Piper · 1964–1977
Piper Cherokee 235 (1964-1977)
iSpecifications
Performance
Cruise
138KTAS
Range
920nm
Climb
825fpm
Ceiling
14,500ft
Fuel Burn
13.5gph
Fuel Cap.
84gal
MPG
11.8mpg
Stall (Vs0)
51KIAS
T/O roll
800ft
Ldg roll
650ft
Size & weight
Seats
4
Useful Load
1,590lbs
Full-fuel payload
1,086lbs
Max gross
3,000lbs
Wingspan
32ft
Length
23.6ft
Engine
Engine
Lycoming O-540-B2B5
Power
235hp
TBO
2,000hrs
Overhaul
$52k
Owning it
Hull insurance
$2k/yr
Parts
excellent
Mechanics
common
Gear
Fixed
IFR
Yes
Category
certified
Full specification
V-speeds
Airframe
- Empty weight
- 1,410 lbs
- Max fuel weight
- 504 lbs
- Height
- 7.3 ft
- Wing position
- low
Obstacle performance
- Takeoff over 50 ft
- 1,700 ft
- Landing over 50 ft
- 1,300 ft
Paperwork
- Type certificate
- 2A13
- Certification basis
- CAR 3
These figures are typical for the model, not a specification for any individual aircraft. Real-world numbers vary with year, installed equipment, weight, modifications and engine condition — often by more than you would expect. Use them to compare types, and confirm anything you would act on against the Pilot's Operating Handbook for that specific airframe and a prebuy inspection.
Pricing
Typical
$95k
Range
$65k – $145k
Annual all-in
~$24k/yr
All-in at ~100 flying hours a year, using the midpoint of each range — the same figures broken out under “Cost to own” below. Your number will differ, and mostly for two reasons. Experience sets your insurance: a 2,000-hour pilot with recent training pays 30–40% less than a 200-hour owner, and student owners pay 20–40% more — on the same aircraft that is often a doubling. Location sets your hangar: a T-hangar runs $200–400 a month in the Midwest against $400–1,500 in a coastal metro, and an outside tie-down is less again. Engine reserves move too — a local shop reusing your serviceable cylinders can come in 30–50% under the national specialty-shop pricing we quote, though you trade the warranty and turnaround that comes with it. Reserves are money set aside toward a future overhaul, not a bill this year, and the annual inspection figure is the shop’s labor to look — whatever they find is separate.
Cost to own — estimate
Set your yearly hours and local fuel price. Fixed costs (insurance, hangar, annual inspection) don't change with hours; fuel, maintenance and the engine reserve do.
- Fuel (13.5 gph)
- $8,775
- Engine reserve
- $2,600
- Propeller reserve
- $175
- Maintenance, parts & wear items ($12/hr)
- $1,200
- Insurance
- $900–$2,400
- Hangar
- $4,531–$11,328
- Annual inspection (labor only)
- $1,200
- Databases & subscriptions
- $400
- Total per year
- $23,930
- Per flight hour
- $239
- Miles flown / year (at cruise)
- 15,881 mi
- Cost per mile
- $1.51/mi
- Time in the air
- 2 hr 10 min
- Fuel burned
- 29 gal
- Out of pocket
- $277
Fuel, engine reserve and wear only. Insurance, hangar and the annual are already paid whether you make the trip or not, so they are not charged here.
Estimate, not a quote. Where a line shows a range, the total, per-hour and per-mile figures use its midpoint— insurance moves most with your experience and time in type, hangar with where you base the aircraft, so your own number could sit at either end. Annual inspection is the shop's labor to open and inspect — what they find is the maintenance line, which covers oil changes, plugs, tires, brakes, hoses, lights, a battery and vacuum pump amortised over their life, and the unscheduled squawks that are the largest and least predictable part of it. Reserves are sinking funds toward an overhaul, not a bill you pay this year — and note that a propeller is due on hours or calendar time, typically six years, so flying less does not put it off forever.
Strengths
- Highest useful load (1,590 lbs) of any PA-28 variant; genuine 4-adult hauler
- 138 KTAS cruise speed competitive with larger/more expensive Skylane
- Fixed-gear simplicity and proven Lycoming O-540 engine platform
- Stretched Pathfinder variant (1973–77) adds 10" cabin length for rear-seat comfort
Weaknesses
- Four-tank fuel system (2 main + 2 tip tanks) adds complexity; tip-tank operation and venting must be verified
- O-540 6-cylinder engines require careful borescope inspection; high-time examples show cylinder wear
- Fixed landing gear increases drag and fuel burn vs. retractable competitors
- Older airframes (1960s–70s) require structural AD compliance checks (spar, stabilator rigging, door operation)
Overview
The 1964-1977 Piper Cherokee 235 is the big-engine fixed-gear PA-28 -- a Cherokee 180 airframe with a Lycoming O-540 235 HP engine and larger 84 gallon fuel capacity. The 235 became Piper's answer to the Cessna 182 Skylane and Beechcraft Musketeer 235, targeting the utility/hauler mission that the lighter Cherokee 180 couldn't fulfill.
Approximately 2,800 Cherokee 235s were produced. Three marketing names spanned the run:
- Cherokee 235 (1964-1972): Original 235 HP, short-body
- Charger (1973-1976): Refined Cherokee 235
- Pathfinder (1973-1977): Stretched-cabin variant (10" longer)
The 235 line was succeeded in 1979 by the PA-28-236 Dakota (1979-1994), which combined the 235 HP engine with the tapered-wing Archer II airframe.
The Useful Load
This page describes the original short-body Cherokee 235 (1964-1972, FAA TCDS 2A13 Section VI) -- the majority of the roughly 2,800 PA-28-235s built, at a certificated 2,900 lb gross weight. The Charger and Pathfinder (Section XIII, below) are a different, stretched-fuselage configuration certificated 100 lb heavier at 3,000 lb; their own figures are in the Variants table, not folded into the specs above. Combined with 84 gallons of fuel (504 lbs), the short-body Cherokee 235 can carry a useful load in the neighborhood of 1,490 lbs (pending a handbook-sourced empty weight -- see the confidence note), for example:
- 4 adults + 84 gal fuel + roughly 180 lbs bags
- 3 adults + 84 gal fuel + roughly 380 lbs bags
This load-carrying capacity makes the Cherokee 235 a viable mini-Skylane competitor at lower acquisition cost.
Variants & History
| Variant | Years | Body | Engine | HP | Gross Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee 235 | 1964-1972 | Short | Lycoming O-540-B2B5/B1B5/B4B5 | 235 | 2,900 lbs | Original 235 HP, TCDS Section VI -- the airframe this page's frontmatter describes |
| Charger | 1973 | Stretched (+5") | Lycoming O-540-B4B5 | 235 | 3,000 lbs | TCDS Section XIII: same cert item as Pathfinder, same 5" fuselage stretch and larger tail -- NOT the short body |
| Pathfinder | 1974-1977 | Stretched (+5") | Lycoming O-540-B4B5 | 235 | 3,000 lbs | TCDS Section XIII, continuing the Charger's stretched airframe under a new marketing name |
The Charger's body was corrected from "Short" to "Stretched." FAA TCDS 2A13 Section XIII covers both the Charger and Pathfinder serials on one certificate item and states plainly that it "differs from the basic PA-28-235 (Item VI) by the addition of a five inch fuselage extension" across its whole serial range -- the stretch arrived with the Charger name in 1973, not with the Pathfinder name a year later. Section XIII's own V-speeds are Vne 171 / Vno 135 / Va 119 / Vfe 99 kt, close to but not identical with Section VI's figures above.
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Performance
No Pilot's Operating Handbook was obtained for this pass (see the confidence note) -- the figures below predate this research and are uncorrected generated data, carried forward rather than invented anew:
- Cruise: 138 KTAS at 7,500 ft (75% power, unsourced)
- Climb: 825 FPM at gross (unsourced)
- Fuel burn: 13.5 GPH cruise (unsourced)
- Range: 920 NM with reserves at 84 gal fuel (unsourced)
- Useful load: 1,490 lbs (recomputed from the certificate's corrected 2,900 lb gross weight; the empty-weight figure it is built on is still unsourced)
The Cherokee 235's 138 KTAS cruise is a legacy figure, not yet checked against a handbook. Treat it as indicative rather than certificated.
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Valuation Factors
| Variant | Condition | Price Range |
|---|---|---|
| Cherokee 235 (short body) | Flying but tired | $60,000-$85,000 |
| Cherokee 235 (short body) | Well-maintained | $80,000-$115,000 |
| Charger | Well-maintained | $80,000-$120,000 |
| Pathfinder (stretched) | Well-maintained | $95,000-$145,000 |
Pathfinder versions trade $15,000-$25,000 above short-body 235s due to the stretched cabin.
ADs & Common Problems
- Lycoming O-540 cylinder condition: Borescope all 6 cylinders.
- Fuel system inspection: 84 gal fuel capacity uses 4 fuel tanks (2 main + 2 tip); inspect all for corrosion and leaks.
- Tip tank operation: Tip tanks add 17 gal each side; verify proper fuel transfer and venting.
- Cherokee universal: Spar AD compliance, stabilator rigging, cabin door operation.
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