Glass cockpit vs steam gauges for low time PPL (and getting into a fast aircraft early on)

172driver wrote:

Having lived and flown in hot climates now for many years, I’d say air conditioning is irrelevant, unless you are based at an airport where you regularly have to hold forever for instrument release.

The P210 also has only a window that barely cracks open (and not in “scoop” direction compared to the prop airflow!) pilot side. It gets very hot. The devilish scenario is when you are waiting for startup, because you won’t use airco then.

I think it depends a lot on the aircraft type. In Cessnas you can open window and doors, even in the P210 you have the big ‘flap’ window/door on the copilot side to open. Very different in a PA28, any Diamond or a TB20 or, from what I hear, a Cirrus.

lionel wrote:

The P210 also has only a window that barely cracks open (and not in “scoop” direction compared to the prop airflow!) pilot side. It gets very hot.

Interesting. Does yours not have the big ‘flap’ window on the right side? I fly a normal 210, but a friend has a P210 and we usually leave this open during taxi. Agree with the pilot side window and not sure if you can get to the ‘flap’ if you are alone in the airplane. In any case, you wouldn’t close everything while waiting for startup, no?

172driver wrote:

nteresting. Does yours not have the big ‘flap’ window on the right side?

Yes, it has the emergency exit :)

On the PA28 the passenger in the RHS can maintain the door cracked open. On the DA40 the canopy can be locked in two positions, the first one being cracked open and provides very efficient cooling. On the Cirrus the front doors can remain open on the ground but you need to push it slightly open with your elbow.

On the Columbia 400 (gullwing doors) you need to shut the doors prior to engine start. The eyeball vents do however provide cabin air with the engine running on the ground. Most Columbias also have A/C.

Audi/BMW/Mercedes are actually safer (or at least the same) on autobahn even when driven by a novice driver.

Not according to insurance companies. Try to be 18 with a fresh licence and insure a hot rod BMW or Audi. But, it’s mostly age the insurance companies look at with cars. A Landcruise is not exactly unsafe compared with a sedan

For your “mission profile”: safe, uncomplicated and fast flying from A to B where A and B mostly are larger fields. That’s what the SR22 was designed to do. The 182 is also good for smaller, rougher fields, but you have no desire to get mud on your tires so to speak.

But, the 2 hours over water for every single flight. Smells Da 42, if for no other reason than ease of mind.

I don’t know. What if you detail your “mission profile” in a spread sheet, and weigh each point for different planes, then sum them up for a total score?

After this last post I suggest to buy a DA42 with airconditioning and WX radar. Get a used one and refit the aircon.
- Easy and forgiving to fly (fun to fly!)
- Peace of mind over water
- Jetfuel
- Longrange

Valentin wrote:

On the contrary, SR22 is less safe for a novice pilot without any aggressive flying, just due to its less forgiving behaviour.

I don’t agree, but from your posts I think for some reason you are already locked onto the C182 so it is probably useless to argue even out of experience.

Personally I think your posts reflect the fact that so far you have flown exactly one airplane which is the Cherokee 140. Where do you take the confidence to say things about other types without hands-on experience? That doesn’t only go for the SR22 but for other planes as well for which you found reasons to dismiss. There is nothing wrong if you are decided on the C182 track and do not want to look at others but you are keeping yourself from gaining some experience with different types before taking decisions like buying a plane. Personally, whatever I buy I want to know as much as I can about it and I listen to people who own what I am considering before jumping to conclusions on what to buy.

You say you want to do your IR. Well, you will NOT be welcome with a 182 with an approach speed of 100 kts or so on the ILS of any larger airport. In order to fit into those airports which have airliners coming in at 160 kts all day long, you need an airplane which can do approaches at similar speeds. You say wou want to upgrade to a Turboprop eventually, but you shy away from retracable landing gear or higher approach speeds before you even finish your PPL? I don’t know who instilled this fear into you but believe me, it is totally groundless. If you are a normally gifted student and willing to learn you can fly any of those planes.

The step from a Cherokee 140 to a SR22 is not significantly larger than to a 182 but the step from a SR22 to a TBM is considerably less than from a 182 because it will teach you things you will need to move to the turboprops such as speed control, which in any fixed gear Cessna is something most pilots never even learn what it is. And you also said many times you want a modern airplane: The 182 is a 1950’ties design and has retained much of those limitations to today. No matter if it is G1000 equipped or not, the airframe is old.

Of course Snoopy also has a good point: A DA42 can today be gotten at fairly low prices too and yes, it would be ideal for flying around the Mediterranian and particularly Greece, where Jet A1 is available almost everywhere. It is modern, it is comfortable inside and it does what you need it to do. And you can easily get your 70 hours you need by renting that 140 you are flying now… at it’s speed all you need is a few trips to Sitia or around other islands and back by which time you will most probably reckognize the value of speed….

All I can say is don’t lock yourself onto a specific type before you try some others, particularly if the goal is to upgrade within a few hundred hours. Even with a DA42 you might find it is actually a good plane enough to maybe upgrade to a 62 rather than a turborop….

Valentin wrote:

No plans for flights from Cyprus to skiing destinations in winter in my first plane! I believe it’s quite challenging and not reliable and I would need a much more capable aircraft for that.

Flying in Winter in southern Europe is different but can be actually easier than in summer, no high temps, often enough long periods of stable weather and without convective situations. Of course there are other challenges but Winter in most places is actually lovely. In the stable high pressure areas in Winter, the Alps can be glorious to fly to, all you need is a good alternate with no fog outside them. But all this comes with experience and advice from FI’s who actually have flown outside that island of yours.

My serious advice to you is to get on and finish your PPL before you do anything else. Once you have your license, go out there and fly that Cherokee 140 you are renting for a couple of hours around Cyprus on your own, then or at the same time take a plane to central Europe or whereever you can find the planes we have been discussing about and try as many of them as you can. C182, C210, SR22, DA40/42 and whatever you can get your hands on. THEN go plane shopping.