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3 Answers

Less Traditional Planes for Student training for Private Pilot

Asked by: 2046 views , , , ,
Aircraft Systems, Flight Instructor, General Aviation, Student Pilot

So it seems a LOT of people got their PPL in a 150, 152, or a 172. And that's fine if they are available, affordable, and in decent condition. Same applies for Piper Cherokees and Warriors.

I know of a school where their 172 offerings are all super high end with G1000, autopilot, and more. All with an hourly rental of course to match what you are getting. Great maybe for the Instrument student; less so for the person seeking a private pilot license.

Another school has 150 beaters that, to put it politely, have seen better days. So that leaves some students considering planes that fall outside the Piper PA28 and Cessna 150/152/172 Trinity.

I'd like to hear from instructors, newly minted  private pilots,  and PPL students about other "affordable" planes for training.  What do you think about their strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes that training plane you prefer such as a steam gauge 172 may not be available and you have to go for other offerings. I am thinking of:

Cessna 162 SkyCatcher

Grumman  AA5 Traveler, etc

Vans RV12 S-LSA (Can be used for night VFR)

Others....?

Kindly share your opinions and experiences.

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3 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Jan 12, 2020

    Truth is, once you get past availability, reasonable cost, good maintenance, and the ability to perform the requirements (I.e., lights for night training) it doesn’t matter.

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  2. bflpilot on Jan 12, 2020

    ANA airlines used to send their future pilots to IFTA in Bakersfield some 30 years ago, and they’d do all their initial training in straight tail bonanzas, so they’d have a complex and high performance endorsement before solo. I also know that somewhere in the midwest US there is still a guy that uses his Luscombe for primary training. I’d prefer the later for cost effectiveness and cool factor.

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  3. PedroThePilot on Jan 17, 2020

    I’m looking at a school that has a Grumman AA5 Traveler, and that seems like a fine plane. There is another school with a Cessna 162 SkyCatcher but that seems like a really light plane, and a handful in gusty conditions that seem to be the norm around here.

    The Cessna 150s all seem to be really beaten up. I am sure many schools have beautiful 150 and 152s; they just don’t happen to be in my area.

    I have flown in but never piloted a Vans RV, and they seem to exhibit exceptional control harmony and fine flight characteristics. There are some Vans RV12s available for training locally and that seems interesting.

    I suppose in the final analysis it’s like Mark mentioned:

    “Truth is, once you get past availability, reasonable cost, good maintenance, and the ability to perform the requirements (I.e., lights for night training) it doesn’t matter.”

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