Trial flying lesson - update 1

The four-seat Piper is probably 160 hp, while the two-seat Cessna is 105 hp.
The bigger plane will feel heavier and more stable. With two people aboard
it will climb more quickly. It will feel like moving from an old Mini to a
new four-door Toyota . . .

There's also a difference in visibility. The Cessna, because of the high
wing, gives you an unrestricted view downward, so it's great for sightseeing
and taking pix. You can probably flip the windows open a bit for this
purpose. It's easy to climb in and out of the plane through big doors on
either side, and the wing provides shade on hot days, a little shelter on
wet ones. When you fly the landing pattern, you lose sight of the runway for
about 20 seconds in each turn because the wing blocks the view, which can be
disconcerting until you're used to it. The Piper, with its low wing,
requires you clamber up to enter, and it has a single door on the right, so
it's a bit more awkward to load. Visibility in the pattern is grand -- you
can eyeball the runway all the way through your turns. You can't look
straight down through the wing; you can't see the landing gear. And you can
fuel the plane without having to climb up to the wing. On the other hand,
pre-flight with the low wing means I have to roll around on the tarmac to
drain fuel and inspect the gear.

Which do you prefer? Given equal power and seating, it just depends on how
you use the airplane. I trained in Cessnas, own a Piper. For purely
practical purposes, I prefer the high wing -- If I were still flying search
and rescue, if I were flying big cargo and elderly passengers, or operating
off a grass strip, I'd own a Cessna. But I do love the Piper and the low
wing feels a bit more sporting.

Seth




"Ice blonde" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi all

Seth Masia wrote:
Check it out: http://www.ukft.com/

Now that does look interesting..... But I'm not going to be flitting
off to do anything in a hurry :-)

Have never been to the Mid West, but your not selling it very well ;-)
We have a place called Boston in Lincs over here, its a bit like that,
really really flat and cabbages for as far as the eye can see...!

Now a quick question, is there much difference in flying a piper 4
seat, rather than a Cessna 2 seat?

I have a willing soul who would love to come up for a ride, and it
would be a good excuse to have another lesson, but I wouldn't want to
try learning in two very different planes at once, that would just be
confusing.

Many thanks

Seth Masia wrote:

There's also a difference in visibility. The Cessna, because of the high
wing, gives you an unrestricted view downward, so it's great for sightseeing
and taking pix.

The window has a retaining strap near the bottom. Disconnect that strap, and the
window will open fully in flight. Once opened, air pressure keeps it up against
the bottom of the wing. The plane then has a tendency to yaw to the right,
requiring lots of left rudder to keep straight. The pitch also changes, but I
don't recall which way I had to trim.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.

I used to fly photographers, and took a lot of pix myself, when I was
renting 172s. I'd generally throttle back to about 90 knots before opening
the window. I'm sure there was a pitch change, but I don't retrimming so it
can't have been much. Maybe putting in one notch of flaps helped.

Also, when you bounce a landing, it's nice that your CFI can look down and
note drily "Wheel's still on. Try it again."

Seth
"George Patterson" wrote in message
news:RXa1f.966$la.401@trndny05...
Seth Masia wrote:

There's also a difference in visibility. The Cessna, because of the high
wing, gives you an unrestricted view downward, so it's great for
sightseeing and taking pix.

The window has a retaining strap near the bottom. Disconnect that strap,
and the window will open fully in flight. Once opened, air pressure keeps
it up against the bottom of the wing. The plane then has a tendency to yaw
to the right, requiring lots of left rudder to keep straight. The pitch
also changes, but I don't recall which way I had to trim.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your
neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.

Seth Masia wrote:
I used to fly photographers, and took a lot of pix myself, when I was
renting 172s. I'd generally throttle back to about 90 knots before opening
the window. I'm sure there was a pitch change, but I don't retrimming so it
can't have been much. Maybe putting in one notch of flaps helped.

Flaps might have helped, but it also may be that the 172 behaves differently
from the 150/152 aircraft. Mine was a 150.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.