Cessna 172

It has been my intention from the beginning to spend some time at another flight school to obtain experience on a different type of plane. Now that I have cross country solo, this seemed like a good time.

The aircraft in particular I wanted to fly was a Cessna 172. It is pretty much the staple of general aviation. More pilots have learned to fly in a Cessna 172 or Cessna 152 than any other plane. The two main difference between the 172 and the 152 the horsepower (172 = 180, 152=110) and number of seats (172 = 4, 152 = 2).

What they both have is that is different from the Diamond aircraft I have been training on:

• Wings mounted high on the aircraft
• Uses a yoke rather than a control stick
• Has doors instead of a tilting canopy
• The plane is built from aluminum and not plastic
• Fuel is gravity fed from two separate tanks in the wings

Like I said, it is one of the most common plane in general aviation, thus I will have the more opportunity to fly them. The Diamond is a fine aircraft, yet most small airports will have Cessnas to rent. I want to be skilled and comfortable in this aircraft. Also, having traditional doors will make it easier for passengers of all shapes, sizes, and ages to fly with me.

Without going too far from Nashville, there are about 3 other flight training facilities in the area, all of which train primarily with the Cessna. Can’t say for sure why, but I called Nashville Flight Training, Inc. This company flies out of Nashville International Airport (BNA). This is the same airport that serves all of Nashville’s airliners and most commercial flights. Class “C” airspace. I booked a flight with CFI Von Gaines.

Today was a raining on and off, and I thought it would be canceled, yet Von checked the weather and most of the problem was to the south of us.

We sent about 45 minutes discussing some of the conditions that would be different at a big airport like BNA that I may not be familiar with. Some examples are:

• The traffic pattern is more directed by ATC.
• A phenomenon called Wingtip vortices which are tubes of circulating air that are left behind a wing as it generates lift. All planes have this, but it can cause a problem for a small plane following a large aircraft.
 



Wingtip Vortices


• Communication with the different frequencies of ATC.
• Traveling speed within Class C airspace should be faster and you may have bigger aircraft following.

Next we went out to the 1998 Cessna 172R (N434EP) for a full pre-flight check. All went well, but the latch on the left door was not operational so I had to slide in from the other side. It did feel a little strange because switches, instruments and dials were located in different places than I was use to.

 

  

The sky was gray, we had slight rain, and it was a little foggy, but Von and I agreed since we were just going a few miles away, we would take off and return if need be.

As I taxied it to the runway, I noticed it was a lot easier to taxi. Not sure if it was my skill level or the aircraft, but it felt like it was the aircraft. Rotation speed, or the speed required to get off the ground, was about 55-60 knots. Compared to the DA20 at about 45 knots. With the added power I didn’t notice any additional time required to get the plane off the ground.

It was very fun flying a new plane! With each different activity I felt the same thrill as if it was my first flight. In addition, we headed west, which meant I flew right over downtown Nashville. I know that I had flowed thousands of feet in the air before, but it was such a different experience when I was looking down at towering buildings. The wings mounted high allowed for great visibility below. Not surprisingly, flying with a yoke felt very natural. It was more like driving a car than when I use the control stick.

We flew to John C. Tune Airport, which I have been to before, to practice some take off and landings. I’m not sure if this is true with all Cessna 172s, but this aircraft had 4 levels of flaps, and no flaps were needed for takeoff.

Once I got in the traffic pattern and made a couple of left turns, I saw one of the drawbacks of a high wing plane. When turning, I’m use to looking at landmarks (like the runway) on the ground for reference. When I turned to the left and looked out the window, all I saw was the left wing. During a standard turn, the wing will tip down in the direction of the turn and, with high wing planes, can obscure the view. When turning this type of plane the pilot needs to refer to the heading rather than ground references.

On final approach, I put in two set of flaps and I stayed within the glide slope. As I reached the runway and flared out, I thought I had missed judged (the Cessna’s landing gear is about a foot higher than I am use to) and was expecting a hard landing, yet it was one of my smoothest landings. Another loop around the traffic pattern and another smooth landing.

We then flew back to BNA, with some rain on top of us. Since they don’t have the standard traffic pattern, the pilot should anticipate which runway ATC will be directing them to and approach the airport from that direction. The pilot can listen to the wind direction or just listen to what runways ATC is telling other aircrafts to us to help determine what to expect from ATC.

Final handing was, once again, smooth. I have heard that landing a heavier aircraft is easier, but I’m not sure if that was the reason. Either way, I had a great time.

Flight time: .70 hours

Cost: Plane rental - $80.50, Instructor Fee - $28.00