Appreciate this Jay.

Yeah, I too found out this is indeed common for the 235's. I was advised
later models have seen the factory using a stronger (thicker) sheet for
that one panel. I made the decision already to re-skin & bite the
bullet, better for the long run in re-sale & most important, safety & my
health. I've flown through some pretty severe
white-knuckle-linen-soiling stuff, I have always wondered afterwards how
an airframe older than the girlfriend unit can hold up so seemingly
flawless. Now I know. The cheaper way out is get an FAA/DER approved &
signed patch with a 337. A very ugly and attention getting alternative
even though legal that I decided against.

I walked around the field today to "inspect" other 235's & 180's.
Unbelievable, hairline cracks, slits, and popped rivets abound on the
same panel. Scary part was one guy had screws on some rivet spots.

I will check out CPA & the other group site.

Thank you Jay, and thanks everyone....





Jay Honeck wrote:
This is a fairly common thing in 235s (and 180s, by the way). They
used to
just stop-drill the cracks, but apparently there has been a new push to
disallow that sort of "fix" now. Re-skinning is the new, approved (and
very expensive) fix.

If you don't already belong to the Cherokee Pilots Association, you need to
join. See their website he http://www.piperowner.com/)

Their "Cherokee Chat" website (which you can't access until you're a member)
is the best thing out there for any Cherokee owner. This is a topic of
relatively frequent discussion, and you can find a wealth of knowledge
there.

Also, see the Cherokee 235/236 owner's group website
(http://www.pa28.com/cherokee235/home.htm ) for type-specific information.


Hi, For all the PA28-235 drivers in this group, have you ever noticed
any "little cracks" in the column of rivets on the top-side wing panel
above the flap on the pilot side?


T