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Proper A/C type to say to ATC

Asked by: 1400 views FAA Regulations, General Aviation, Private Pilot

VFR private pilot here.  When requesting VFR flight following from center, I get a squawk code, then they ask what aircraft type.  I am in a Cherokee PA28-140 w/ mode C.  Should I say Papa Alpha two eight slant uniform, or Papa two eight Alpha?  The drop down menu for aircraft type on the flight plan at the 1-800-WXBRIEF site has P28A.   Appreciate any feedback!

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1 Answers



  1. Bryan on Jul 07, 2022

    P28A covers all of the Piper Cherokees, Warriors, Archers, and a few others with very similar performance capabilities. I fly Archers a lot and after I identify myself as an Archer, I get called a Cherokee or Warrior about 1/3 of the time. But for ATC, that’s a distinction without a difference because the performance envelopes are so close.

    For you, I would recommend identifying yourself from the very start as “Cherokee [tail number]” and answering the type question with, “Cherokee.” They’re so common that every controller knows exactly what you can do and how to handle you.

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