When the University of North Dakota’s aerospace department evaluates various training aircraft with an eye toward equipping its aviation school, the stakes are indeed high. UND utilizes some 80 aircraft to train over 1,000 students to the commercial, multi-instrument level and beyond.

In fact, UND’s flight training is so aggressive that it made North Dakota’s Grand Forks International Airport the ninth busiest general aviation airport in America. That might seem an unlikely distinction for a school located in the far northern Midwest, only 100 miles from the Canadian border, but in fact, North Dakota has excellent flying weather most of the year. It does get a little chilly in winter, and the wind does occasionally come whipping down the plains, but VFR conditions prevail most of the time.

UND’s training schedule is intense—more than 100,000 flight hours at the Grand Forks facility in 2004—and the school demands airplanes to match its year-round mission. (UND operates another 40 airplanes at four outlying facilities, including one in Hawaii.) Accordingly, they’ve chosen a nearly all-Piper fleet of Warriors, Arrows and Seminoles.

The Arrow was the logical choice in the retractable trainer class. In fact, you might say it was the only choice. One other possible contender was the SOCATA TB-20 Trinidad at a base price of $419,000. In fairness, however, the Trinidad has never been marketed as a step-up trainer and is probably too much airplane for the job.

Like the derivative Cherokee 180 that hatched the original 180 hp Arrow back in 1967, Piper’s entry-level retractable has always emphasized simplicity, easy handling and safety above all else, and the current model carries that principle to its logical end. While it’s true Piper no longer offers the signature automatic gear extension feature most pilots regarded as the PA28R’s raison d’etre in 1967, the airplane is still very likely the most docile single-engine retractable single on the market.

(Apparently, it’s true that no good deed goes unpunished. Pilots and insurance companies alike hailed the automatic extension system as one of the most important innovations in modern aviation history. It was even copied by both Beech and Bellanca. Unfortunately, Piper was forced to discontinue the automatic gear feature after a pilot ran out of fuel near an airport, was apparently set up for landing, but got too slow during the dead stick approach and had the gear drop out. The resulting drag compromised the airplane’s glide so severely that the pilot couldn’t make the airport and crashed. There was the inevitable lawsuit, and Piper was forced to forego automatic gear from then on.)

Today’s version of the Arrow is a simpler machine with easily enough talent for the mission. No frills, no ups, no extras. Just as with the Warrior and Archer, flaps are manual with click stops at 10, 25 and 40 degrees. The semi-tapered, high-dihedral Warrior wing couldn’t be more forgiving, with a docile, easily predictable stall, and the gear is similarly sympathetic. In practically every respect, the Arrow exudes an obedient personality that’s reluctant to bite, instilling confidence in students stepping up to their first retractable.

That makes the model near perfect as a transition machine between UND’s fixed gear Warriors and the school’s twin-engine Seminoles. UND communications manager Karen Ryba commented that the Piper line is nearly ideal for training because there’s so much similarity between the three models. “Once a student is comfortable in the Warrior, the step up to the Arrow is fairly automatic,” Ryba explained. “The cockpits are extremely similar, and even the instrument panels aren’t that different. Students transitioning to twins find the Seminole similarly friendly, as the airplane is essentially little more than a twin-engine Arrow.”

UND brought two of its newest trainers to a recent AirVenture where I was privileged to fly both airplanes. The UND Arrow was my first opportunity to renew acquaintances with the PA28R-201 in several years, and it was a perfect example of a model that’s been well served by remaining constant. Today’s technology is obviously far more advanced than that employed on the original Arrow in 1967, and the modern airplane does incorporate a myriad of 21st-century upgrades. The basic handling and performance, however, remain the same, and that’s all for the better.

UND flight instructor Chris Cooper flew the Arrow out from Grand Forks. Cooper had been teaching in the Aerospace Department for the previous four years and graduated from the school’s aviation department two years ago. Cooper continues to instruct at UND while pursuing a law degree (he hopes to specialize in aviation law).

Cooper feels the Arrow is nearly ideal for step-up training. “Most students love the Arrow. Coming out of the Warrior, the Arrow is a natural. It’s practically a carbon copy of the fixed-gear trainer except for the gear and prop,” said the CFI.

“Students learn the gear callout on short final in the Warrior, so it’s nothing new to have to check gear position when they step up,” Cooper explained. The instructor said he’s rarely seen students have trouble with the transition from Warrior to Arrow. “Learning gear and prop operations and procedures is primarily a function of ground training,” he commented, “so when we get into the airplane, the student already understands the system pretty well and merely has to witness the airplane’s reaction to constant speed adjustments and gear positioning.”

Though the Arrow’s realistic cruise (135 knots) is a good 20 knots quicker than the Warrior’s, Cooper said approach speeds are only about 10 knots faster, and students rarely have trouble keeping up with the airplane. “They adjust to the higher speed in usually an hour or two, and our job is merely one of teaching them the maneuvers and procedures they need to learn for the commercial ticket.

“UND’s curriculum is highly structured and designed to turn out well-educated and well-rounded pilots, but we’re not so heavily regimented that we don’t try to make it fun for the students,” said Cooper. “All the flight instructors do everything they can to assure there’s an equal amount of fun for a given amount of work. We even have a Super Decathlon for aerobatic training and a Super Cub for pilots in search of a tailwheel transition course. There’s also a Bell 206 helicopter and a Baron 58 to build familiarity with heavier twins.”

In training mode with two up and full fuel, the Arrow is operating far enough below gross that it’s possible to carry a ride-along student in the back seat without compromising safe climb performance. UND requires every flight student to observe another training flight at least twice each semester, and most students take advantage of the opportunity much more often. The elevation at Grand Forks is only 900 feet MSL, but in summer, density altitude can rise to 3,000 feet or more. Fortunately, the Arrow handles that situation well, still retaining perhaps 700 fpm with a full load.

Cruise performance has never been a primary consideration for trainers. Accordingly, the Arrow’s modest 135 knots are probably plenty for training and adequate for touring. Piper sells about 20 Arrows annually, several to private individuals rather than training schools, so cross-country talent is still important. The Arrow carries a maximum of 72 gallons, and at 10½ gph, you can plan on an easy 5½ hours plus reserve between fuel stops in VFR mode, 4½ hours in IFR conditions.

In-flight handling is similar to that of the Warrior. Nothing happens very fast, but the airplane goes where you point it and manifests reasonable stability for IFR flight. Twenty years ago, I logged perhaps 100 hours in an old Arrow owned by Bob Craner and John Rich of Long Beach, Calif., and quite a few of those hours were in IFR conditions. The airplane locks onto a glideslope with ease at your choice of any speed between 80 and 110 knots and seems to practically fly itself to the threshold.

Stall characteristics are worth noting mainly because they’re hardly worth noting. Full stalls—power on or off, clean or dirty—result in little more than a hobbyhorse ride downhill with little tendency to drop a wing. Warriors and Arrows have even been criticized for being too gentle, as if any airplane could be too safe.

Short-field takeoffs and landings are generally easy, and the Arrow can use 2,000-foot paved runways with the ubiquitous 50-foot obstacle in place. Those simple, manual flaps are nothing less than wonderful for abbreviated runways, because you can dump them almost instantly, placing all the weight on the main gear, rather than the nosewheel, for optimum braking. Long-throw oleos cushion the final touchdown to rescue even the most inept approach and touchdown.

The basic Arrow includes a Garmin 430 GPS/moving map/VHF navcom and Garmin 330 transponder/encoder with TIS uplink as standard. The package also includes a Garmin CDI, switching panel and four-place intercom. Of course, you always have the option of upgrading to the Avidyne Entegra Flight Max glass panel (a two-screen flat-panel display) or selecting a second 430 with HSI and suitable add-ons, UND’s choice. An STEC 55 autopilot is also available with flight director and rate of climb/altitude preselect if your credit line can stand the strain.

UND’s fleet of Piper Arrows represents perhaps the world’s largest collection of the type. Students have the privilege of moving seamlessly between three models of aircraft and climbing the pyramid toward the goal of a career in aviation. As the second rung in that ladder, the Piper Arrow offers a safe and simple platform for learning, and at UND, it’s OK to have fun in the process.