Cessna 172 : Duel vs Solo

In all the excitement, I clearly forgot to document any differences between the C172 when flown with/without an instructor

I’ve read elsewhere that the C152, being only a two seater plane, really has a marked difference without the extra weight of an instructor.   So the intent had always been to try and make a mental note of any differences in the C172 on my first solo.

……..clearly there aren’t any, or none that made me actively think “God that feels different.”   Otherwise I’d like to think I’d have written about them after that first momentous flight 🙂

Looking back at my notes from first solo, the plane rotated and was airborne exactly when it usually is when I fly with an instructor.   So I’m concluding that being a 4 seater it has plenty of power to spare, making the effect of a single passenger getting out unnoticeable (Except the voice in your head, that usually reminds you when you’re doing stuff wrong, goes silent……)

Flight Instructors have told tales of the C152 being so under powered that on a very windy day they are susceptible to getting ‘stuck’ and being unable to exit grass runways.  It’s a tale from a reliable source, so I’m open to believing it – I think it was this underpowered view that made the club get C172’s.

There is a price tag attached to flying a C172.   In my area it’s ball park £50/hour cheaper in a C152.   Over the course of the training it’s going to save you £2-2.5k, there or there abouts…….I’m not sure you could go back after flying a C172 though.

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