I see a general tendency in Europe for new trainer aircraft to be Rotax powered, which means (more or less) they are LSA category. They are however often registered as “airplanes” rather than LSA’s, to serve PPL training.
Peter wrote
What is the annual average for a UK PPL school plane?
In 2015/16, South East England, I paid about £185/hr Inc FI for a two seater and then £220/hr for a PA28 Archer for a few hours because the 2Seater failed it’s annual a few days before my skills test. Both old aircraft. I was happy with my choice of flying school, but looking back I had about 10% of my lessons cancelled because of technical problems with the aircraft, I flew without a DI a couple of times and had two en-route diversions due to radio failure.
All good experience of course – having an instructor alongside when something goes wrong so soon in one’s flying career but it’s disrupting when juggling the training alongside a busy work life. And, on reflection, i was paying top dollar so should perhaps have complained more than I did.
I wonder if other students had similar experience of aircraft reliability slowing them down. Perhaps I was unlucky.
Overall though many of us when we set out to learn to fly probably don’t care if the aircraft is old or new – we just want to fly!!!!
PJL wrote:
I flew without a DI a couple of times and had two en-route diversions due to radio failure
The aircraft in which I completed learing to fly (circa 2003) had neither a DI or an installed radio 
The big problem I see with Rotax powered trainers is not the engine, but the airframes are not sufficiently robust to take the abuse and particularly the landing gear. I think the Eurostar and Sportstar are probably the best of the lot. Our club has lost an AT3 which went off through the hedge on a PPL. We are back to a 172 and Eurostar now. The C42 is quite different than a Cessna but people love them here in Ireland.
I wonder if other students had similar experience of aircraft reliability slowing them down
Pretty standard when I was doing my PPL – PA38 was the worst, then C152 which was a bit better. But school maintenance was generally done on the nod and I saw some awful cases e.g. with a PA28 door lock which got jammed with me and a passenger inside. It was never fixed.
Today’s PPL scene, to the extent that I see it, is generally better on the aircraft condition, especially where the planes are current types e.g. DA40.
I just think they’re cheap, that’s all.
Good old G-BIJV I trained on when I lived in England, had 13000hrs on it then. She’s still doing it, must have closer to 20000hrs on her by now if she’s been regularly flown.
I pay 100 solo and 125 dual in tired C150’s. Reliability on these aircraft is a lot better than it used to be. They both have had 30 grand spent on them over the last two years.
The C152 is mint. New engine, new paint job, new inferior but it flies by far the worst. That’s an extra tenner an hour.
I agree with WilliamF although the rotax engine is great its the airframes they are mated to that’s the problem. I have some time in AT3 and they really arent a suitable training aircraft.
Airborne_Again wrote:
If it is this aircraft, it has 1500 hour TT with 500 hours left on the engine. It does have a 25 kHz COM.
Correct
At my club (been running since 1946), the experience is that a to purchase a C172 that is older than 10 years, and is planned for PPL schooling, is a waste of money. A C-172 needs to be as new as possible to be economically feasible. Also, to get club members flying, members with PPL, requires as new aircraft as possible, glass is good, more or less a requirement. It doesn’t really matter what kind of aircraft, what counts is glass and a nice interior.
We also have exotic stuff, like an Army Cub and a Safir. They keep even economically, are not flown that much, and only by a few. The bread and butter is the Cessnas.
Jan_Olieslagers wrote:
I see a general tendency in Europe for new trainer aircraft to be Rotax powered, which means (more or less) they are LSA category. They are however often registered as “airplanes” rather than LSA’s, to serve PPL training.
At our club we are trained on an Aquila A211, built in 2016. This confirms with your theory. It is also exclusively used for PPL training (not LAPL or similar).
