C172 Vs. Warrior & DA20

J

johntlewis

New Member
Hello Everyone:

I'm applying for a CFI position at a school that flies Warriors and Diamond DA20 (Katanas?). I've always flown 150/152/172's and pretty much nothing else. How does the Warrior and DA20 compare to the 172? Are they similar in flight characteristics? Would the transition be fairly easy?

I know you can spin a DA20, but can you spin the Warrior? (safely and legally, that is). :)
 
johntlewis said:
Hello Everyone:

I'm applying for a CFI position at a school that flies Warriors and Diamond DA20 (Katanas?). I've always flown 150/152/172's and pretty much nothing else. How does the Warrior and DA20 compare to the 172? Are they similar in flight characteristics? Would the transition be fairly easy?

I know you can spin a DA20, but can you spin the Warrior? (safely and legally, that is). :)
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can't spin a warrior but expect about the same as a 172
 
It's very difficult to get a Warrior into a spin in the first place.

Some people say the Warrior is easier to land than the 152/172, some people say the reverse. I say the 172 is easier to land.

I think the 172 is more manueverable and less stable but the Warrior is more stable but a bit slightly less manueverable. In a Warrior you have added procedural items such as fuel management (you have to manually select left/right tanks), electric boost pump, and the e-brake style flap lever to use.
 
THe Warrior and 172 are very similar aircraft as compared to the Katana.
If you can fly a Warrior you'll be fine in a Cessna after a little practice but the Katana has a much different feel to it. The Katana is affected much more by updrafts and almost feels like a glider sometimes with the wing it has. The sight picture on take-off in a Katana is different as the plane climbs with a very low pitch attitude.

Also the Katana has a stick rather than a yoke...It doesn't have nosewheel steering (castering nosewheel). Even the avionics on the Katana seemed different from the normal ones you see in the Cessnas and Pipers.

I prefered instructing in the Cessna/Piper but the Katana wasn't bad.
 
johntlewis said:
Hello Everyone:

I'm applying for a CFI position at a school that flies Warriors and Diamond DA20 (Katanas?). I've always flown 150/152/172's and pretty much nothing else. How does the Warrior and DA20 compare to the 172? Are they similar in flight characteristics? Would the transition be fairly easy?

I know you can spin a DA20, but can you spin the Warrior? (safely and legally, that is). :)
Click to expand...

Honestly, by the time you are a flight instructor all I have to say about transitioning is, "a plane is a plane is a plane." Each of those models have their individual handling characteristics and quirks but within about 5 hours of teaching slow flight and stalls in them you'll figure them out. If I have one word of advice for the Diamonds it's to ail your a/s on apch or you're goig to chew up a lot of runway
 
I've instructed in all three planes, and I can honestly say that I prefer the C172. The DA20 is a fun airplane to fly and a decent trainer. Fun airplane to spin!! The DA20 handles like a glider, which requires very small control inputs. I prefer Cessna/Piper over Diamond. However, I do like the DA40/42 w/ G1000.
 
:yeahthat: Basing big decisions on different types of single engine trainers isnt something I've ever heard from CFI level pilots.

CFI or student.... guess which:

"like OMG the low wing justs floats so much they're impossible to land but the high wing is impossible in a crosswind"

disclaimer: this reads like I'm picking on you, it wasnt intended that way, but I dont feel like rewriting it
 
Oh and I'm a cessna person too, but because I can teach holding the nosewheel off the ground in a way thats impossible in the cherokee line.

Try doing a touch and go in a cherokee without letting the nosewheel touch, its hard enough for me, let alone a student.

Also, with cessnas, bad crosswind technique is much more apparent, and its possible to fly with the upwind main wheel on the ground and the other in the air down the runway...also damn near impossible in the cherokee lineup. (a fun teaching tool)
 
I'm certainly trying to get the position even though I've never flown the Warrior or DA20. I was mainly wondering if I should go rent it for a few hours before I interviewed.
 
I currently instruct in Diamonds, and honestly I still prefer the cessna's over them for training. Just personal preference though.
 
BuickCFI said:
can't spin a warrior but expect about the same as a 172
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You can spin some Warriors/Cherokees. If you check out some of the older PA28-150/140s you will see that they can be spun in the utility category.


I have instructed in Cessnas and Pipers I prefer Warriors over Cessnas though both are excellent trainers. The Pipers are build like tanks and that puts me at ease.
 
I'll second the importance of energy management in the DA20. It's a clen machine and if you aren't on your speeds you will be haulin' arse in ground effect trying to settle in. Power off 180's, especially with no flaps, can be a bit of a challenge. Mostly because the technique is just a bit different because the thing is a glider. Maybe not so much different as just a little less forgiving. You won't be able to bleed off as much speed in a slip as you can in either of the other aircraft. The systems and flying are reallly no more difficult across all three. For spins, and visibility I'll take the DA20 every time. Plus there is something nostalgic about the stick, four point harness, and canopy of the DA20.

To each his own though...
 
I've got a lot of time in DA20s and I honestly preferred them to the 172s, even the new ones. The DA20 is pretty quick and you can't beat the visibility. It has the power to get well into the caution range (118 KIAS) in strait and level flight. It does awesome in a crosswind--the demonstrated component is 20 kts and that was no sweat.

The plane does have its issues, but I still like it.

Mike
 
Van_Hoolio said:
I've got a lot of time in DA20s and I honestly preferred them to the 172s, even the new ones. The DA20 is pretty quick and you can't beat the visibility. It has the power to get well into the caution range (118 KIAS) in strait and level flight. It does awesome in a crosswind--the demonstrated component is 20 kts and that was no sweat.

The plane does have its issues, but I still like it.

Mike
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I have always wondered if they could be spun. I am guessing not?
 
It's utility category as long as it's within max gross and CG. Spins are approved. It's only approved for Day, Night & VFR though. Because of its construction, it can't be IFR certified like the DA40. You can still do instrument training in it, but not in actual.

Mike
 
I'm not an instructor but I have about 40 hours in Piper's (Warriors, Cherokee's and Lance's) and about 60 in the Diamonds (DA-20 and DA-40) and the Diamonds win hands down for me. Easiest planes I've landed by far. I love the sight picture you have with the Diamonds and the visibility with the bubble canopy is much better than Pipers or Cessna. The center stick is great and I love the control feel it provides.

It's all personal preference though...I have friends who hate the Diamonds and love the Pipers. To each his own. The one thing they do agree on is that the Diamonds look the best. Can't beat the smooth lines of the composite Diamonds....especially the DA-40's and the TwinStar!
 
The diamonds are alright. I've flown the DA40 a bit, it takes a little used to using the stick between your legs instead of a yoke but its got 2 wings and an engine that spins a prop. The best part is probably the visibility, the only problem is that it gets hot due to the sun.
 
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