Shaggy,
Hmmm you need to go and look at a JP before deciding what you would like to crash in! Give me a good strong airframe 65-70knt stall speed and a 5 point harness bolted to an ejector seat (live or not) rather than a tin can cessna anytime (and yes I fly and love those as well!)
As for spinning, the aircraft lost at the weekend was a Strikemaster... very important difference. The JP MK 3/4/5 were all designed as trainers and incorporated 5 additional aerodynamic mods to make sure that they spun in a stable and benign way. All aeroplanes will bite fools but the JP less so than most.