Differences

Everyone remembers the first airplane they flew. But what about the second one? Chances are it was a lot like the first one, but still was different. While the make and model may have been the same, the serial and registration numbers were different, of course. Even trivial differences between the two likely was a topic of discussion with your instructor. The conversation may have included how different avionics equipment was installed, or one of them never had a working landing light, or had a prop offering better performance. In an extreme, you could have been mixing makes, models, wing position and avionics. There likely was a moment where you couldnt find that blemish on the windshield you used as a reference point, or found the throttle too stiff.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Transitioning to different aircraft types necessitates thorough training to understand variations in performance, procedures (like flap usage), and controls, as even subtle differences can have significant safety implications.
A fatal accident occurred when a 19-year-old pilot, unfamiliar with the Cessna 172M, failed to retract the wing flaps before takeoff, leading to an inability to maintain adequate altitude.
The pilot's primary training was in a Cirrus SR20, which uses partial flaps for takeoff and has a different flap control system, contrasting with the Cessna 172M which normally takes off with flaps up.

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Everyone remembers the first airplane they flew. But what about the second one? Chances are it was a lot like the first one, but still was different. While the make and model may have been the same, the serial and registration numbers were different, of course. Even trivial differences between the two likely was a topic of discussion with your instructor. The conversation may have included how different avionics equipment was installed, or one of them never had a working landing light, or had a prop offering better performance. In an extreme, you could have been mixing makes, models, wing position and avionics. There likely was a moment where you couldn’t find that blemish on the windshield you used as a reference point, or found the throttle too stiff.

In my case, the second airplane I ever flew was a Piper PA-28-140, a Cherokee 140. I was still a student, having soloed in a Cessna 150. Since the 140 had something resembling a back seat, it was a big deal. After some dual and once I was out of the traffic pattern, my first thought was, “Do I remember how to land this thing?” It had only one door, much stiffer rudder pedals, Johnson bar flaps, a two-piece windshield and a small window. It also had the old-style window crank in the overhead for pitch trim. To this day, I can’t tell you which direction is nose-down, clockwise or counterclockwise.