First time flying a Cessna.

I was an airport bum/line guy when I was a kid and worked for an FBO. Pretty much had to fly what was available and got lots of opportunities to fly stuff. Because I had to fly what was available I was signed off to solo the following:

C-140
C-150
C-172
C-177
PA-28-161
PA-28-140

and the day I got my license my instructor/owner of the FBO signed my complex/high performance endorsement and I flew a Commander 112 to San Antonio to pick up his sister and niece and bring them back to Houston.

Point is this - I pretty much agree with TXAviator. The way I had to learn wasn't optimal, but it served a purpose for the FBO and it was what I had to do. Would I want my daughter doing it that way? No. Did it teach me that an airplane is an airplane? Yes.
 
Kestrel452 said:
All my time (almost 20 hours) is in a warrior. i flew in a 172 today and it was like i took a step over 10 hours backwards in my training. Is this transition that hard for everyone else?
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What problems did you encounter? Why did you think you had moved backwards?
 
I think it's normal. I have flown different planes that were the same type that felt and flew different.
 
dcramer16 said:
I think it's normal. I have flown different planes that were the same type that felt and flew different.
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i agree AND disagree.

lets go back to the car analogy. honda civic. yeah one might pull a little to the left, the brakes might be a little spongy on one, the clutch is a little loose on another....

but you still press the gas pedal to go, and turning the wheel right makes it go right, and generally they behave the same way, aside from minor quirks.

so we go jump in a toyota corolla. generally same weight, dimensions, power. could your average joe and jane tell you much difference between the two? nope. maybe one is green and one is beige. or the wife says "this one is cuter". other than that, nah. theyre pretty much the same. drive about the same too.

now, could i go jump in an 18-wheeler and drive it successfully? probably not. i might be able to get it moving, and yes it has a wheel to steer, but i probably wouldnt get very far without hitting something or breaking it.

so, do planes fly the same? yes, and no. :-)
 
Sure planes fly the same, you pull back the planes go up, down then down we go, and make a crappy landing everyone hates you:)
 
TXaviator said:
i agree AND disagree.

lets go back to the car analogy. honda civic. yeah one might pull a little to the left, the brakes might be a little spongy on one, the clutch is a little loose on another....

but you still press the gas pedal to go, and turning the wheel right makes it go right, and generally they behave the same way, aside from minor quirks.

so we go jump in a toyota corolla. generally same weight, dimensions, power. could your average joe and jane tell you much difference between the two? nope. maybe one is green and one is beige. or the wife says "this one is cuter". other than that, nah. theyre pretty much the same. drive about the same too.

now, could i go jump in an 18-wheeler and drive it successfully? probably not. i might be able to get it moving, and yes it has a wheel to steer, but i probably wouldnt get very far without hitting something or breaking it.

so, do planes fly the same? yes, and no. :-)
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I'm confused. What if you drive a Saturn Ion. I drive a Ion. What do I do...:panic:

:D
 
TXaviator said:
ok dont anyone take this personally, but really... do you feel like you cant hop in another fairly similar plane and just FEEL what it wants to do?

after hopping in a few planes with no "book learning", it only takes a moment to feel the sweet spots for climb.... cruise.... approach....final...short approach....speed vs pitch....etc etc...

come on, they WANT to settle in to these modes... i can feel if im trying to FORCE a plane into a speed/energy/attitude that it really doesnt want to do....

cant you?
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I suspect that as time goes on you will be surprised at how few pilots naturally have that "feel" for an airplane. My very unscientific estimate would put it at maybe 1/3 of pilots that make it to the professional ranks.
 
Kestrel452 said:
All my time (almost 20 hours) is in a warrior. i flew in a 172 today and it was like i took a step over 10 hours backwards in my training. Is this transition that hard for everyone else?
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Honestly?

At 20 hours you are really in no position to make that judgment- no offense.

You "feel" like you took a step 10 hours back, but that truly might not be the case. In another hour or two you might feel right at home.

Sure, you have vernier controls instead of levers to control the engine, you go blind when turning in the pattern, you don't have the convenient Johnson bar for the flaps, etc. Otherwise, it is still just as easy to fly as a Warrior.

With time these transitions should get easier, especially when going between two similar aircraft.

Now, if you went from a Warrior to a Cessna 210, and at 20 hours, I could see a potential issue.

You'll be fine.
 
SteveC said:
I suspect that as time goes on you will be surprised at how few pilots naturally have that "feel" for an airplane. My very unscientific estimate would put it at maybe 1/3 of pilots that make it to the professional ranks.
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so youre saying if i wanna fly a big shiny jet i should just read books and forget about the actual dynamics and physical properties of how a plane flies?!?!

SWEET THAT WOULD BE SO EASY!!



(does it need the tag, really?)

((ps- even as a low time guy, i look down on people who do not FEEL the concept of flight and what the plane is doing in response to YOUR actions))
 
ll clarify my statement about looking down on certain pilots... it came off as harsh and snooty...

more like, i wish all pilots had a better feel for the machine and how and why theyre doing what theyre doing instead of just memorizing procedures that generally work...

this could also branch into the "should all pilots do baby acro" discussion ;-)
 
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