At one time, a normally aspirated 200-HP Piper Arrow was our go-to aircraft for travel around the Northeast and occasional hauls from Connecticut to the Carolinas. While the Arrow lacked the excitement of a Mooney 201, it was stone simple to fly, had reasonable operating costs and most important to our mission—it delivered good dispatch reliability.
Those are compelling traits long recognized by flight schools who swear by them as relatively economical complex trainers. Plus, owners report happy relationships with the Arrow’s combination of useful load and range. Through longevity and numbers, it may have replaced the Bonanza as the ubiquitous retractable single.