To some extent this depends on what part of the country you fly in. If
you're crossing mountains or operate in high density altitude situations,
you'll always feel more comfortable with more horsepower -- you have an
additional performance margin for climb and service ceiling. The 180hp
airplanes are therefore safer when you're heavy -- three people or more.

That said, the Cessnas are more comfortable on hot sunny days, because you
have more shade, and easier to load if you have little old pax or bulky
cargo. They're also the choice if your eager-beaver photographer wants pix
of the ground. The Pipers give you better visibility in the pattern (but
look sharp both ways before turing final so you don't descend on that
hapless C-150 below you).

Not much to choose on speed between the 160 and 180hp airplanes -- you're
not going far enough in any of these for it to make more than a few minutes'
difference. Your CFI is right about choosing the lighter airplane for
training: it will climb to pattern altitude more quickly, especially on
warm days.

Seth

"grubertm" wrote in message
ups.com...
Our flying club has a large number of different trainers for rent at
varying prices, but I am not sure which planes are suited for what
missions. Is there any site that offers an overview in terms of max.
cruise airspeed and max. useful load (basic configuration), etc. ?
Maybe someone in this group could provide a quick rundown of how these
types compare to each other ?

C152,
C172N (160HP) ,
C172N (180HP) ,
C172SP (180HP) ,
PA28-161 (160HP),
PA28-181 (180HP)

The C152 is an obvious choice for touch&go practice or short local
single person flights. But what about single person long XC ? Would it
make more sense to use a 160HP vs. a 180HP plane in that case due to
increased airspeed ? Is it better to haul 4 people in a Cessna than in
a Piper ? Faster to move 3 people in an Archer than in a Warrior ?
My CFI recommended using a 180HP C172N as opposed to the 180HP C172SP
since the latter is heavier resulting in lower climb performance
despite similar brake HP.

Your thoughts are appreciated.
- Marco