ppl help, which plane is best to fly in

[tomtomtom]

hi i am new to the forum, i just wanted to know from those that have been there and done it, what plane is better to start flying in c152 or piper PA28 and why, what difference does the high and low wing setup give? also if any have ever learned to fly at ether Shoreham airport in west sussex or biggin hill in surrey what was your experience, thanks guys :ok:

[Saab Dastard]

what plane is better to start flying in c152 or piper PA28

This has been asked many, many times. Here's a few threads to get you started:

http://www.pprune.org/private-flying/307624-cessna-liberty-xl2-piper-warrior-pa28.html
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying/455058-best-aircraft-learn.html
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying/443910-cessna-152-piper-pa28-warrior-iii.html
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying/293064-cessna-152-piper-pa28-ppl-training.html
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying/235297-changing-warrior-152-a.html

SD

[julian_storey]

And as most of the previous threads have probably said, your choice of plane, airfield, flying school etc. are all secondary to your choice of INSTRUCTOR :ok:

[mad_jock]

Well said Julian.

[Whopity]

Do students really get to choose their instructor, and if they did, how would they know which one to choose?

[bobstay]

Yes,of coirse you get to choose your instructor. Go for trial lessons at each of your local clubs, and if you like the club but don't get on with the instructor, have the stones to say so (politely, of course!). Ask for a different instructor. You are paying, after all :)

[Whopity]

Getting on with someone is not necessarily a sign of a good instructor. Of the many hundreds of students I have met over the years, possibly less than 5% have had any say in who their instructor was.

[Alpha Golf Mike]

I am now undergoing my training for PPL-A in Norway. I started flying on the Cessna 172SP (LN-AGM), but earlier this year i changed to the PA28-181 (LN-NPO).

If I must choose between a 2004 dated C172SP and a 1980 PA28-181, I take the Piper. The handling characteristics are much better in the Piper than the Cessna. The noise level are still bad in both planes, so as the comfort.

Hope it helped!

But the final choiche of wath's best, is always personal. :)

[AdamFrisch]

You can read all those threads, listen to all the opinions and it will still be total waste of time. There is no answer to be had. It comes down to what what's available and what you can afford and what you like.

I'm high wing and will always be. I can't deal with low wings. But that's just me and the beauty is - I can choose.

[aflyer100]

I learned to fly in Piper Cherokees and Warriors (PA-28-140, PA-28-151). I went on to do commercial work in Piper Arrows (the retractable PA-28R) but managed to get some time in C-172s and the US military counterpart, the T-41A. I now own an Arrow so I guess you would call me a "Piper man".

I don't really think it makes much difference. I would consider cost, availability, and (if I planned to buy a plane) what sort of plane I might want to buy. Here in the states, C-172s are much more common and the cost is often a little lower. There are lots of discussions about landing in crosswinds being a little harder in high wing and about ground effect making landing a warrior well a little more difficult but in reality, the differences are not very significant. I do like the visibility when turning that low wings offer but a counter argument can be made about being able to see the ground better in the high wing (good for scenic flights with the family and friends). Some find climbing up on the wing to get in to be an issue while some find needing a ladder (otr having to climb on the strut) to check the fuel in high wings to be more of a problem. For every argument, there seems to be a counter argument.

If your school has several of one model and only one of the other, I'd stay away from the solitary plane. You wouldn't want your education (or worse yet, a checkride) be postponed while the only plane of your model is getting maintenance.

Having said that it doesn't matter very much, I would suggest staying in one model during training. There is plenty to remember as a student without having to adjust to slightly different speeds, power settings, and sight pictures.

So pick one and start to fly. In the end, that's what really matters. Have fun!