Importance of training aircraft?
I wonder what the impact is of the aircraft used in training, if any? Would a pilot flying a PA-28 be any better than a pilot flying a C152? Is a Tecnam P2002JF a better training aircraft than the usual PA-28/C152/C172? Are glass cockpits better than gauges?
One reason I ask is because the schools I'm considering all use different aircraft. My local schools use PA-38s and PA-28s while another school I'm considering, Bartolini, uses P2002JFs. When talking to one of the local instructors, he mentioned he preferred training students in the PA-38 because not only is it cheaper to fly from the point of view of the student, he also said it is light and gets thrown around more and therefore requires more from the student pilot resulting in a better pilot after training. The PA-28, being heavier, is more stable so the student doesn't work as much and I assume that means his skills aren't as sharp. Any truth in this?
I also remember one of the points raised by the various other flight schools - they would always mention their "modern" fleet of aircraft, usually Tecnams, which felt like they were hinting that these new training aircraft were better than the usual PA-28/C152/C172 that seem to be the staple of other flight schools. So with all things being equal (instructor, student, weather, maintenance, etc.), does the aircraft have a significant impact on the learning and skill development of a student pilot?