Diamond Vs Cessna Flight Training

[ThisGuy]

I live in London Ontario and I'm currently looking at flight schools . Can anyone comment the pros and cons of learning at Diamond with a diamond aircraft vs a Cessna that most traditional flight schools use and what would be the better route.

[Beefitarian]

Some claim the Diamonds are a bit more difficult to fly and land well. Maybe, but if you fly a 172 properly, I'm pretty sure the transition will be no big deal. If you end up being a guy that doesn't use the foot rests, transition to a Diamond might be a bit worse.

I like 172s but they are easy to fly. I think the advantage to learning on the Diamonds is negligible but Diamond fans might disagree. My opinion is fly the one you like better. They're both basic trainers. Your passenger friends might like 172s better. Ever so slightly more stable on a bumpy day. I never felt much difference in low wings but others have commented about it, I don't mind turbulence.

I'm eager to read other opinions. Hopefully there will be a few folks with time on both. I have flown Piper Warrior II low wings I like them.

[C.W.E.]

Can you tell if you are flying a low wing versus a high wing by the way it reacts to control movements?

[GoinVertical]

Short answer: Fly whichever is cheaper, and/or more available.

Long answer: Modern small piston singles in the utility category all fly basically the same. There are some small differences but one isn't going to make you a better pilot than the other. (Things start to change when you get out of the Utility Category and into things that are a bit higher performance.)

152, 172, DA20, DA40, Cherokee, Tomahawk, doesn't matter.

DA20 will ensure you actually know how to recover from a spin, that's about the only advantage I can think of. (With a good instructor it doesn't matter, they'll make sure you learn the right control inputs even if your 172 recovers as soon as you take out an inch of rudder.)

DA20 should, given the fuel burn, be cheaper.

C172 is nice if you ever want to haul more than one person around, and will be a bit more challenging to make your mark during forced approach or power-off 180's.

Neither will make you a better pilot. Flying gliders and aerobatics and tailwheel and floats and a variety of types might.

[ZBBYLW]

If you can find a school that has a Citabria or another tail dragger that would be your best way to becoming a better pilot.

[C.W.E.]

If you can find a school that has a Citabria or another tail dragger that would be your best way to becoming a better pilot.

That is the best advice here so far.

[Beefitarian]

Can you tell if you are flying a low wing versus a high wing by the way it reacts to control movements?

Maybe if I flew them one right after another but I can't honestly say the Warrior II felt different to me. It definitely stalled faster and more abruptly. The 172 is more forgiving of being sloppy, for example you get more time after hearing the horn and can mush along better with a burst of power. If you heard the stall warning on the Piper it was losing altitude right away. I remember a hard landing after what seemed like half a second of the stall warning.

I don't remember if we spun the Warriors way back then for a renters check.

[vinzer]

I did my first 40-50 hours in DA20, after that moved to PA28-235. Diamond is very responsive in controls for pitch and roll. Both controls use push roads. Diamond also flies very well! The only disadvantage which I found was that airplane feels very fidgety whenever air is not stable. Any light chop or light turbulence for PA28-235 feels way stronger in Diamond. This is due to its low wing load and wing length. Landing DA20 is a kind of art. Energy management must be near perfect, especially on short runways. Airplane floats half of runway easily if speed over the numbers is higher than you want.
In terms of fuel consumption the winner would be Diamond DA20 Katana with Rotax912 which will only require about 4-5 gal per hour and may use Mogas.

[ThisGuy]

What about the yoke vs stick ?

[mircea172S]

I don't think it matters which you would train in, I would go for the cheaper one.

[Squaretail]

The Cessna has a more comfortable seat. If I never have to spend an hour in a Diamond again it will be too soon. Somehow they managed to make a seat that's less comfortable than cattle class in a crowd-killer.