Built for PA-28 owners

Every annual, 100-hour, the wing-spar AD, and overhaul for your PA-28, tracked in one place

Maggneto is the maintenance app for your Piper PA-28 (Cherokee, Archer, or Warrior). Scan your logbooks in so your whole maintenance history lives in your pocket, searchable and easy to reference. Then set up tracking for the items that matter, the annual, the 100-hour, the wing-spar AD, the engine overhaul, with custom intervals that count down from your real hours and dates.

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The Maggneto dashboard showing a Piper PA-28 with its maintenance items and a clear status for each

The records that keep your PA-28 flying shouldn't live in a shoebox

The deadline you can't see is the one that gets you

Your records live in a binder, a shoebox of PDFs, and a few dates you're trusting yourself to remember. The annual, the transponder check, a recurring AD: any one of them can quietly slip past while you're busy flying, and you usually find out at the worst possible time.

The wing-spar AD changed the math

The PA-28 wing-spar AD introduced a factored-service-hours calculation and, past a threshold, an eddy-current inspection of the wing spar. Tracking factored hours and the inspection status is exactly the kind of thing that's easy to mishandle on paper, especially on a high-time trainer.

The resale haircut

The Cherokee family is a trusted, popular airframe, but a specific airplane sells on its records. A clean history with the spar AD and the rest clearly accounted for holds the value. A murky one gets discounted by buyers and their pre-buy mechanics.

How Maggneto works

  1. 1

    Scan your logbooks in

    Snap photos of your existing airframe and engine logs so your whole maintenance history lives in your pocket, searchable and easy to reference instead of buried in a binder or a folder of PDFs.

  2. 2

    Set up your tracking, your way

    Add the items you want to stay ahead of, from the annual to the 100-hour to the spar AD to the engine overhaul, plus any custom items, each with intervals that fit your airplane. It's fully customizable, so you track exactly what matters for your tail number.

  3. 3

    Stay ahead, and keep the record

    Log a flight or an oil check in a few seconds and the countdowns update themselves. When you sell, you hand the buyer a clean, complete record that helps the airplane hold its value.

What a Piper PA-28 (Cherokee / Archer) owner tracks

These are the items most PA-28 owners have to stay on top of. Intervals vary by model, year, engine, and how the airplane is used, so treat these as typical and check them against your own aircraft's documents. For each one, here's how Maggneto keeps it from sneaking up on you.

Maggneto shows each item as:Up to dateDue soonOverdue

  1. 1.Annual inspection

    Every 12 calendar monthsCalendar

    Every certified PA-28 needs an annual inspection on a fixed calendar cycle, regardless of how many hours it flew that year.

    In Maggneto: Maggneto counts the annual down by date and shows a clear status (Up to date, Due soon, or Overdue) so you book the shop before the month runs out.

  2. 2.100-hour inspection

    Every 100 hours in serviceHours

    If your PA-28 is used for hire or for flight instruction, it needs a 100-hour inspection every 100 hours of time in service. On a busy Warrior or Archer the interval comes around fast.

    In Maggneto: Maggneto counts the 100-hour down from your real tach time, so a hard-flown airplane stays ahead of the next inspection instead of slipping past it.

  3. 3.Wing-spar inspection (AD 2020-26-16)

    Based on factored service hoursVaries

    This Airworthiness Directive uses a factored-service-hours calculation and, once a threshold is reached, calls for an eddy-current inspection of the lower main wing spar. It mainly affects high-time aircraft such as those used in training.

    In Maggneto: Track the spar AD as a recurring item with your hours and a record of compliance, so its status is always visible rather than buried in a calculation you have to redo by hand.

  4. 4.Oil & filter change

    Every 50 hours or 4 monthsHours or calendar

    Lycoming recommends oil and filter changes on a regular hours-or-calendar cycle, and oil is the cheapest, most honest read you'll get on engine health.

    In Maggneto: Maggneto counts the interval from your real tach time and turns your oil checks into a burn rate in quarts per hour, so a creeping consumption trend shows up early.

  5. 5.Engine overhaul (TBO)

    ~2,000 hours or 12 years (typical)Hours or calendar

    The Lycoming O-320 or O-360 in a PA-28 carries a published time between overhauls in both hours and years. It's the biggest single number on the airframe.

    In Maggneto: Maggneto tracks the engine on its own time with a progress bar toward TBO, so you can see the overhaul coming from a long way off and plan for it.

  6. 6.Other Airworthiness Directives & Service Bulletins

    Recurring, variesVaries

    Beyond the spar AD, PA-28s carry other recurring ADs and Piper service bulletins, including items tied to the control system and fuel system. Which ones apply depends on your model and serial number.

    In Maggneto: Maggneto tracks each recurring AD as a scheduled item with a countdown and a record of when it was last addressed.

  7. 7.Transponder, altimeter & pitot-static checks

    Every 24 calendar monthsCalendar

    The FAA requires transponder (91.413) and altimeter/static system (91.411) checks every two years for IFR flight, which matters for any PA-28 used for instrument training or IFR travel.

    In Maggneto: Maggneto tracks the 24-month checks as dated items so the certification never quietly lapses between inspections.

  8. 8.Magneto inspection

    Every 500 hours (typical)Hours

    Magnetos carry a recommended internal inspection on an hours cycle, and a tired magneto is a common cause of a rough run-up and a scrubbed flight.

    In Maggneto: Maggneto counts the magneto inspection down from your real engine hours alongside the rest of your recurring items.

  9. 9.Fuel system & tanks

    Inspection and periodic serviceCondition

    The PA-28 fuel system, including the tanks, senders, and seals, needs periodic inspection, and a weeping tank or a faulty sender is a recurring item owners deal with over time.

    In Maggneto: Add fuel-system inspections and any tank work as recurring items so the history stays attached to the airplane.

  10. 10.ELT, batteries, brakes & tires

    Inspection and replacement on their own cyclesCalendar or condition

    The emergency locator transmitter needs periodic inspection and a battery on a fixed cycle, and the ship's battery, brakes, and tires are wear items that don't run on a clean clock.

    In Maggneto: Keep the ELT, batteries, and wear items on the schedule so the small stuff gets handled before it becomes a problem.

These are some of the most common items a PA-28 owner tracks, not a complete list. Every airplane carries more depending on its equipment, avionics, modifications, and service history, and your mechanic and the aircraft's maintenance documents are the final word on what applies to your tail number. Maggneto lets you add and track as many custom items as your airplane needs.

What matters most for your Piper PA-28 (Cherokee / Archer)

Maintenance Scheduling

Annuals, 100-hours, ELT, transponder, oil changes. Track every recurring item by date or by hours with a clear status and a countdown to the next due date.

See how it works →

AD Tracking

Track airworthiness directives against your airframe, engine, and prop. Maggneto keeps the recurring ones in front of you with a countdown to the next due date.

See how it works →

Hobbs & Tach Tracking

Log Hobbs and tach time in seconds and Maggneto times every record to the right hours, so your whole history stays accurate and your next inspection counts down from real numbers.

See how it works →

Oil Tracking & Burn Rate

Record oil checks and top-offs and Maggneto calculates your burn rate in quarts per hour automatically, so a creeping consumption trend shows up long before it becomes a top-end overhaul.

See how it works →

The spar AD you can actually see

It's spring and you open Maggneto before a trip. The annual is up to date, the 100-hour is counting down from real tach time, and the wing-spar AD status is right there with your hours instead of living in a spreadsheet calculation. After the flight you log the tach and an oil check in under a minute, and the burn-rate trend updates itself. Nothing about your airplane is a mystery, and nothing sneaks up on you.

A PA-28 is a straightforward airplane that still has real items to track. Maggneto keeps every date and every hour in front of you, and turns your records into something worth real money when you sell.

Piper PA-28 (Cherokee / Archer) maintenance: common questions

How often does a Piper PA-28 need an annual inspection?
Every certified PA-28 requires an annual inspection every 12 calendar months, regardless of how many hours it flew that year.
What is the Piper PA-28 wing spar AD?
AD 2020-26-16 requires calculating a factored-service-hours number for the PA-28 and, once a threshold is reached, performing an eddy-current inspection of the lower main wing spar bolt holes. It primarily affects high-time aircraft such as those used in flight training, and the factored hours need to be tracked over the life of the airplane.
When does a PA-28 need a 100-hour inspection?
A PA-28 used for hire or for flight instruction needs a 100-hour inspection every 100 hours of time in service. An aircraft flown only for personal use does not require the 100-hour, but it still needs the annual.
What is the TBO on a PA-28 engine?
The Lycoming O-320 or O-360 in a PA-28 typically carries a published time between overhauls of roughly 2,000 hours or 12 years, whichever comes first. Actual overhaul timing depends on the specific engine and how it is operated.
What maintenance records do I need to sell a Cherokee or Archer?
Buyers and their pre-buy mechanics want complete, organized records: airframe and engine logs, AD compliance including the wing-spar AD status and factored hours, the most recent annual and 100-hour if applicable, and any major work. Clean, searchable records speed the sale and protect the value.
Can Maggneto track the wing-spar AD for my PA-28?
Yes. Maggneto tracks recurring ADs, including the wing-spar inspection, as scheduled items with a countdown and a record of compliance, alongside the annual, the 100-hour, oil changes, engine TBO, transponder checks, and your own custom items, each with a clear status and a next-due date.

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