The first Cherokee in front of Piper’s Vero Beach factory in early 1961. The man on the wing is not identified. When there was The Cherokee turns 50 one When there was... one BY IAN J. TWOMBLY “Replaced right-hand wing, replaced both landing gear assemblies, replaced right-hand flap assembly, replaced right-hand aileron, replaced right-hand fiberglass wing tip assembly.” So begins logbook number one for Joseph Warren’s 1961 Piper Cherokee. Warren’s logbook wouldn’t be remarkable if it were just about that entry. No doubt many of the tens of thousands of Cherokees have had similar unfortunate meetings with the Earth. What makes Warren’s Cherokee special is that the repair was signed off by Piper itself before the airplane was ever delivered to a customer. That, and the fact that his airplane is N5000W, the first-ever production Cherokee. AOPA PILOT • 58 • AUGUST 2011