What is your Favorite Training Airplane?

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Grasshopper

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Grasshopper
I'm a big Cessna fan.

Cessna 152 is a one of the best trainers I've experienced. All my Private Pilot Training and most of my time building up to the Commercial was done in this airplane. Very forgiving especially with hard landings, can take a lot of training abuse and keeps on truckin'.
 
Depends a little on what you are training for, but for typical private pilot stuff, I have always been partial to the Warrior.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Depends a little on what you are training for, but for typical private pilot stuff, I have always been partial to the Warrior.
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Really? I wonder, is that the airplane that introduced you to flying? I believe that what you start in is what you stay in... High Vs Low, piper vs Cessna etc...
 
Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros
 
FlySince9 said:
Really? I wonder, is that the airplane that introduced you to flying? I believe that what you start in is what you stay in... High Vs Low, piper vs Cessna etc...
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Yes, that is what I started in. I also grew up as a kid flying around with my dad in a Lance. I like Cessnas too, but I personally like the feel and handling characteristics of the PA28 better.

I get more of a sense of 'oneness' with the airplane when flying a Warrior as compared with a 172.

I dont know about starting in/staying in....I currently fly a 170 and a Baron, and occasionally a biplane.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Yes, that is what I started in. I also grew up as a kid flying around with my dad in a Lance. I like Cessnas too, but I personally like the feel and handling characteristics of the PA28 better.

I get more of a sense of 'oneness' with the airplane when flying a Warrior as compared with a 172.

I dont know about starting in/staying in....I currently fly a 170 and a Baron, and occasionally a biplane.
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You're right about the feel and handling of a Warrior, it has a heavier control feel with the Stabilator set up. 152/172 have a very light toy like control feel.

As a CFI, I have lots of hours teaching in Pipers, but in my opinion when it comes to landing, the landing gear is far less forgiving than in the 152/172.

They can take just about anything, whereas the Piper doesn't absorb the landing shock as well when teaching landings.
 
Grasshopper said:
You're right about the feel and handling of a Warrior, it has a heavier control feel with the Stabilator set up. 152/172 have a very light toy like control feel.

As a CFI, I have lots of hours teaching in Pipers, but in my opinion when it comes to landing, the landing gear is far less forgiving than in the 152/172.

They can take just about anything, whereas the Piper doesn't absorb the landing shock as well when teaching landings.
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Really? I've never seen a problem with PA28 landing gear aside from having to maintain the oleos. The gear does certainly require more maintenance.

I HAVE seen a few Cessnas with firewall damage from hard landings on the nose wheel.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Really? I've never seen a problem with PA28 landing gear aside from having to maintain the oleos. The gear does certainly require more maintenance.

I HAVE seen a few Cessnas with firewall damage from hard landings on the nose wheel.
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OUCH...Yeah, we don't want to see nose wheel landings. If you're an experienced pilot, landings in either one wouldn't be any different. It's in the training phase that the Cessna tubular steel legs can take the bigger hits(on the mains) IMO.

No doubt, the Piper has more maintenance needs for the landing gear.
 
I enjoyed my training in a Tomahawk. Made the transition to my Cherokee 180 easy, too. I remember flying in a 152 with my buddy shortly after he got his PPL, many years ago. I never took the controls, but even back then when we were young and skinny, I remember feeling pretty cramped. Tomahawk felt roomier.
 
152. Both my instructor and I were comfortable in it (really think people overstate how small the cabin is). And with long range tanks it had a nice bit of range for longer XCs. Really tough too. The ones I trained in were '81, '81 and '79 and still going strong. Much better IMO than the Tomahawk/Skipper.
 
I did my first solo in a C152. Just after, I started flying a Warrior, later buying it. I did fly a C172 pre solo and an Archer after my solo in the Warrior. The PA28 is what I like but there's nothing wrong with Cessnas. My last C172 flight was 2 weeks ago.
By the way, I bought a Navion in April. Now THAT'S the cat's ass. I am truly surprised there are not more flying.
 
FlySince9 said:
Really? I wonder, is that the airplane that introduced you to flying? I believe that what you start in is what you stay in... High Vs Low, piper vs Cessna etc...
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No way. Started in a 172. Can't stand them or high-wings in general. I'd prefer Piper to Cessna, although I do love the 152 for farting around.

If I could go back and do it again, a Cub, Champ, Citabria, etc. would be my choice.
 
I've gotten rides or flown an Arrow, Warrior, Tomahawk & a 140. Have my eye on a ride in a Dakota. Every time I fly in one I think how that low wing is really cool. The whole experience feels just more visceral.

But the 172 I own is sure easier for me to get in & out of. Compared to a 152 or a 150, it's a truck to fly on the controls. Compared to an RV-12 it's positively comatose!
 
150, Citabria, and 310. Those three airplanes will train you well.
 
iflyvfr said:
I've gotten rides or flown an Arrow, Warrior, Tomahawk & a 140. Have my eye on a ride in a Dakota. Every time I fly in one I think how that low wing is really cool. The whole experience feels just more visceral.

But the 172 I own is sure easier for me to get in & out of. Compared to a 152 or a 150, it's a truck to fly on the controls. Compared to an RV-12 it's positively comatose!
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Good point. If I'm taking passengers, I'd probably opt for a 172. Solo, I'm PA28 all the way.
 
Fearless Tower said:
I HAVE seen a few Cessnas with firewall damage from hard landings on the nose wheel.
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Mine unfortunately had this happen with a previous owner. It was repaired and stiffeners were installed, but I had no idea until the first annual and the mechanic scared the **** out of me when he told me on the phone going over the discrepancies found ("and I'm sure you already know about the firewall damage..."). When I saw it, it wasn't nearly as scary as he made it sound, fortunately. According to him, the only more proper repair would have been to replace the lower firewall, but that'd have been $10k+ and, per his advice, not worth it for a bird that doesn't routinely see training nose wheel strikes.
 
Jim_R said:
I enjoyed my training in a Tomahawk. Made the transition to my Cherokee 180 easy, too. I remember flying in a 152 with my buddy shortly after he got his PPL, many years ago. I never took the controls, but even back then when we were young and skinny, I remember feeling pretty cramped. Tomahawk felt roomier.
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I did my PPSEL in a C-152 and immediately purchased a Tomahawk. I really preferred the Tomahawk due to the elbow room and the visibility.
 
Cessna 172 and piper arrow worked fine for my training..... Wouldn't trade either for my mooney but good trainers
 
Anything with a tail wheel. If you can land a tail wheel well you can learn to land anything.
 
I started in a piper 140 but, did most of my pp in a Cessna 172. Did my ifr in a warrior. I like most all planes. When I'm local I tend to fly a Cessna around. I like high wing for visibility and the doors. When I travel I usually fly a piper.
 
Started in a Cub, finished in my 150. Liked the simplicity of the Cub, even if the landings took me longer to figure out.
 
Cpt_Kirk said:
No way. Started in a 172. Can't stand them or high-wings in general. I'd prefer Piper to Cessna, although I do love the 152 for farting around.

If I could go back and do it again, a Cub, Champ, Citabria, etc. would be my choice.
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Can't stand high wings in general yet your "do it again" choices and your farting around airplanes are all high wing...
 
I only had one primary student in my Citabria, but I think overall that's a great training aircraft.

Sitting on the aircraft centerline feels "right", as does controlling with a stick.

Tailwheel helps teach good landing habits, and having the instructor out of sight in the back and unable to reach the panel forces the student to do some basic stuff from the first hour.

That said, I learned in a C-150, and I turned out OK!
 
Cessna 120 worked for me. Plus no worries about firewall wrinkles from a nosewheel landing.
 
FlySince9 said:
Can't stand high wings in general yet your "do it again" choices and your farting around airplanes are all high wing...
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Guess I just wanted to feel special. Here's the truth: I hate the C172 and everything about it.

High wings are fine in my book. I really liked the 337...
 
I don't get the point of a favorite training plane. Your training plane is generally dictated by budget and availability, and most people don't fly a lot of different planes during training so there is rarely a basis for comparison.

As I read this thread, it's more of a favorite airplane thread, not a favorite training airplane thread.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I don't get the point of a favorite training plane. Your training plane is generally dictated by budget and availability, and most people don't fly a lot of different planes during training so there is rarely a basis for comparison.

As I read this thread, it's more of a favorite airplane thread, not a favorite training airplane thread.
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If this was a favorite plane thread, 90% of the people here would list the P-51.
 
T-2C Buckeye

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Nauga,
and a little guppy magic
 
The Duchess! There's something about firing up two engines for the first time that's awesome.
 
kayoh190 said:
The Duchess! There's something about firing up two engines for the first time that's awesome.
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The Duchess was my Multi-Engine trainer. Had the choice to train in a Seminole, but went with the Duchess. Performance/price wise, they're the same.

However, ergonomically it's much more comfortable, you can't beat the entry doors on each side and the trailing link landing gear makes touchdowns super smooth!
 
FlySince9 said:
Really? I wonder, is that the airplane that introduced you to flying? I believe that what you start in is what you stay in... High Vs Low, piper vs Cessna etc...
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Not in my case. Majority of private training was 152 and 172. Almost bought a 182 for my first plane, but bought a Cherokee 180 instead, and then sold that for a Comanche.
 
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