Cessna 172XP

Tantalum said:
Everyone has been so nice. I'll say it. High wings suck, tough to fuel, fly like trash, and you hang your head.
Click to expand...

I worked with a bunch of fighter pilots in 1986-87. I remember one of them saying "The A-10 is so ugly that if I flew one, I'd land after dark, park away from the Ops building and peel my patches off before I went inside."

It's clear that the only way to avoid these fights is to fly a Bonanza biplane. :D



Bob_Hoff_Beechcraft_Model_17_Staggerwing.jpg
 
I'm scared of heights... you can't get me on a tall building! However, I'm often found hanging out of airplanes. Not sure why it's different, but it is!
28548253758_ca17bdfb6a_b.jpg
 
jsstevens said:
I worked with a bunch of fighter pilots in 1986-87. I remember one of them saying "The A-10 is so ugly that if I flew one, I'd land after dark, park away from the Ops building and peel my patches off before I went inside."

It's clear that the only way to avoid these fights is to fly a Bonanza biplane. :D



View attachment 69224
Click to expand...

With a big round thing up front!
 
This post is kinda all over the place so bear with me:

Went up for 1.3 and had a blast!


(BTW, all of my comparisons will be vs the DA40)
Got to the FBO, talked to the instructor for like 20 mins about things to expect and such.
Went to to the plane and at first glance it seemed to have more room than the DA40 but once inside and strapped, I felt that maybe the Cessna was a TOUCH tighter than the Diamond but nothing crazy.. then again I'm used to my Fiance sitting next to me, not a CFI and he is a little bigger than her so thats probably why it felt "tighter" but nothing bad at all.
The seats were nice too, it almost felt like I was sitting on a chair as opposed to a race car. It was kinda chilly so we cranked the engine heater on and let it warm for like 10 minutes. (Small propane heater)
Did a pre-fight and it was actually easier to do than the 40. I wasnt crawling around and stuff. Checking the fuel was actually not bad at all! I can see how fueling could be more annoying but I don't think I see it as vexation.
" Watch out, dont hit your head" - Not 2 minutes after CFI says that, he walks right into a flap! (it was at 40*) we had a chuckle.
Total of 4 sumps so it wasn't bad! 3 on the diamond.
She cranked right up.
Taxiing was easier than the diamond. With the diamond I have to constantly correct to stay center line but the Cessna was almost like driving a car. You point it in one direction and it goes until you input left or right brake. I like.
Taxiing a low wing is nice because you can CLEARLY see where your wings are and not hit sh*t. In the cessna I had to look extra hard at my wing tips to know exactly where they are.. I guess it gets easier.
I started my take-off roll and I had to switch to Rudder pedals much sooner than with the diamond. In the diamond I have to tap the right brake for the first few seconds on the take-off roll until the Rudder gets more authority. With the Cessna I pretty much had rudder authority almost as soon as I started rolling.
As soon as i hit 60kt, I pulled back very gently and she took right off. THIS IS THE MOMENT WHEN I FELL IN LOVE! She was so sturdy, climbing at 900FPM at 85kt. I cant get over how stable and sturdy it felt, it was pretty much flying itself!
At first I thought that the trim wheel would be an issue since im used to a wheel between me and the co-pilot but I actually enjoyed having it where it is.
After I trimmed her we leveled off at 2500ft and brought it back to 22MP and 2400RPM and that had us cruising at 110kt at 8gph. I can do 24mp and 2400rpm on a XC so im thinking 115-120kt at around 8-10gph.
Did a few turns and yes, not having that upwards visibility is something I need to get used to but I'ts not bad.
One thing I noticed was that I can slow down a lot faster than a diamond! My landings were not the best but not bad.. maybe 6.5/10 . I flew nice stable approaches but when I got to my round-out I would f*k it up. I still dont fully have the feel for this new configuration and still cant gauge when to actually start my round-out. Every time I would round out I would do it maybe 3ft too soon which made us float a bit but using soft field technique I was able to put her down gently.. but it happened every time. I would "flare" too soon. The last landing I flared too late and it smacked the ground a bit (not HARD by any means... just think of a student pilot.. lol)
The "Fear of edges" had absolutely no effect! I didnt even notice "not having a wing". I actually REALLY enjoyed being able to look straight down.
Instructor said 1 more flight which will include stalls and and such and I should be good to go.
My work schedule sucks so no clue when I'll fly it again. I might be able to do it tomorrow morning but not sure. Should I wait some time and let this info sink in and maybe fly next week or should I try to schedule it tomorrow?

I know its too early to say this but , this Cessna might be winning my heart. I have officially flown a High wing and I LOVED IT! I'm not using the term lightly.

Edit: We landed with flaps 20 all but one landing. After 20* flaps, the drag gets INSANE! I can only image what its like from 30 -> 40
 
Last edited:
I've never flown a Diamond so I don't know, but do they have free castering nosewheels like the Grummans? That would explain why you felt it was much easier to taxi if so.
 
I always land the 182 with flaps 40deg unless its really windy. That's a log of drag and slows you down fast. And a go around you want to get from 40->20 right after throttle full and carb heat off. You will notice a difference on timing the flare when you start using those full flaps...it won't be like soft field any more...maybe short field.

If I understand right, the diamond has a stick..how was it going from stick to yoke?

Glad you liked it. Not much crawling around to preflight a Cessna. We keep a cheap/light 3-step ladder in back. It also comes in handy for cleaning the bugs off the windshield and the top part of the tail.

Tip for not hitting your head: Wear a ball cap. The only times I've hit the aileron was when not wearing a ball cap or winter hat. But we don't park the plane with flaps extended.

First flight after we bought our 182 we landed and it was raining...our 8yo daughter stood under the wing and thought it was the coolest thing...but she also thinks a TBM930 is the coolest thing :)
 
MarcoDA40 said:
This post is kinda all over the place so bear with me:

Went up for 1.3 and had a blast!


(BTW, all of my comparisons will be vs the DA40)
Got to the FBO, talked to the instructor for like 20 mins about things to expect and such.
Went to to the plane and at first glance it seemed to have more room than the DA40 but once inside and strapped, I felt that maybe the Cessna was a TOUCH tighter than the Diamond but nothing crazy.. then again I'm used to my Fiance sitting next to me, not a CFI and he is a little bigger than her so thats probably why it felt "tighter" but nothing bad at all.
The seats were nice too, it almost felt like I was sitting on a chair as opposed to a race car. It was kinda chilly so we cranked the engine heater on and let it warm for like 10 minutes. (Small propane heater)
Did a pre-fight and it was actually easier to do than the 40. I wasnt crawling around and stuff. Checking the fuel was actually not bad at all! I can see how fueling could be more annoying but I don't think I see it as vexation.
" Watch out, dont hit your head" - Not 2 minutes after CFI says that, he walks right into a flap! (it was at 40*) we had a chuckle.
Total of 4 sumps so it wasn't bad! 3 on the diamond.
She cranked right up.
Taxiing was easier than the diamond. With the diamond I have to constantly correct to stay center line but the Cessna was almost like driving a car. You point it in one direction and it goes until you input left or right brake. I like.
Taxiing a low wing is nice because you can CLEARLY see where your wings are and not hit sh*t. In the cessna I had to look extra hard at my wing tips to know exactly where they are.. I guess it gets easier.
I started my take-off roll and I had to switch to Rudder pedals much sooner than with the diamond. In the diamond I have to tap the right brake for the first few seconds on the take-off roll until the Rudder gets more authority. With the Cessna I pretty much had rudder authority almost as soon as I started rolling.
As soon as i hit 60kt, I pulled back very gently and she took right off. THIS IS THE MOMENT WHEN I FELL IN LOVE! She was so sturdy, climbing at 900FPM at 85kt. I cant get over how stable and sturdy it felt, it was pretty much flying itself!
At first I thought that the trim wheel would be an issue since im used to a wheel between me and the co-pilot but I actually enjoyed having it where it is.
After I trimmed her we leveled off at 2500ft and brought it back to 22MP and 2400RPM and that had us cruising at 110kt at 8gph. I can do 24mp and 2400rpm on a XC so im thinking 115-120kt at around 8-10gph.
Did a few turns and yes, not having that upwards visibility is something I need to get used to but I'ts not bad.
One thing I noticed was that I can slow down a lot faster than a diamond! My landings were not the best but not bad.. maybe 6.5/10 . I flew nice stable approaches but when I got to my round-out I would f*k it up. I still dont fully have the feel for this new configuration and still cant gauge when to actually start my round-out. Every time I would round out I would do it maybe 3ft too soon which made us float a bit but using soft field technique I was able to put her down gently.. but it happened every time. I would "flare" too soon. The last landing I flared too late and it smacked the ground a bit (not HARD by any means... just think of a student pilot.. lol)
The "Fear of edges" had absolutely no effect! I didnt even notice "not having a wing". I actually REALLY enjoyed being able to look straight down.
Instructor said 1 more flight which will include stalls and and such and I should be good to go.
My work schedule sucks so no clue when I'll fly it again. I might be able to do it tomorrow morning but not sure. Should I wait some time and let this info sink in and maybe fly next week or should I try to schedule it tomorrow?

I know its too early to say this but , this Cessna might be winning my heart. I have officially flown a High wing and I LOVED IT! I'm not using the term lightly.

Edit: We landed with flaps 20 all but one landing. After 20* flaps, the drag gets INSANE! I can only image what its like from 30 -> 40
Click to expand...

Welcome to the Dark Side. Tell your CFI some dude from POA said you should practice some slips with a bunch of flap
 
Stingray Don said:
The Cessna has a steerable nose gear so you should not have to use differential braking.

Another convert to the high wing club! Welcome aboard!
Click to expand...
Yeah..steer with the bottom of the pedals and save the toes for stopping if pulling back to idle isn't enough.
 
If you fly a high wing, especially a Cessna, wear a cap.
It may lessen the severity of your head injury.
:crazy:
 
Thank you all for your responses! I schedule our second flight for tomorrow at 8:00AM. It will be 36*F BRRRRRRR!
I will REALLY focus on my flares, I will also do some landings with 40* flaps..
Excited!
 
MarcoDA40 said:
The seats were nice too, it almost felt like I was sitting on a chair as opposed to a race car.
Click to expand...
C182 feels like sitting on a barstool. :)

Taxiing a low wing is nice because you can CLEARLY see where your wings are and not hit sh*t. In the cessna I had to look extra hard at my wing tips to know exactly where they are.. I guess it gets easier.
Click to expand...
On the other hand, it's easier to navigate your tires through a super narrow taxiway or around obstacles with a high-wing.
As soon as i hit 60kt, I pulled back very gently and she took right off. THIS IS THE MOMENT WHEN I FELL IN LOVE! She was so sturdy, climbing at 900FPM at 85kt. I cant get over how stable and sturdy it felt, it was pretty much flying itself!
Click to expand...
I thought Vr was 55kts.
At first I thought that the trim wheel would be an issue since im used to a wheel between me and the co-pilot but I actually enjoyed having it where it is.
Click to expand...
That might be part of why you feel closer to the CFI in the right seat.
After I trimmed her we leveled off at 2500ft and brought it back to 22MP and 2400RPM and that had us cruising at 110kt at 8gph. I can do 24mp and 2400rpm on a XC so im thinking 115-120kt at around 8-10gph.
Click to expand...
120kt@10gph is about 75% power on a 180hp C172. That works out to be about 69% in the XP but the XP POH says you can go up to 80%
Edit: We landed with flaps 20 all but one landing. After 20* flaps, the drag gets INSANE! I can only image what its like from 30 -> 40
Click to expand...
I'm used to 30. Whenever I fly a Cessna with 40 degrees of flaps, I usually save it for the very short final since it pretty much does nothing but add drag at that point.
 
So went up on Saturday morning for the second time, logged 1.2 and got signed off!

We did stalls, slow flight and some turns. A lot of pattern work at my request which resulted in 6 T&G, 1 go-around and 1 full stop.

This time around the airplane felt familiar which gave me more confidence. Stalls were very gentle, the ball stayed pretty centered without much rudder input while trying to induce the stall (as opposed to the diamond). The day before, during landing I think was cutting the power too soon. I was used to cutting power "early" in the diamond because if not, it will keep floating down the runway. This time my instructor suggested I leave a touch of power on (literally like 1/4 inch) and boom! 10/10 landings without float, greasers! I was also landing with 30* flaps this time around which I think helped. We performed a go-around and this is when "RIGHT RUDDER RIGHT RUDDER" was very prevalent. It kinda got away from me in the two most obvious ways but not in the danger zone by any means:
1) Went full power and the 15hp increase from the DA40(180hp) was very noticeable! In the Diamond I would go around and step on the right rudder with some force but the XP required what I guess I could say double the amount of force(yes serious). This made us yaw left, and at the same time:
2) Nose-up due to having trim configured to landing/short final. I never went under the green arc but the nose raised some and again.. With the DA40 the nose would raise but again, it requiered almost double the amount of force to counteract the trim setting.

I like the fact that If I cut the throttle during final it starts SINKING..... unlike.. yes again.. im sorry i keep saying it..... unlike the diamond. I am able to comfortably do maximum foward speed in the diamond until maybe 2-2.5 miles out. I will test it out next time in the XP to see what kind of numbers i get.

I feel confident and I am very excited to fly this bird! The cost and availability of it should/will help me fly more than I currently do.

I cant wait to fly again.
 
So, can you tell that the DA-40 cockpit is 6" wider or does it not make a difference?
 
MarcoDA40 said:
1) Went full power and the 15hp increase from the DA40(180hp) was very noticeable! In the Diamond I would go around and step on the right rudder with some force but the XP required what I guess I could say double the amount of force(yes serious). This made us yaw left, and at the same time:
2) Nose-up due to having trim configured to landing/short final. I never went under the green arc but the nose raised some and again.. With the DA40 the nose would raise but again, it requiered almost double the amount of force to counteract the trim setting.
Click to expand...

What's the empty weight of your 172XP vs. your DA40?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top