Worst plane

to learn how to fly in? I’m not sure I’m entitled to pick one, but I can tell you about one that is clearly not a smartest choice. If you have any.

Most of you probably already figured out which one I’m talking about. Yes, Piper PA28-180. Why? Let start from the beginning. What is the best plane to train you basics in? I’d risk the statement – “forgiving one”. The one that let’s you mess up the power setting, add flaps a little bit later (or even do not add them at all), not necessarily slow flying but stable and gentle one.

All those things are what made Cessna’s C150/C152/C172 the most popular trainer in the world. First they are generally underpowered so you won’t find yourself 300 feet above pattern level if you wait with reducing power to cruise level 5 seconds after you’ve reached 500 feet AGL. It’s long wing glides very well so if you pull back your power too much it won’t catch you off guard with 1000fpm sink rate. It’s stability makes those first flights smoother and let you focus on other things than straight and level flight itself. High wing construction greatly reduces ground effect which probably saved more than one student pilot from bouncing and collapsing front gear (although still so many of them managed to do so).

On the other hand let’s look at PA28-180 Cherokee from mid sixties (year matters). Big, powerful engine, short low wings (some call them ‘Hershey bars’), much, much aerodynamically cleaner body. All that makes it fly more like a sports car than sluggish old family saloon. All that add up to much bigger amount of things you have to master before you can fly this plane safely. It took me many hours before I actually started to fly in the cockpit instead of just dangling back there barely holding to the tail tie down hook.

The only positive side of this whole situation is that even though I just soloed I’m already at least half way up on the performance ladder – there aren’t many airplanes in this price range that are faster, snappier, more demanding from low time pilot than PA28-180 so it definitely will save me some money on transitioning trainings later.

Bottom line: If you have a choice – don’t take your basic training in PA28-180