Diamond DA20 vs. Cessna 172 for flight training
 

Hey guys! So, I have two flight schools to choose from. One's in Canada and the other's in the U.S. One of the schools uses DA20 while the other uses Cessna 172s, so I was wondering which one is better for flight training(?). One thing to note, the 172s are equipped with G1000 glass cockpit and are part of a Cessna Pilot Center. I want to pursue a career as an airline pilot. Thanks!

Not a huge amount of difference in handling, not that you'll notice that early on in training anyway.

Sit in both, which feels more comfortable? One's stick, other's yoke, which feels more natural to you?

High wing makes for easier VFR navigation, but you do lose visibility when turning.

The glass cockpit is more suited to airliner cockpits, but they are intuitive to pick up later on anyway, so you might like to get some experience of steam dials and learn what each thing actually does and how it does it in practice, as opposed to the smoke and mirrors of glass cockpits...

Far more important that the aircraft you'll be flying is which school you feel better at - much better to learn in a spamcan with an instructor you feel comfortable with than a shiny piece of sex with some guy who doesn't understand you and you don't understand either!

4015, Thanks for your help.

I've neither tried the yoke nor stick, so I don't know which one feel more natural :(
Also, as an international student, it's harder for me to visit the schools and meet the instructors like you've said.

Between Canada and the U.S., which country is better for flight training? The Canadian College I'm referring to is Moncton Flight College.

Thanks in advance!

I'd go with the C172 - it's probably slightly cheaper, a yoke is representative of the majority of theairliners you want to fly, and you'll find familiarity with a C172 more useful than with a DA40 if, as is highly likely, you end up a flying instructor for a few years hourbuilding.

But it's a minor point, they're both perfectly good training aeroplanes.

As for USA versus Canada - the USA is better recognised worldwide in terms of its licences, but having flown in both environments, I'd say that there's nothing to choose between the two in terms of quality of learning environment. The USA may well offer a better flying rate as somewhere like California will offer more consistently good flying weather than anywhere in Canada.

Realistically if they are both apparently good schools, go with the cheapest. If they're the same, go with the one with better weather.

G

I doubt you'd find Canadian rates for airplanes any cheaper than good value US based school. CDN is way too strong compared to USD.

MyanmarPilot

You're asking the wrong question. It really doesn't matter what aircraft you learn to fly on. What really matters is the quality of the instruction and the professionalism of the school.

I agree with Graham@IDC and I did my flight training at MFC and was very impressed with the quality of instructing. This school has many years of experience with training and they train many pilots every year.

Only bad thing to say about the school is that it was sometimes difficult to get a plane, due to the chinese program taking priority.

The DA20 was awesome to fly. The C172 seemed slow and heavy compared to it. The high wing/low wing is not really an issue for navigation, as the wings are not wide and you have the best view from that plane due to the big canopy.
Moncton is a busy airport without getting overcroweded. They have good training areas all around the airport.
You get to experience flying during winter time with deicing/anti icing and possibly taxing on snow/ice. It is cold as :mad:, but damn good experience.

I doubt that the FAA guy would be prefered if two identical pilots came and one had FAA and the other a Canadian ICAO license, unless you were in Saudi Arabia or South America, where you will not get any job anyway, unless you are local or very experienced.
IMHO the Canadian training is closer to the EASA than FAA.

Good luck with your project.

The DA has a higher aspect ratio than the Cessna hence it is more sensitive to gusts and turbulence. The low wing makes the DA float for a very long time over the runway in summers. Prop and tail clearance is lower in he DA. Hence it is more prone to prop or prop strikes.
On the plus side, I find the DA's cockpit more comfortable than the Cessna.
(P.S. I am using the DA 40 for comparison)

But this is just for your information, And as someone above said, You should be looking more at the quality of flight school than the aircraft.


Cheers and all the best

Hi there,
Based on my experience, I would recomend the C172.To me it is the best A/C for training (Safety,handling and the yoke). In C172 I have felt a real aviate,while in the DA,I felt like flying a simulator..
Anyways, try to get more information about the two schools as a matter of quality and relaibility,,,oh do not forget the wx issue (you may spend many days waiting for a good wx just to have one flying hour)...
Good luck

The DA20 is more fun to fly, the C172 is just plain boring.
The Diamond series of aircraft have much more responsive flight controls thanks to the design of using push rods rather then cable and pully systems like the Pa28 or C172.
This means you move the stick and the airplane moves rather then droning along in the aeronautical equivalent of a wet paper bag.
I believe aircraft with push rod flight controls make more accurate pilots....:ok:

Whatever is cheapest.

:ugh:
That's utterly useless advise.
If anything, as stated earlier, the school is more important then the airplane.
There is no such thing as "cheap" in aviation, if you choose cheap to start off with you'll pay double further down the line to make up for your deficits.

I have flown both the C172 and the DA-20, as well as Pipers and Beechcraft. This is what I can tell you from my experiences:

B2N2 is completely right, cheapest isn't always the best. You get what you pay for. Sure, everyone wants to get a good deal. Sometimes people over pay in the end when they thought they were going to get a good deal. The school you choose is very important.

Regarding C172 vs DA-20, I like both but for different reasons.
C172 has more room so you can bring a big bag. Also, you can recover pretty easily from some mistakes such as being too high because it drops like a rock. On hot days, I like being able to open the window and stick my elbow out like a car. On a hot day, you can open the door during taxi to improve airflow.

The DA-20 glides really well, so you have to be more precise on energy management. It is also quite aerodynamic, so a forward slip to landing isn't as effective as on a C172. You really have to manage the energy and descents. I like the view because it has a nice canopy. When it is hot out, you have a tiny window, and you can't really open the canopy to taxi. I like flying the stick

Overall, I wouldn't pick a school based on the airplane, but rather the qualify of instruction, maintenance, etc...