Piper Warrior or C152?

[Robbo0885]

Hi all. Looking into hour building after my PPL, and I can get a rate of £90 an hour for Piper Warrior with CPL coaching every 5-10 hours, or £73 an hour for C152 and coaching every 10. They arent from the same school, so I'm wondering anyone got any thoguhts on this? I currently fly a Piper Warrior in my PPL....

I want to do my hours in the UK, so yes, I know I can get it alot cheaper in the US of A. I need to work to pay for flying, and I want to keep flying. Not do 50 ohurs in a fortnight then not fly again for 6 months.

Thanks all.

[DX Wombat]

C152. :ok: OK, I'm biased, I really like the 152 (much to the dismay of a certain FTO in OZ whose CFI couldn't believe I wouldn't prefer the DA40 :E) but why pay more for a heavier and less responsive PA28?

[Tall_guy_in_a_152]

I much prefer the PA28 as a 'going places' aircraft, but if I was hour building then saving £17 an hour would sway me back to the 152.
Your decision should take account of the age and condition of the specific aircraft you are looking at. You don't want to waste time with u/s equipment.
I don't know what the coaching involves so no comment on that aspect.

[Edited to add that the fact you are training in a Warrior right now doesn't make much difference to your choice unless the reasons you chose it for the PPL still stand?]

[TractorBoy]

Where are you getting £73 p/h for a C152 ? Let us in on your secret...!

[Robbo0885]

Sorry to dissapoint you TractorBoy, but it's up North. And by up North, I don't mean Newcastle! Lol. Don't want to be touting them in case everyone thinks I'm adevertising them, so lets say location A and B. I stay in Aberedeen, location A is a good 2 hours on the train from me, and are doing the £73 an hour C152. However, location B are doing £90 per hour on Warrior or Arrow, and its only 1hr10 from me. Currently with B on PPL, but looking into options for hours building.

The thing about B it seems is that to get that rate I need to fly 16hours a month (without being able to book i should add....its a case of going down and if theres an aircraft free, I get it), which seems alot to me. I probably would fly near that anyway, but if I dont, not sure what happens there.

At A, the £73 an hour in the 152 is just buying in 10hr blocks, so no requirement for minimum hours a month. Also, its bookable. Book 3 hours and the plane is yours for the entire day-seems really good.

So, can't really decide between them. Is there an advantage to a Warrior/Arrow for CPL than C152? Is it therefore best to try to fly your hour building in the aircraft used for CPL?

Again, all thoughts on this matter most welcome.

[DenhamPPL]

C152 or PA28?

For hours building I'd go for the 152. Having flown both since gaining my PPL in May (and training exclusively on the 152) I find it a lot more "nimble" than the PA28 and more relaxing to fly solo (in good weather).

I haven't flown a 152 since the Summer as I have been doing the usual "newbie PPL" thing and taking friends and family flying for which I find the PA28 is better suited - more room and more stable in turbulent weather.

Apart from all that - £17 an hour less!? Go for it:)

[CapCon]

I did my PPL in the Warrior but then moved to the 152 for hour building. At first it was a struggle to 'step down' into the cramped 2 seater but soon got used to it and now enjoy flying the 152. You don't really need a high tech a/c with all the mod cons for hour building. I bought a block of hours which worked out at £75 p/h. Personally I would save as much money hour building and put it towards the CPL/IR/ME.

Cheers,

CapCon

[TractorBoy]

I rather like the sound of £90 per hour for an Arrow - you get the complex aircraft ratings as well.
Oh yes - I've been to Scotland, I'll have you know. It's that strange, dark land bolted onto the top of England where they daaant talk proper, guv !!!

[Robbo0885]

So would it be an advantage then to fly the Arrow for 100hours for 90 an hour rather than the C152 for 73? Or is there not enough advantage to warrant the extra 1,700 quid over the span?

I always love hearing the worlds misconceptions of Scotland. Im actually from Newcastle myself, so I'm a Geordie lad originally. Geordie and Scots must cancel each other out tho, as I have no appreciable accent! Anyway, in New York about three years ago, we were told by an American cab driver after he asked where we were from that we spoke very good english for foreigners!

Cracks me up every time i think about it!

[TractorBoy]

The only difference would be the enjoyment factor. I'm hiring C152s for £100, so would jump at an Arrow for £90 !!!

BTW - No offence intended !! I love Scotland, and although I come form daarn saarth, am very proud of my Scottish ancestry. Geordies, on the other hand.....!

[DX Wombat]

I'm hiring C152s for £100,That's what happens when you live in the wrong part of the country. The Aero Club of which I am a member has a syndicate system so I pay a small amount each month then £65.80 / hr (wet) after that for a C152. It's a bit more for their Archer but I don't fly that. Their post PPL training rates are also excellent and designed to encourage people to do more so, hopefully, encouraging greater safety. It's also a great place. :ok:

[hobbit1983]

Well darn sarf here at OSFC, I get charged £73ph for a (tailwheel!) C152, and £81ph for an Arrow. Although those rates are part of the Frequent flyer program, so during the hours I'm doing this year (CPL hourbuilding & courses) it works out around £90 or so.

To answer the original question; horses for courses. I've done an IMC rating, so prefer the avonics fit of the Arrow, and can take more than the one passenger/fellow student and a decent amount of fuel. Having said that, the C152 (esp. the tailwheel version) I find is more fun sometimes :ok:

[Mikehotel152]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I like the idea of a 152 taildragger. Where is OSFC? My google search came up with a number of dubious possibilities, including, believe it or not, Beirut Flying Club. I kid you not...:}

[SkyHawk-N]

OSFC

http://www.oldsarumflyingclub.co.uk

[hobbit1983]

And the aircraft in question;

http://www.caa.co.uk/applicationmodules/ginfo/ginfo_photo.aspx?regmark=G-DRAG&imgname=G-DRAG002&imgtype=jpg

Very nice aircraft; higher cruise speed & shorter T/O&L distances too.

[SkyHawk-N]

This is a great idea!

http://www.taildraggers.com/PersonalWebPages/niteflyr/quadgear.jpg

[Tony Hirst]

G-DRAG is now firmly one of my favourites :ok:

[sternone]

I would pick the C152 anytime, it will make you a better pilot, it's harder to land and less stable than the Warrior!!

[Mikehotel152]

Ah yes, of course, :ugh:, I should have figured out that it's Old Sarum. I have been there a couple of times and have a good mate who instructed there and told me about the Texas Taildragger.

Thanks.

[hobbit1983]

it's harder to land

Sternone, why do you say that? Always found it to be the other way around myself.

[sternone]

Sternone, why do you say that? Always found it to be the other way around myself.


Then it must be my fault, i landed both, and found the warrior much easier and much stabler.. do you find the cessna more stable ?

[IRRenewal]

Sternone, why do you say that?Cause he hasn't got a scooby? :}

[hobbit1983]

Then it must be my fault, i landed both, and found the warrior much easier and much stabler.. do you find the cessna more stable ?

No; I agree with you on the stability issue - I too found it lighter than the Piper, and not as stable in the cruise.

What I was asking was about your opinion of it's landing characteristics (I didn't imply it was your fault either, or at least didn't mean to). Do you mean that you found it easier to land because it's more stable on the approach, or some other reason?

My points, regarding landing the two types are that;

The Cessna lands at, IIRC, a lower speed than the Piper. Also I found it lighter on the controls, plus easier to crab/slip due to the high wing.

Also the later models of PA-28 I think float further due to the redesigned wing (as opposed to straight-wing Arrows etc). With the high wing of the Cessna I found this not to be the case, and easier to put it where I'd like.

Overall I found the 152 easier to land than the 28. Bearing in mind that the last time I flew a tricycle 152 (as opposed to the tailwheel converted aircraft I'm on now..) was over a year ago, so I apologise if my recollections are slightly inaccurate.

[flyingfemme]

Can't you do both, Robbo?

Maybe do 2/3 of the hours on the Cessna, to save some money. Then do the rest on the Arrow to keep up to speed on the wobby prop/retract stuff with maybe some IMC thrown in?

[Robbo0885]

i would like to do both, however, there are strings attached with the 90quid an hour rate for the arrow. you have to do full 100 hours, or else you get charge normal rate, and you have to fly 16 hours a month. so, if i do half, i will not get 90/h rate, it will be 150something. if i could have done half and half, i would. with the 90 an hour rate it is all or none at that rate. with the c152 at 73/h i can do as much or as little as i want, the only restriction being i get that rate when i pay for a block of ten hours flying.

simple eh? lol

[vinayak]

my vote: the cessna 152!! save the 17 bucks a hour dude... then again warrior is fun to fly sometimes. I flew both of them btw.