Last year we reported impressive gains in speed, rate of climb and economy with a Cherokee 140 equipped with the Power Flow Systems exhaust modification (see November 2001 POM).

So, when Robin Thomas Called and asked if I would like a rematch with a plane with everything… both Power Flow Systems and Laminar Flow Systems has- I didn’t hesitate to take him up on the offer.

So in April, we got together again and once again flew N140HC, Laminar Flow’s 140 test bed. This time, in addition to the Power Flow exhaust, the plane had all the Laminar Flow Systems mods: aileron and flap gap seals, flap hinge fairings, fixed nose fairing and a brand new addition, SpeedPants (FAA certification is currently pending).The idea was to see how much of a difference the cumulative addition of these mods made.

First of all, the ship feels like a much more substantial plane. It feels more like an Archer than it does a 140. I know “feel” is a subjective thing, but it really handles better

Cherokee 140 with LFS mods and Power Flow Systems Tuned Exhaust

than any 140 I’ve ever flown.

Performance is amazing. Rate of climb is completely out of the ballpark. Take a climb to 8500 feet. The stock aircraft took 22:08 minutes. The Power Flow exhaust brought the time down to 17:12 minutes. The completely modified plane: 14:00 minutes.

How about cruise? Leaned for economy cruise at 8,500 feet, the stock plane had a true airspeed of 119 mph at 8.1 gph fuel burn. The Power Flow exhaust changed the figures to 123 mph at 7.4 gph. The fully modified version went to 140 mph at 7.4 gph..

Impressive figures if you want to be the fastest Cherokee on the block.

And Robin points out that the improved fuel economy, besides saving money may be able to eliminate at least one fuel stop on many trips. This can be the biggest saver of all on a cross-country trip.

What will this cost? The cost of the parts amounts to $7085, according to Robin. He declares it the biggest bang for the buck when totaling up performance gains.

For more information, call either company at 386-253-8833, Laminar Flow at 1-888-fast 140, or Power Flow at 1-USPOWERFLOW

Copied from: PIPER OWNER’SMagazine, Issue Number 247, July 2002