Aircraft model
PIPER PA-28S-180
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The PA-28S-180 is the float-equipped Cherokee 180, a certificated seaplane model rather than a modification. Piper offered it through the 1960s and very few were sold, because a low-wing four-seater on floats is an awkward proposition: the wing is close to the water, docking is harder than in a high-wing aeroplane, and the drag penalty on a 180 hp airframe is severe.
What survives is a genuine curiosity and a usable aeroplane for anyone whose flying is off water and who wants a Cherokee's cabin. Everything that is true of a Cherokee 180 on wheels is true here — the simplest, most supported four-seat airframe in aviation, an engine every shop knows, and a parts supply that will outlive all of us — with float maintenance, water corrosion and a seaplane rating added on top. Expect the performance to be modest and the resale market to be very small.
Compare with…
Put PIPER PA-28S-180 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-28S-180
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-360-A3A |
| Horsepower | 180 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1963 |
| Production end | 1972 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 106 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 585 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,444 ft |
| Climb rate | 638 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 50 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,020 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 720 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,400 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,380 lb |
| Usable fuel | 50 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 10.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $75,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $150,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $32,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $46,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 2 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 1 |
| Median year built | — |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | — |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | — |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 0 |
| Transfers per 100 active | — |
| Airworthiness directives | 2 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | none |
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 0.5 of 104 |
| Liquidity | —5 |
- Accident record: class median 28.36 · 202 models in class.
- Severity: class median 11.65.
- Access: class median 767.75.
- Support: class median 141.5.
- Liquidity: class median 19.57.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.