Pros and Cons of C172 vs. PA28 Warrior/Cherokee as training aircraft

Some people prefer sitting all day in the sun, some prefer the shade. Nobody in my family likes the UV.

Jay Honeck said:
Maybe it's in the thread somewhere and I missed it, but many of us low-wing fans prefer the feeling of sitting atop the wing rather than dangling beneath it.

Other than that, they fly pretty much the same.
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John221us said:
This is incorrect and was discussed in another thread, the Cherokee actually has a slightly better glide ratio than the 172 (but the are close and relatively the same), as long as you maintain best glide speed. The 140 is very benign and some say too easy to fly.
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I saw the thread. A Hershey Bar wing is a different animal and my experience is that it does not glide as well as a 172. I stand by that statement.

Jaybird180 said:
Will the new PPL find himself flying when the cats and dogs are falling from the sky?
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Here in the Pacific Northwe(s)t, a new PPL may very well find himself flying when the liquid sunshine is in evidence. :D
 
fwiw - most of my student time was in the 172, with 10 hours in a warrior.

I must be strange, because I can get in/out of the warrior more comfortably than the 172.

I found the cherokee more stable/comfortable for instrument flight than the 172.
 
Rayden said:
Hi all,

I've been doing a lot of research by reading all sorts of articles, and of course, spending insane amount of time on this forum. Given my current circumstances, I believe it'll be better served for me to study all my ground school stuffs first and maybe even taking the ground parts of the exams over the next few months, and then start actual flight training in late spring or summer. The reasons are plenty, but it has to do with family time, work commitments, and ensuring available funds fro completion in a few months and not years.

With that being said, if the conditions of both aircraft are the same, which one would make a better training aircraft b/t the C172 (R or S model) and the Piper Warrior/Cherokee PA28? I do know that if I get my PPL and like flying as much as I think I would like it now, I would be interested in part ownership in a plane, or join a flying club, and that I have so far a visual preference for low wings. Thanks in advance for the advices.
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I prefer low wing but with that said I think the Cherokee 140/172 are in a dead heat. SO it doesn't matter which you own or learn to fly in.

What determined it for me is what was available for me to fly and buy at my airports. I limited my shopping to about 35 mile radius of home. Everyone rented 172 around here. However I decided to buy and the best bargain I could get on a plane was a Cherokee 140. So I bought it.

If you can check out all local and near local airports for flight clubs and partnerships and then see if you have a choice. Otherwise its academic.
 
gismo said:
The only important differences are that you don't get as wet climbing into a Cessna in the rain. The rest is just personal preference. My preference would be to try both at some point.
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In 1000 hrs I've never got wet climbing into my airplane. Both of them are low wing.
 
bartmc said:
152s are generally cheaper to rent and have an honest stall. If you and your CFI fit in one, I'd train in it.
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ha,ha,ha only 32% of american population can fit in one with an instructor and fuel. :)

I agree Cheapest to rent, cheapest to fly but not cheapest to buy.
 
Choice of aircraft means very little. I've taught students from hour one to checkride in both and find no advantage to one over the other. They're both good flying machines.
 
I have three cessna's. Two with wings above and one with the wing down low. I like em all. I learned in a 172 and a piper Comanche. They were different mainly in the way they steered with the nose wheel pedal setup. The cessna had the bungee cord hookup and the piper was direct. I thought it helped flying them both and felt the Comanche made me a better pilot. (After flying it the 172 was a piece of cake)
 
Wow these are really awesome opinions and comments. I think given my situation, as some of you have advised, is that picking the best available CFI is the utmost importance.

I started this journey partially due to the fact that I usually have anxiety when flying commercial and for about 10 years in the last decade I didn't fly at all. Now that my job requires me to travel once in a while, and I've been away on trips 3 times already in the last few months, I found myself thirsting for knowledge of flight so that I can conquer this anxiety. The more I research and learn from my good airline pilot friend, the more I think the possibility of me being a pilot is possible. I used to ride sportbikes before getting hitched and have always put safety at No. 1, and I believe I will do so as well with aviation.

I will be doing some research on how to find the best CFI for me. That should be interesting.
 
Find good instructor, fly whichever one they want to teach you in. Then get checked out in the other later for fun.
 
I did my PPL training in 3 types: Warrior, DA20 & DA40 (steam gauges w/prop control). Learned well in all of them because my instructers were top notch. Moved on to instrument training in steam gauge DA40 & eventually G1000 DA40. All along the way it was about the quality of instruction. The airplane type could be any one of the fine trainers you'll find out there, so long as the instruction is high quality. So my advice is to not sweat the aircraft type and focus on the instructor and school.

Sent from my SPH-M930 using Tapatalk 2
 
DrMack said:
I did my PPL training in 3 types: Warrior, DA20 & DA40 (steam gauges w/prop control). Learned well in all of them because my instructers were top notch. Moved on to instrument training in steam gauge DA40 & eventually G1000 DA40. All along the way it was about the quality of instruction. The airplane type could be any one of the fine trainers you'll find out there, so long as the instruction is high quality. So my advice is to not sweat the aircraft type and focus on the instructor and school.

Sent from my SPH-M930 using Tapatalk 2
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Explains your affinity for the type. Not that I blame you. Very fine machine.
 
Rayden said:
...I think given my situation, as some of you have advised, is that picking the best available CFI is the utmost importance...I will be doing some research on how to find the best CFI for me.
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Here's how I'd go about finding that "golden" CFI. First of all, do not put much stock in personal references from former students. Most of the time, students have absolutely no way to judge the abilities of their CFI and they tend to put their CFI on a pedestal whether or not it is deserved. It's a lot like judging a doctor on his bedside manor. If he's friendly and smiles a lot then of course it follows that he must be a good doctor. Yeah right. If you want to know how good your surgeon is, just ask his OR nurses or his peers - hopefully, they'll give you and honest assessment. The same goes for a CFI, get your hands on a list of local Designated Pilot Examiners (DPE) and ask them which CFIs' students tend to be best prepared. They are the guys who get to see, first hand, the results of the CFIs' efforts. If you check with multiple DPEs you'll pretty soon be able to put together a list of CFIs to consider. Then it's a matter of talking to each one and finding the one that's the best fit for you. However, remember that personalities differ and in spite of everything you do sometimes it just doesn't work out. If that happens to you, fire him or her and find a new instructor.
 
Rayden said:
Wow these are really awesome opinions and comments. I think given my situation, as some of you have advised, is that picking the best available CFI is the utmost importance.
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Bingo! I had the same question regarding which trainer to persue. I realized after doing a Discovery Flight at two different flights schools (C172 & PA-28) at DWH, the most important decision is choosing the right CFI.

Rayden. I sent you PM .
 
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Agree with everyone else here. I just completed my training in the PA28. I tried the Cessna, but like you, just felt the PA28 looked better. A couple points:

Pros for PA28:
- Better looking (in my opinion)
- Proper throttle (wasn't a fan of the stick you push in and out)

Cons for PA28:
- Not as great for sightseeing--need to bank to show passengers sights often.
- Availability seems to be more limited
- Accessories and swag are MUCH more limited in Piper vs. Cessna. Think sweatshirts, mugs, etc. Sounds minor, but my friends and family were annoyed come gift time!

Best of luck either way!
 
Did all of my training in a 152 and 172. Ive only had my license for about a month and a half but I just got checked out in a warrior 2. I much prefer the feel of the 172. The warrior has a lot heavier control feel, worse visibility and landing is a bit different. It flys smooth but the 172 just feels better to me.
 
It's a tossup really.

I did primary training in PA28. Soloed in C152. Finished dual in PA28. Checkride in C172. Only thing I felt about PA28, landings were smoother, and you have to remember to switch tanks. Clearing turns are different. Other than that, not much of a difference.
 
I spent almost two hundred hours training in Cherokees this past year. I have about 100 in C-150s last year, as well. Today I flew with my on-again, off-again student who has a C-172SP (he's on-again!) That's one darn nice flying machine.

Bottom line: I love them all. You can become a great pilot flying either one.
 
merlin3 said:
Did all of my training in a 152 and 172. Ive only had my license for about a month and a half but I just got checked out in a warrior 2. I much prefer the feel of the 172. The warrior has a lot heavier control feel, worse visibility and landing is a bit different. It flys smooth but the 172 just feels better to me.
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Cherokees will feel heavier on the feet, especially in ground handling. I suspect much of your preference is based on familiarity. I have many hundreds of hours in both and enjoy them pretty much equally. They're both great flying machines.
 
I flew a PA-28-140 dual and it felt like the plane was actually flying on the wing rather than using excess thrust to be hurled skyward.
 
Tony_Scarpelli said:
As a VFR pilot I seldom get chances to test this. :) The only varga I get is that which I seek out to clean the plane.
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Rain does not automatically mean IFR. You can have a 5000 foot ceiling, light rain, and 10 miles visibility quite easily.

Now, showers behave differently, but you'll often get good visibility in between showers. The winds may be much less pleasant, and the showers may not go where you want them.

It's only when the clouds are low or the rain heavy (well, "moderate" in ATC language) that you have problems. And of course thunderstorms should be avoided.
 
A Cessna will teach you how to use your feet through maneuvers, and takeoffs and landings in a crosswind. A Piper is ultra easy to fly but you still do have to use your feet at high power and angles of attack. Landing a Piper in a crosswind is a breeze. I have close to 800 hours in each brand.

Personally, I own a Piper Warrior. I did my Private in a Cessna 152, Instrument in a 172, and most of my time building in a 172. I like the low wing sexiness myself!
 
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