Getting checked out in the 172

[Chairboy]

I had a little money set aside, so I went out to learn how to fly the 1965 Cessna 172 at the local FBO.  The instructor and I spent a little time talking about the plane, mainly differences between the 152 and it, then went out to the plane.  I chair flew it for a few minutes, then preflighted and fueled it.

Started it up and took off.  Immediately noticed that the controls were a lot heavier then the 152.  We departed the pattern and climbed to 3,000.  

The instructor had me do some steep turns, then some slow flight with flaps and without.  I mentioned that I had found a place that would do some spin training, and he said that sounded pretty good.

We started doing stalls, and I was recovering from them good and fast, no secondary stalls.

We climbed a few hundred feet during some of this because of sloppiness on my part.  The instructor took the controls during slow flight to show me something and I didn't think much of it at the time.  We were in slow flight with the nose up already, and he said "Ok, keep your hands off the controls until I tell you."

No problem, I sat back as he pulled the nose up higher and higher.  As it stalled, I think he kicked the rudder or the yoke over, I'm not sure as the next thing I knew, the plane had rotated over on its back, both wings stalled, it pitched down, and we were entering a spin.  Instructor: "Go."  At this point, I was looking straight down at the ground...   through the windshield.

My adrenaline kicked in, and I have to admit, I whooped and laughed as I neutralized the aileron, cut the power, kicked the opposite rudder, and carefully pulled out of the dive.  We were pulling a few G's as I pulled out, so I was really careful to manage the load and didn't yank on the yoke.

Full power, retrimmed for climb.

After I had the plane together, I thanked the instructor for the completely unexpected, but very welcome lesson.  It was truly great, and it was really helpful to realize that my theoretical training on spins was in my head when I needed it.  He didn't have to say anything, I recovered instantly without even thinking about it.

All the flying was great, my real trouble seemed to be landing.  It was choppy, sure, but I just couldn't get the plane to fit in the landing pattern groove, and my flares were a little off.  After three or four touch & goes (some of them pretty ok by the end), we called it a day.  Instructor just wants a little bit of landing practice and he'll sign me off, and sounds good to me.  

Note: The 172 seems slightly larger in the cabin then the 152.

[Hangtime]

atta boy! Good instructor.... wanted to see if yer a natural or not.

Yer a natural.

Now; relax yer sphichter when landing and fly the damn plane.

[cpxxx]

I went spinning in  a 172 once. It was pretty reluctant to spin to the left and just wouldn't spin to the right. In the end I almost felt guilty. It was like abusing a big friendly floppy eared dog.
The 172 flies best when you trim it nicely and leave it alone. I think the reasons you had trouble landing it was because the 172 loves to fly. Any excess speed and it will float in ground efffect forever. A friend of mine found the truth of that when he came in too fast to a short field and kept on going until he was stopped by a bunch of power lines beyond the end of the runway.

Approaching Memphis once I kept the speed up so as not delay the jets behind too much. We floated in ground effect for ages. It was more like a low pass than a landng. Great fun.

You'll soon get the hang of it. It's a lot more relaxing to fly than the twitchy old 150. No wonder it is still so popular.

But not too fast on the appoach!

[beet1e]

Originally posted by Chairboy
Note: The 172 seems slightly larger in the cabin then the 152.

And with good reason. The 172 seats four, the 152 seats only two.

[Chairboy]

Perhaps my wit was so dry as to be dessicating?   Beet1e, I'm just trying to emulate british understatement, let me know how to do better next time.

Here's an 'americanized' version: "Holy bejeesus, the 172 is HUUUUUUUGE inside!"

[Hangtime]

Don't let them two extra seats fool yah.. she'll haul 4 scrawny adults if yah leave half the gas home.

OTOH, 2 normal beefy ammuricuns and a case of Coors are no problem 'atall.

[Toad]

IMO, the 182 is the smallest Cessna that actually flies like an airplane.

[LePaul]

Originally posted by Toad
IMO, the 182 is the smallest Cessna that actually flies like an airplane.

Dang...someday when I can afford to rent one of those, i oughta!

152 was OK....loved learning in the C172 tho.

[Chairboy]

I long for the graceful caress of the Piper Warrior I trained in.  Ah, there was a plane with class.  With that low wing, ground effect was more then just a theoretical concept.  The throttle and mixture was a nice honest lever, not some dinky little knob like what you'd use to set the choke on a lawnmower.  And the view!  Cessna owners talk about how you can see the ground so much better while flying, well, I don't know about them, but I'm more worried about the things up in the sky that can run into me then I am about counting how many swimming pools people have in my neighborhood (more then I thought, btw).  Not to mention, being able to keep an eye on the airport I'm landing at during the whole pattern.  Every time I turn from base to final, I expect to see some yahoo sitting out on the runway.  Sometimes, it happens too.  W/ the Piper, tain' no surprises there.

Ah yes...  some day, I will have a Warrior.  With my budget, I'm guessing a 1978-1981 will be about right, equipped for basic IFR.  It chills my heart to think about the guy who owns and is flying my baby right now.  He doesn't love her the way I will, he just thinks of her as a stepping stone until he can save up for an Arrow or twin or something.  Well, he doesn't deserve that plane, she should be in MY hangar.....  pretty airplane...  my...  precious.

[CyranoAH]

I got bored of Cessnas a while ago. The things are just so darn easy to fly. Approach and landing feel like you are going on train rails. (Flown 152, 172N and J, and 182Q)

For an agile, fun to fly 4-seater, my choice is the Robin DR-400. Beautiful airplane, flies like a dream. Good visibility, quick response, stick, and it really can carry 4 adults (not like the 172N).

Daniel

[Hangtime]

Originally posted by Chairboy
.... he doesn't deserve that plane, she should be in MY hangar.....  pretty airplane...  my...  precious.

ROFL!!

The bug bit hard, enh?

Hang in there.. it'll happen. Meanwhile, pick one out and start stalking the guy thats abusing it. Leave notes on it. Postits at all the gound check points. Call him on nice days, tell him your the piper; call in sick "Hi, this is 4295 Tango, I'm leaking a bit around my oleos, and can't be flown till you fix me... " Let the FBO in on it, and bribe him to tell the guy the fuel stand is inop..

It could work..

[beet1e]

LOL Chairboy!

I agree with everything you said about Piper v Cessna.  A few things you didn't mention: the way the lower wing cuts off your view in turns. And I hate that stall warning system - the organ pipe principle - LOL.  Also a low wing plane is better than the high wing type in the event of ditching on water. I realise that's not much of a concern for you American landlubbers, but is the sort of thing we manly Brits would take into account.

Try the 182 Skylane - it's cool and manly, especially the RG version. But the elevator is extremely heavy - I don't know if that's what Toad means by making it seem like a real aeroplane. In my view, the steering wheel/handle/thing you hold was a little too small for the load. Real men prefer sticks anyway. And, like all other planes with that 235hp engine, it'll suck juice at at around 14 US gph.

[OOZ662]

Originally posted by beet1e
And, like all other planes with that 235hp engine, it'll suck juice at at around 14 US gph.

You ever noticed the P47 sucks 225 GPH?

Chairboy, fly aerobatics in a 110G2 in the TA sometime. You'd probly get a kick out of it.