RTD AVIATION LLC· ICAO24 aa9022· last seen Jun 2026

N78WA is a Piper Cherokee Arrow, a single-engine piston aircraft operated by RTD AVIATION LLC. SkyMeter has tracked 60 flights totalling 44 hours of airtime via ADS-B across 2 callsigns. The most frequent segment is K47N to K47N. Service window in our records spans 369 days. Of those flights, 2 (3.3%) carry at least one detected incident — go-around, unstable approach, stall warning, or runway excursion. The Piper Cherokee Arrow has a 35 ft wingspan, a maximum takeoff weight of 2,758 lb.

About the Piper Cherokee Arrow

The Piper PA-28R Cherokee Arrow is a retractable-gear variant of Piper's ubiquitous Cherokee line, introduced in 1967 to offer pilots a step-up platform with better speed and efficiency than the fixed-gear PA-28. The retractable landing gear, constant-speed propeller, and fuel-injected Lycoming engine (typically 180 or 200 horsepower depending on variant) give the Arrow a 20-knot cruise advantage over its fixed-gear siblings while maintaining the Cherokee's forgiving handling and robust construction. The Arrow became a staple of flight training programs worldwide, particularly for commercial and instrument rating students transitioning to complex aircraft, and remains popular in the rental and club fleet today.

Piper produced the Arrow in several iterations—the original Arrow 180, the Arrow II and III with the 200-hp engine and longer fuselage, and the turbocharged Arrow IV—spanning from the late 1960s through 2009, with brief production resumptions in recent years. The type's combination of 135-knot cruise speed, 700-nautical-mile range, and relatively modest operating costs made it a sweet spot for personal cross-country travel and time-building. While not breaking any records, the Arrow carved out a niche as the accessible complex single: easier to insure and maintain than a Mooney or Bonanza, yet offering retractable-gear experience that opened doors to higher-performance aircraft.

The PA-28R remains a common sight at general aviation airports across North America and Australia, where it serves flying clubs, flight schools, and private owners who value its blend of performance and practicality. SkyMeter has tracked flights across airframes and operators, with the largest observed operator.

FLIGHTS
60
all time
FLOWN HOURS
44
tracked time
📍
AIRPORTS VISITED
14
unique
📡
CALLSIGNS
2
14 routes
📅
SERVICE PERIOD
06/01/2025 → 06/05/2026
first → last
INCIDENT RATE
3.3%
2 flagged

Top routes

By flight count

10
13
2
1
1
0C9 KN51
1
1
1
1
1
1

Flight numbers

Most-flown by this airframe

2

Aircraft specifications

Piper Cherokee Arrow

Engines
Single Piston
Vref (approach)
73 kt
MTOW
2,758 lb
Wingspan
35 ft
Length
25 ft
Wake category
Light

Recent flights

Newest 30 operations of N78WA

30
05/12/2026
1h 14m
No alerts
05/10/2026
1h 13m
No alerts
08/15/2025
1h 45m
No alerts
06/19/2025
31m
△ Unstable approach
06/06/2025
1h 13m
No alerts
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