As Piper Aircraft celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Piper Cherokee, the company is inviting pilots to commemorate this venerable aircraft by logging some time for the Cherokee Heritage Journey.
Participants in the Cherokee Heritage Journey get a stamp each time they attend any number of fly-in events across the country. The pilot attending the most events will win a new Garmin GPSMAP 696, and the winning passenger will get $5,000 toward flight training in the new PiperSport LSA.
Participants can log onto the company’s website for a schedule of airshows and fly-ins designated as part of the Cherokee Heritage Journey. Pilots, in turn, can pick up an official passport from Piper employees at any of the events and then use it to collect other stamps along the way. The more stamps collected, the better the chances to win. The Piper passport will also record the pilot’s name, aircraft registration number, the departure airport and distance flown to reach events. Passport entries from each destination will be validated by a Piper employee signature. Pilots must also fly a Cherokee to participate in the Cherokee Heritage Journey.
The first Cherokee flew in 1960. Since that time, the line expanded to include the Piper Warrior, Archer, Arrow and Dakota, all iterations of the PA-28 airframe. Currently Piper offers three Cherokees in its lineup: the Warrior III, the Arrow and the newly revamped 180-hp Archer III.
