I'm actually about to start training in a Piper Tomahawk at Lincoln Flight Center, in Rhode Island. I did a lot of checking/research into this plane before I decided on it. No doubt about it, the Tomahawk is not a docile plane. You need to fly it and keep an eye on everything. The major concern with this airplane is that from what I understand, the stall characteristics of this plane are not predictable as they are in a Cessna. The plane could potentially roll left OR right from 15% to as much as 90%. Like I said, whether or not you start to roll left or right is not predictable prior to the stall, nor is the degree of your roll. Is this a bad thing? I don't think so, as long as you have enough altitude to recover.
Another thing about the Tomahawk is that the fuel selector switch does not have a "BOTH" position, only a left/right/ position. Some take issue with this because they think it reduces the safety of the plane if a pilot forgets to switch tanks and runs out of fuel in one of the tanks. The Tomahawk was designed by Piper to be strictly a trainer aircraft after soliciting suggestions from 10,000 flight instructors.
I think that by learning on this plane, transitioning to a Cessna downrange will be much easier.
Besides, the cockpit is more comfortable since it is larger, and visibility around and above you is great since the wings are below you.
Anyhow, I'm looking forward to starting!
--NatefromRI
|