I have been trying to determine the length of a runway that would be
considered a "short field" for my Archer II.
The two instructors that I work with on occasions disagree on the amount of
flaps to use for takeoff at gross weight.
One guy says my airfield with a 2,800ft runway is a "short field" and I
should use 25deg flaps as per the POH for takeoff at gross weight.
The other says 2,800ft is not a short field and I should use 10 deg flap at
gross weight and that 25 deg increases drag too much.
It does not help that the instructors have a low opinion of each other.
The POH is clear about using 25 deg for a short field but I have failed to
find what runway length puts in a short field category.
These guys also instruct in a PA28-140 based here and you can guess that
some students are using 1 notch of flap, while the other set use 2 notches.

So the question is.
How long is a "short field" for a PA28-181 ? And for that matter how does
that relate to a PA28-140 with 30 less horses.

--
Roy
N5804F - PA28-181