I've got quite a few hours (including a winter coast-to-coast trip) in a
pair of '74 Pathfinders from a former partnership. I found the '74
Pathfinder to be a great "4-adults plus baggage and fuel to go
somewhere" airplane. The original founders of that partnership did a
lot of research before choosing the '74 as the best combination of
features and value. When I sold my share (I still miss those planes) I
built a web site to advertise my share that included a pair of
spreadsheets that I had been using for planning W&B. You're welcome to
plug in your own figures to see what the plane is capable of carrying.
(I still maintain those pages for other former partners to occasionally
sell their shares.)

http://www.4-fs.com/baja/performance.htm


Steve


Jay Honeck wrote:
Well, there is this:

http://www.grumman.net/cgrcc/aa5-180compare.html


Nice chart, but the information for the Cherokee 235 line is
inaccurate. To bunch that many 235 variations together from 1964 to
1977 into one performance category is wrong -- the plane changed
dramatically during that 13 year span, even changing names several
times.

For example, a pre-1973 PA28-235 has a smaller interior, fuselage fuel
capacity, and empennage size. The chart also shows 235s having a
fixed-pitch prop, which is wrong for anything after (I think) 1970.
The '74 Pathfinder that we own is a far different plane than a 1964 or
even '72 Cherokee 235, in ways that directly impact (or should impact)
the purchasing decision of any potential buyer.

These are not subtle differences. If you're looking for a true 4-place
plane, a post '73 Cherokee 235 is hard to beat. A pre-'73 Cherokee 235
is not suitable for hauling back-seat passengers, IMHO, and should be
avoided if you're really going to be hauling four adults.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"