The A2A Simulations Community

Hey everyone!
Well it's not the most thrilling news ever but it's still fun. I got checked out in a C-172SP today and my instuctor signed me off after 1.2 hours. The 172 is so much more stable than the Diamond I've been flying for the past few years. It was a very smooth and very solid feeling aircraft in comparison. I like the additional 55 horses up front from the IO-360 as well. I'm not sure if I prefer the DA-20 or the 172. They both have qualities I like. So it was a fun afternoon doing basic maneuvers and shooting four landings. Anyway, here are a couple pics to go along with it. Thanks for reading!

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All the best - Flyboy4612
Private pilot/tail-dragger endorsed

Great job! I put in about 45 hours last year in a G1000 172 when I got my PPL. I've been told by quite a few people that if you can fly a 172, you can fly just about anything. Once again, good job!

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Thanks sioux565! I started in the C-177 for my first solo and up until about 35 hours then moved to the Diamond for the rest of my PPL training. The C-172 seems to be the most solid of the three. I wanted to get checked out in the 172 because it's a bit more practical than the Diamond. Now I just want my dad to finish his Stolp Starduster so I can be the local barnstormer

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All the best - Flyboy4612
Private pilot/tail-dragger endorsed

The 172 is a very good honest airplane. Ive got about 250hrs in it, roughly split between the older N model and the newer 'next gen' 172s. All the 172s I flew had the 180hp I/O-360s. It was a very reliable engine.

A2A probably considers somthing like the O-360 core boring compared to the Merlins, Allisons, R2800s..etc they have been modelling. But if way down the road A2A partners or 'sells/exports' accusim to other developers(Carenado, RealAir..etc), an Accusimmed O-360 would be a great project to merge into perhaps the ultimate simulated 'GA' experience of aircraft ownership.

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"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Douglas Adams

An A2A cessna or beechcraft would be wildly popular. Don't think it is ever going to happen though...

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Don't put your hopes down . Maybe we'll get a King Air as the first Beechcraft turboprop.

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© 2011 Peter J. Carlson, All Rights Reserved
"O! for a horse with wings!" -William Shakespeare

I'm a big GA guy, not so much a war bird guy. That's why I love the A2A Cub.

Speaking of real world flying, anyone ever flown a Piper Warrior, Arrow, or one of the similar Pipers? A few of my buddies who did their flying in those said they are tanks.

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I have about 6hrs in a warrior and about 50 in a Piper Seminole. Pipers seemed to be a little more stable in cruise, a little heavier in the controls than the Skyhawk. They are good planes, probably a little better suited to X country flying.

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"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Douglas Adams

That's what I thought. I've been in the Semi sim for a few hours and that autopilot sure was nice!

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Great stuff, keep us posted!

Re: the pipers, I believe Scott use to own a warrior, it was a Piper just cant quite remember the type.

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Pretty much all my flight time has been in small Cessnas and Pipers - mainly C-152 IIs and PA-28 Warrior IIs with C-172SP and PA-28-181 Archer IIs next down the tree.

I've always preferred Cessnas, for various reasons, but will never argue that the PA-28 was a much more stable cruising aircraft. The Archers came with autopilots. I never touched them. I do remember hating the walkaround on the PA-28 on a damp morning, though...

I'd like to have a go in a DA-20. I've flown an Ikarus C42 fixed wing microlight, which was an experience, trying to land in a crosswind (I did badly) and was offered time in a DA-40 and a DA-42, but couldn't afford either, unfortunately.

Anyway, very well done, welcome to the Skyhawk pilots' club (which to be fair covers most pilots around the world since the C172 was developed! )

Congratulations.

Ian P.

Did my Private and half my Instrument on the University of North Dakota Warrior III fleet.

Pluses -
Stable
Forgiving
Manual Flaps!*

Minuses -
Slow
Under powered (theirs were the 160HP models, but I've also flown the 180HP Warrior II and Archer)
Slow
Those stupid struts.*

* Manual flaps are fun because you can use them as a speedbrake and to modulate your flare. When you get good with them, you can do some things with even an Arrow that you could never do in a Cessna that makes ATC at a major airport like Denver International very happy when having to fit you into the stream.

* The Landing Gear struts have a bad habit of sticking at colder temperatures. It's not unusual for you to land (even firmly) and have one strut fail to compress. It's bad for the plane (all the shock goes to the wing spar), but it's also bad for trying to steer on the ground when you're at a friggin' 10* angle and resulting "pull" to the collapsed side.

I know the Cessna's are a little more "squirrely" in cruise, but I'd rather have the extra 10-15 knots to a more stable platform. It was sad that I was in a Turbo Arrow II and my top speed was 130 knots TAS, while in a Turbo 182RG (same horsepower) I was easily doing 150 knots TAS, with power left to spare. Now, all of the Pipers I ever flew had the new "Hershey Bar" wing, which I know takes away speed, but the book says the tapered wing isn't that much faster, so for cross-country, take a Cessna and get there faster and for less fuel.

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When I was working on my instrument ticket. I had time in both the Beechcraft Duchess and the Seminole. The Duchesses were late 70s models and the Seminoles were 'new' with the tan panel and thick yokes. Between the two I thought the older Duchess was mostly superior to the 'new' Piper. The Piper landings were a bit stiffer due to the Piper's peg leg landing gear. Always a good 'Thud' when you touch down. The Duchess had trailing link gear on the mains...they would just kiss the runway when you touch down. The Duchess was a little more roomy inside too, with doors on both sides.

I never had any time in a Mooney but always wanted to. From what I hear it is a very efficient design. The M20J could cruise at 160kts with a fuel burn of 11gph on a 200hp IO-360

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"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Douglas Adams

Congrats. Told you that you would get the 172 sign off in no time.

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Instructed on Pipers in Northern Ontario Biggest difference Piper's have BETTER Heaters ! Flying wise the Piper always felt sturdier and had a lot more room for all those parkas etc

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