is a altitude button you can use. Press it and check a blue light appears in the autopilot gauge. If you hear a beeping noise check the right side of the autopilot gauge and trim the aircraft accordingly until it stops beeping.

Descent

It is time for you to start your descent.
Before you start your descent, do the descent cheklist.



Once completed, slowly decrease you're power. You can keep you're speed around the yellow bit of the airspeed indicator, not over!

Landing and shutdown

Landing

Infront of you is the runway. You are in good conditions for this landing.
Now is a good time to do the landing cheklist



Line yourself up with the centerline and pitch for a 3° glide angle.
Do not just go full flaps. Slowly set flaps 1. Then 2 and when you think the time is right 3 the final flap.

Note:
When you set you're flaps be prepared for the nose to drop and you're vertical speed will increase
and you're will have to add power to stay around 75 - 80 mph

You're flaps are now set as they should, and you're are heading for the centerline pick yourself a target like the runway number and just head for that. Keep you're speed around 70 to 80 mph. When you head over the runway numbers cut the throttle and pull back on the yoke. Let it stall if possible and touch down. Don't worry it may take a few tries before you get the hang of it.

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Landing in croswinds (WIP)

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Vacate the runway and remeber to lean the mixture to avoid fouling the spark plugs.
Taxi to parking and set you're parking brake.

Shutdown

Parking brake is set. and you are ready to shutdown.

First, it is a good idea to kill the avionics and lights.

Then lean, operate at 1200 rpm for 1-minute. to clear out unburnt fuel in the cylinders.
Operate at 1800 rpm for 20-seconds with mixture as lean as possible.
Cut the throttle gently, with the mixture following closely behind. When the engine stops spinning, turn off the magnetos.
Do a sweep of the cockpit to make sure everything is off and then turn off the master switch. Put in the seatbelts, acting like control locks. And leave the cockpit.
Put the chocks in and put the pitot heat cover on.
Tie the tie downs if needed. (mostly used when parked on a big open area, where the wind can get you're aircraft.)

What have you learned? (hopefully)

You will have learned: (hopefully)

A bit about the aircraft it self: The airplane, airframe, engine and propeller and at last the landing gear and it's controls.

Procedures:

how to start up, taxi and takeoff in the A2A Piper PA28-180 cherokee.
You have also learned how to climb, cruise and how to descent the Piper
And then you have learned how to land it in good conditions and how to shut it down.

This was the end of it!

Thank you for reading my guide!
Tell me if there is anything i can do better.

Changelog

Dates are in dd/mm/yy