Arizona pilot training

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"W P Dixon" wrote:
Yep makes me really appreciate a 40/hr Champ!

Was just going to add that you don't HAVE to learn to fly in a
172**SP**! I realize that's the one in the videos that Cessna Pilot
Centers use in their training ... what great marketing strategy, huh?

Yes there is a marketing aspect to it. It is after all a CESSNA pilot
course.

"Let's encourage customers to spend almost twice as much as they have
to." An older, less-expensive-to-rent C172 or even a C152 (depending on
what you and your CFI weigh) will do just fine. You don't need a GPS or
AutoPilot or some of the other high-tech gadgets in the SP to learn how
to fly. IMO, that's just paying through the nose for stuff throughout
the training that you won't use until much later. Of course, if money is
no object ...

Except when you get into a really oddball situation (like I did early on...)
where you are flying a C172M with an ASI calibrated in MPH ! Mental
gymnastics were the last thing I needed when all I wanted to do was remain
upright and headed in one general direction.

Personally, I think changing from 172M/Ns to SPs probably saved me money in
the long run becuase it became much more of a Read / Watch / Do without a
lot of interpolation or conversion. V-speeds, weights, etc, all translated
directly from PC screen to cockpit. The price difference (at the time) was
all of $15 an hour.

As far as the avionics go, I'm something of a gadget-geek anyways so I
didn't find the electronics all that intimidating. I was able to get beyond
simple "Direct To" pretty quickly.

Regards,

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
Chandler, AZ

"Jay Beckman" wrote:
Except when you get into a really oddball situation (like I did early on...)
where you are flying a C172M with an ASI calibrated in MPH ! Mental
gymnastics were the last thing I needed when all I wanted to do was remain
upright and headed in one general direction.

I understand.
But that's assuming that the Cessna Pilot Course is a necessity too,
which is not the case. I'm not knocking CPCs, but a skilled, structured,
in-tune CFI can take a motivated student that does his/her homework and
turn them into an equally competent pilot with or without the Cessna
Pilot Course. If you are not using the videos or trying to match the
Cessna course material, you learn the V-speeds, weights, fuel burn and
other info *for your airplane*. If you are able to use a C152, for
example, you're paying only a little more than half what it costs to
rent an SP ... over the 60-80 hours it takes to get your license, that
translates into a sizeable chunk of change.

As far as the avionics go, I'm something of a gadget-geek anyways so I
didn't find the electronics all that intimidating. I was able to get beyond
simple "Direct To" pretty quickly.

I wasn't talking about being intimidated. I realize this is personal
opinion, but the point I was making was just that renting an SP to learn
how to fly is a lot of money for gadgets you don't need and don't have
to learn in the initial stages of flight training or for your license
*if* you have access to an older, less expensive but well maintained
Cessna or Piper. If the difference is only $15/hr, go for it; but if the
difference is $35-$50/hr (the diff between a C152 or older C172 and a
new C172SP), it's something to consider ... unless money is no object or
you must have the CPC.

Some CFIs insist that their students learn to navigate with a chart and
a VOR before showing them how to work the GPS anyway. Why pay for the
GPS and Autopilot if you aren't going to be use it?

Of course, comfort level is a consideration, too. If a person doesn't
feel comfortable or safe in an airplane without all the bells and
whistles, the C152 or older C172 won't work.