Choosing an instrument trainer

[chrisharper80]

Okay gang...I wanted to get some opinions on this.

I will soon be starting my instrument training. I have ~120 hrs total flight time, the majority of which is in various models of C172. I just moved to a big city, where there are many different types of aircraft available for rent. My previous residence had one FBO within driving distance that had one type of aircraft (C172). I'm like a kid in a candy store with so many airplanes to choose from. So I'm trying to choose which airplane to use to get my IFR ticket, and I want to try to do the training from start to finish in the same aircraft (if possible). So here are my choices (prices shown are wet):

1) C172M ($90/hr) Definitely a good bargain bird
2) Cherokee 180 ($100/hr)
3) Arrow II ($115/hr) Seems very reasonable for a complex
4) C172SP w/ G1000 ($130/hr) - This is more than I really want to pay, but I have included it for the sake of the exercise

All are comparably IFR equipped, but the Arrow has a stormscope and a Garmin 430. Obviously the G1000 has great capabilities, but I would just as soon fly the Arrow if I'm going to spend that much.

I think the debate right now in my mind is between the 172 (for price) and the Arrow (for experience). A couple of questions for everyone to chime in on:

A) Is there value in doing the instrument ticket in a complex machine? I currently have no complex time. What advantages would I gain by building time in a complex?
B) Would there be a substantial difference in the quality of the training in one or the other?
C) Would these factors be enough to justify the difference in cost?

Added expense is not necessarily a deal breaker, but the less I spend per hour, the more hours my wife lets me fly.

Obviously there will be conflicting opinions here. I was just curious to see what others think.

Discuss....

Chris

[champguy]

I think it depends where you are going, what you will be flying after you get the ticket. If you are looking for a job flying, what will you be flying. If you are flying for yourself, can you afford to bore holes in the sky in a complex machine.

[chrisharper80]

I don't really have any career ambitions...just the usual "I wish I could make a living doing this" feelings that I think all pilots experience. Truthfully, I wouldn't mind being a flight instructor later on in life when I retire from my first career, strictly for the joy of flying and teaching. It is truly a shame that it is so difficult to make a decent living as a CFI, because I think I would really enjoy it. But back to the subject at hand....

As for the cost of the Arrow, it's definitely not out of my price range. I have paid more to rent 172s in the past. Still, that doesn't mean I'm into being wasteful. My goal is to get the rating the most efficient way possible. If I thought a 150/152 could do the job, I would certainly consider it. I just wanted to consider if stepping up to a fancier machine might have other benefits. After I finish my IR, I will probably continue to rent the same class of aircraft. Ultimately, I might go for the commercial rating, but I'm not really in any hurry. I tend to enjoy flight training for its own sake more than anything else.

I am convinced that the real solution is to buy a nice Cherokee 140 or something similar and fly the paint off of it, but it will take me a while to get my wife to come around to that idea.

Chris

[DJTorrente]

A) Is there value in doing the instrument ticket in a complex machine? I currently have no complex time. What advantages would I gain by building time in a complex?
B) Would there be a substantial difference in the quality of the training in one or the other?
C) Would these factors be enough to justify the difference in cost?

Do you plan to own?

A) With zero complex time, an insurance company is going to want you to do CFI time, then solo time, before they will cover you with passengers. By training for your IR in a complex, you get the ins. requirement out of the way while progressing towards your rating rather than flying in circles; you build complex time quickly and lessen the insurance penalty or suffer it only for one year;
B) Depends much more on the quality of your CFI than whether the wheels fold up;
C) IF you plan to fly a retract, then you are better off training in one.

[chrisharper80]

Do you plan to own?

A) With zero complex time, an insurance company is going to want you to do CFI time, then solo time, before they will cover you with passengers. By training for your IR in a complex, you get the ins. requirement out of the way while progressing towards your rating rather than flying in circles; you build complex time quickly and lessen the insurance penalty or suffer it only for one year;
B) Depends much more on the quality of your CFI than whether the wheels fold up;
C) IF you plan to fly a retract, then you are better off training in one.

Very good call. Especially this: "Depends much more on the quality of your CFI than whether the wheels fold up". That is a very good way to look at it I think.

I do hope to own within the next couple of years, but I will probably opt for down and welded. I don't think I want to start paying maintenance on a retract, especially on my first airplane. Sounds like the 172 will do the job just fine for the IR ticket. Maybe the best route is to do the IR in the cheaper airplane, and get some time later on in the complex (perhaps when I decide to go after a commercial rating in the future).

Thanks to both of you for the advice.