mspano85

I start my official flight training for my PPL next week along with ground school. The instructor would like me to pick one aircraft to stick with and was wondering which you all would choose if you had the option?

Would there be any advantage to having many hours in one over the other?

Thanks for any input.

N9373M

No difference in one over the other as far as hours go.

The Piper (being a low wing) will add a little more to fuel management chores - switching tanks and boost pump. Not a big deal, but it's something you'll have to contend with while "drinking from the fire-hose" during training. Might be good to have that "ingrained" for future flying.

A couple other of things to consider:

What's the likelihood of you moving to another location before you complete the PPL training? You'd probably be able to find a 172 anywhere you train, whereas the Piper might not be available. Just means learning new V speeds, procedures, etc.

What equipment does each a/c have? Personally I'd prefer to learn on the steam gauges rather than something Garmin G1000ish. It will give you better situational awareness in the long run.

Are they charging the same for a/c rental?

Have Fun!

jackal24

Whichever is cheaper

Yoda2

Any input, OK... Don't start flying an airplane until you get the knowledge test passed, it will be good for 2 years anyway. I have seen too many students have unnecessary difficulty with flight training due to not having done that. The two biggest reasons for getting the knowledge test completed, first, are that you will have learned much information that you can bring to you flight lessons, all of it actually.... This will save you a lot of time and money. Additionally, you will not have this monkey on your back when approaching the end of flight training and you will not be dealing/juggling two separate deals at once. When you get to your flight training you will be better able to focus all your efforts on that. Concentrate now on your book study and getting a good score on the test; the plane and instructor will be there... Personally, as mentioned I'd use the Cessna.

mspano85

Whichever aircraft is more challenging to fly I would prefer. I've heard the Cessna 172 pretty much flies itself. Sounds like from a challenge standpoint, as a newbie, the Piper would be my plane of choice.

I JUST bought a home less than 5 minutes from the airport. I don't plan on moving for a couple years.

The Piper is not equipped with a G-1000. The Cessnas have both options. The G-1000 equipped aircraft cost $10 more. Are there any advantages to having a lot of hours with the G-1000? Would knowing how to use it be appealing when applying to jobs?

Surprisingly, the Piper costs $5 less an hour then the Cessna, and $15 less than the G-1000 Cessnas.

mspano85

The Piper

Although probably for the best, I would like to start flying. However, I will mainly be doing ground school and minimal flying for the next two months. After ground school is completed I'all pick up the time in cockpit. I'll probably only get 5-10 hours over the next 8 weeks.

I do have some flight time, but it is all rotary in R-22s. I haven't been flying for a couple of years so I have to brush up on everything, but that should come quicker than when I first started.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Nextlife

I'd try a lesson in each to see which you like better. Agree with the above - all else being equal go with the lowest technology for avionics and gauges and the cheapest option. If you like it, go with the cheaper Piper. I got my PPL many moons ago in the "Tramahawk" and loved every minute.

mspano85

Somebody actually has one of those really old hawks at the airport. I see him flying it every now and then. It seems even smaller in the cockpit than the PA-28 III.

rickair7777

The only benefit to the cessna in my mind would be that down the road if you have a few hundred cessna hours you can always jump in any 150/152/172 and go.

I would however recommend that you learn instruments on on a NON-glass airplane. Learn round gauges first, PPL & IR, then maybe transition to glass for the commercial.

It's going to be a lot harder to learn steam gauges later on if you start with glass. many entry-level airliners and other kerosene burners still have steam gauges. If you had never flown them before, you would be at high risk for flunking out of initial airline training. Best to be prepared for worst-case as long as the old instruments are still common in commercial aviation.

Yoda2

You might have been born to fly but you were not born a pilot. Pilots are made. Your success as a pilot is all up to you and your instructor. You can learn everything you need to know in either aircraft. To safely and properly operate the other would merely be a matter of a proper checkout with differences training. A challenging aircraft is not going to make you a better pilot; first you need to be up to the challenge, and that will pervade throughout your career anyway... BTW, the challenges between the two choices you have provided are negligible; each have their pro's, con's and attributes. Personally I have PIC time in over 80 different models of aircraft and I can trace any success with that directly back to the quality of my primary flight instruction. For the purposes of flight instruction, it doesn't really matter which you pick. For a number of reasons I do prefer the Cessna for knock'n around and as an instrument platform. Good luck!