Hello all,

This is my first post as a new member of simviation

After being a flight simmer of very limited skill since fs98, I have decided to delve into the real world of aviation and have 2 flight schools near me in the Vancouver BC area. Both have good credentials and price is relatively the same. My question is, one school uses a Piper Cherokee PA-28-140 and the other a Cessna 172. Is one aircraft better to learn on than the other? I know a couple of people that have advised me using the Cessna since it can be found at just about any airpark thus being more accessible if I'm on vacation and would like to rent one. I would like to have the opinion of all you real-life pilots out there. Please state your pro's and cons of each aircraft so I can make a more educated decision.

Thanks all.
Happy flying 

My school has operated a Cessna 172 for the past 2 years which i have instructed in for nearly 1,000 hours. I was always a fan of the cessna line, and i still am.

We recently "retired" our worn out 172N and management replaced it with a Piper Warrior II. The piper handles great, i have found through my own trial and error and through providing instruction in the machine that the stalling characteristics are quite a bit more forgiving than the Cessna 172. Especially the power on stall, which most students tend to dread. While the 172 would leave you hanging by the prop at a rediculously nose high attitude before it finally brakes over, the Piper will simply buffet and provide a warning horn and any brake over at all will be to the horizon and no deeper. The stabilator of the piper provides, at least in my opinion, much more of a feeling of a "larger aircraft" but is a bit more sensative in pitch than the 172 which uses an elevator.

We have not run across any brake problems yet. Our Piper is equipped with dual toe brakes and a hand parking brake, however some particularly older models incorperate a rather dreadful hand brake as the only means of stopping the aircraft. (few flight schools out there operate pipers without dual brakes these days)

The low wing Piper may obstruct visibility straight down on either side of the aircraft, however the it has a more panoramic view and a roomier feel than the boxy 172 provides.

My recommendation to you is to approach both flight schools and take an introductory flight in both aircraft. Have the Instructor demonstrate as much to you as he is willing to demonstrate in each aircraft, fly each aircraft as much hands on as you can during the intro ride. Then base your decision on whatever aircraft you enjoy flying the best.

I've logged a number of hours in the Cherokee and at least several hundred in the ubiquitous 172.....have also seen these debates before about high-wing versus low-wing aircraft; always comes down to personal preference!

I'd agree with RitterKruez about giving both aircraft a try, although personally, I would recommend the hi-wing Cessnas for your initial flight training. As a student pilot, you'll be doing  some ground-reference maneuvers that favor the better view below. Also on your cross-country flights (a requirement for the PPL), optimum ground visibility is a plus for picking up surface checkpoints and other map references.

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Never worry about that; you're as qualified as about 99% of the rest of the people on these forums!

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I think it's basically because they are easy to fly. This is not the same as being an ideal trainer. The best trainers have no serious vices but are difficult to fly well. There is a difference.

PS. I can remember when light aircraft like the Cessnas with tricycle gear & a yoke were first introduced. The advertising slogan went something like "So easy to land - Just drive it onto the ground". I also remember our chief flying instructor's comments. LOL

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Well, as they're so popular maybe I'm wrong.
I've never flown one myself but this the way I look at it. A Cessna makes an ideal trainer if all you ever want to fly is a Cessna.

I was taught on the Tiger Moth which is regarded as one of the finest basic trainers ever built. They used to say that if you can fly a Tiger well you can fly almost anything. I still believe that to be true.

i love the piper warrior, it feels spacious, and it feels like your really flying it.

The two aren't comparable, both are totally different airplanes that you'll eventually want to be checked out in either way. Make your desicion based on which flight school is better and cheaper.