CFI - Do it in my Cherokee or 172?

CC268

CC268

Final Approach
Joined
Nov 4, 2015
Messages
5,532
Display Name
Display name:
CC268
So I am trying to determine whether or not to do the CFI (and potentially CFII) in my Cherokee 140 or at a flight school with a 172. Maybe I am overthinking it, but I'm thinking it might be best to do the training in a 172, since that will likely be the plane that I will be CFI'ing in (if I go work for a school). Also wondering if a school might not hire me if I had only trained in a Cherokee and didn't have any right seat time in a 172?

The upside to using my Cherokee is that I would save some money using my own airplane. I'm open to both options.

Another advantage of the Cherokee is I can go up as much as I'd like in the right seat and practice teaching my dad (Private Pilot) the Commercial maneuvers. I'm thinking I can be pretty well prepared for this before I even really go up with an instructor.

@Walboy (CFI/CFII) has kindly offered to help transition me to the right seat in my Cherokee before I start going up on my own in the right seat.

What do you guys think?

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
Cherokee isn’t a bad trainer. Can’t see why a school would care at all.
 
I did all my primary in PA28's. Don't know how the CFI's learned. Never seemed to be an issue.

Save the money and use your own plane!

[Note] Doing some post PPL work with CFI's from the same school (but hired after I left) I discovered I knew more about THAT exact PA28 than the CFI. But they knew way more about IFR, procedures, etc.
 
Just do it in your own plane, not because you’ll save money but because you’re more familiar with it. You’ll get plenty of time to familiarize yourself with a 172 after you’re hired.
 
Thank you friends of PoA.
 
Do it in your plane. Only issue any school is likely to have would be due their insurance company requirements. And even then, if we're talking about 172's the most I would expect is an hour or three of dual with you in the right seat. Twins or complex might be a different story, but shouldn't have any issue finding someone to let you teach in 172's.
 
I’ll have an open right seat in my Cherokee I’ll let you teach me in.
 
I'm going to be the contrarian and say 172, if that's what you will be instructing in. Revolutionary.

But seriously, I doubt it matters.
 
I'd do it in whatever plane you're more comfortable/confident in but I'd think by the time you got to the CFI level it shouldn't matter anymore.
 
cowman said:
I'd do it in whatever plane you're more comfortable/confident in but I'd think by the time you got to the CFI level it shouldn't matter anymore.
Click to expand...

Well considering the Cherokee is my personal airplane I’d say I’m pretty comfortable in it (have 3x the hours in that over the 172). That said the majority of my training has been in 172s so that isn’t an issue. I agree it probably doesn’t matter.
 
I suggest doing all of your flying in a 150. It's clearly a superior training aircraft, and is also much more sporty and fun to fly than a 172. The wing is also riveted to the correct side of the cabin.
 
Lachlan said:
I suggest doing all of your flying in a 150. It's clearly a superior training aircraft, and is also much more sporty and fun to fly than a 172. The wing is also riveted to the correct side of the cabin.
Click to expand...

Just put the Cherokee up on eBay. Gonna get a 150now
 
When I got my CFI I'd never flown a few of the planes PA28 C150-150 and it was no problem to teach out of them. After a bit of time you'll be comfortable teaching in just about any piston single (outside of lancairs or something super HP) without any prior time.
 
falconkidding said:
When I got my CFI I'd never flown a few of the planes PA28 C150-150 and it was no problem to teach out of them. After a bit of time you'll be comfortable teaching in just about any piston single (outside of lancairs or something super HP) without any prior time.
Click to expand...

Thanks...I kind of figured that would be the case.
 
Salty said:
Cherokee isn’t a bad trainer. Can’t see why a school would care at all.
Click to expand...
If you have the certificates, they won't care what plane you got them in. Aside form the Low vs. High wing preferences, C-172 and PA-28 flight characteristics are pretty similar.
 
Either aircraft gets the job done. But consider this. Your Cherokee is your pride and joy. And along with all the upsides of ownership, you also have the responsibility of keeping it in good condition maintenance wise. Including paying for whatever breaks and needs fixing.


So are you financially ready to add to the required budget fixing things that a less than 20 hour student is likely gonna be damaging? Hard landings, not managing the engine properly (including proper leaning), increasing the usage so that the calendar time to do a major overhaul is going to be a lot sooner... and so on. Plus if your plane has to go down for repair, your ability to earn income as an instructor will be hobbled.

If you go operate in the flight school environment and use their airplanes, then all of those costs and risks are shifted to them. And with more aircraft in the fleet, if one 172 is off the line, use one of the others.

If there is some comparison between earning $25/hr-ish with the school versus $45-50 in your airplane, the net difference might be a push once you factor in the added maintenance costs that come from your bank account.
 
Not sure what thread @AggieMike88 is reading.

I thought the question is not whether or not to PROVIDE TRAINING in his Cherokee. It's whether or not to use his Cherokee for HIS CFI training.

I think he knows how to land it by now.
 
Ravioli said:
Not sure what thread @AggieMike88 is reading.

I thought the question is not whether or not to PROVIDE TRAINING in his Cherokee. It's whether or not to use his Cherokee for HIS CFI training.

I think he knows how to land it by now.
Click to expand...

Haha yep...spot on. I wouldn’t be providing training in my own personal airplane. Not worth beating it up.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Either aircraft gets the job done. But consider this. Your Cherokee is your pride and joy. And along with all the upsides of ownership, you also have the responsibility of keeping it in good condition maintenance wise. Including paying for whatever breaks and needs fixing.


So are you financially ready to add to the required budget fixing things that a less than 20 hour student is likely gonna be damaging? Hard landings, not managing the engine properly (including proper leaning), increasing the usage so that the calendar time to do a major overhaul is going to be a lot sooner... and so on. Plus if your plane has to go down for repair, your ability to earn income as an instructor will be hobbled.

If you go operate in the flight school environment and use their airplanes, then all of those costs and risks are shifted to them. And with more aircraft in the fleet, if one 172 is off the line, use one of the others.

If there is some comparison between earning $25/hr-ish with the school versus $45-50 in your airplane, the net difference might be a push once you factor in the added maintenance costs that come from your bank account.
Click to expand...

I was referring to doing my own CFI rating in it. Not providing instruction in it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top