KINGPIN, the biggest challenge for you may be sorting out the BS written in here!
I learned in the C150 and have instructed in the C152 and the Tommyaxe. I don't think of the C172 as an
ab initio trainer!
If it came to chosing between the 152 and the Tommyaxe, I would be more interested in the intructor than the aeroplane. That said, however, I think those who do their
ab initio in the C150/152 generally have better technique than those who learn on low wing aircraft.
As for spin training, yes I have spun both and the Tommyaxe can be exciting, but the only reason to do spin training is for confidence building and as part of an aerobatics endorsement.
I wonder how many spin trained pilots have actually recovered from an inadvertent spin that occured in circumstances where they weren't at least anticipating the possibility? Very few, I suspect!
The focus of
ab initio training should be on flying the aeroplane such that there is NO likelihood of it ever entering an inadvertent stall/spin!
Dr 