Is the Cessna 172 BETTER than the Piper Cherokee? (The Shocking Truth)

The Cessna 172 Skyhawk VS the Piper Cherokee 140 (PA-28-140). Who makes the best training airplane? Find out in THIS video from Free Pilot Training! Both of these aircraft are legends in the training community. You’ll enjoy this fun video that compares the performance of the Cessna 172 and the Piper Cherokee. It also compares many of the design features of both airplanes! Enjoy!

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[jerryplante]

One of the flight schools I worked for had both. When a prospective student asked me which one they should use, I said "It depends on what you want to see. If you want to see the ground, fly a high wing. I you want to see the sky, stand on the ground, look up and save yourself a ton of money."

[johnpatrick]

In 44 years of piloting, I think I flew 1 hour in a C172 as a passenger in 1980 while in college. On the other hand, I learned in the Piper Cherokee, Arrow, and Aztec. After corp and airline flying for a decade I gave up the wings to run my businesses. The first plane I bought was a Piper Arrow, then came two Navajos, then a Cheyenne ll. Trainers were sold to get people hooked on the manufacturer in addition to training and it worked in my case.

[matthewpaxton]

I think a spicy part 2 would be to compare the newer Piper Archer vs a similar year 172S. Piper fixed a lot of the odd features and has a really nice competitor now that a lot of the big schools are now choosing over the 172.

[jedisdad]

I ended up owning a Cherokee180. For me the over head wing was an issue in patter flying. The wing blocks your view when making pattern turns. For me I prefer my ground reference AND the ability to scan for traffic in the pattern

[lefthandedfenceguy]

I prefer a Warrior II over the 172. The throttle and mixture make more sense to me. I guess I'm more comfortable sitting on the wings instead of hanging from em, too. But, a door on each side would be handy. Probably gonna solo in a couple days!😁

[sgdk]

Well, After flying and owning both high wing Cessna's, low wing Bonanzas along with a ton of rental time in low wing Cherokee's plus logged time in DC-3 and C-47's along with a Citation and MU-2, my all time favorite is the ONE I am flying at that particular time. They all have their pluses and minuses, but loved flying all of them!

[misfittoytower]

At my last ripoff 141 school, I was flying C172 Ss, now at my wonderful part 61 school, I am mostly flying Piper PA-28-161 Warrior IIIs. I fell in love with them immediately, and I really prefer how they fly. I was really worried about their stability, but I seem to have a much easier time maintaining my heading and altitude in the Pipers. Also, I really prefer the mechanical flaps over the stupid electric flaps in the 172. Just my 2 cents.

[bernardtheflyingduck]

I'm a student learning in a Warrior and while it might seem like something minor after having just a couple flights in a 172 I have to say I really prefer the throttle and mixture controls in the Warrior. Might just be because thats what I've learned on but it feels more intuitive for me. Also the carb heat gets way less action in the Warrior compared to the 172.

[machkhatib]

Great summary of some of the main differences. Other things to consider:

- Carburetor heat
- Ventilation and windows
- One door vs. two doors
- Fuel pump vs. gravity fed
- Low wing vs. high wing visibility
- Cowling doors / accessibility
- Rear seat legroom
- Cargo door and cargo area
- Landing gear strut differences
- Nose wheel steering differences
- Cessna flaps are Fowler flaps
- Ability to see fuel caps from Piper cockpit
- High wing advantages for seaplane and bush flying
- Cherokee 180 is the same price as 150-160 hp Cessna 172’s but provides major performance advantages, especially with climb rate and useful load

[wb]

Low wings are typically more docile in upsets and stalls, especially due to the larger dihedral angles. Having flown many Cessna and piper variants I definitely prefer low wings 👍.

[stevearcher]

I DO NOT BELIEVE MY EYES!!!
I almost choked when I saw the red and white C150 shown because I once owned the plane!! Dang!!!
I really miss that little darling and hated to sell her.

[narratordru]

I love the ground effect of the Cherokee - made for some very nice landings. All the Cherokees that I flew (140, 160, 180) all had a trim-wheel on the floor next to the flaps. I do like the Cessna's 2 doors and the ability to open the window in flight, especially during summer.

[elliottd]

I’ve only flown 172s and 152s but there’s something about the small 152 that you can just throw around with such ease that makes it tons of fun, the 172s with the heavy o-360 is definitely more stable in the air but nowhere near as fun to fly.

[snowman]

And officially he started the airplane civil war single handedly! 😂😂

[grayrabbit]

Depends where you fly. I'm in Florida. High-wing is absolutely UNsexy, but extremely practical in Florida. The high-wing gives you shade from sun & rain. Two doors is nice. Being able to open those large windows in Florida is absolutely brilliant, both on the ground and in the air. I also like the more upright stance of the cabin in the 172 for longer trips. The cabin is narrow, but the height makes it feel more roomy. Roomy back seat as well.

I've never flown the PA28, but trained in a DA40, 172S, and Citabria. Flown a PA32-RT (Lance II) and PA46 (Malibu). After experiencing the Diamond's absolutely crisp controls, the Cessna feels completely sloppy. In training I struggled with the 172 compared to the DA40...so being a masochist, I kept flying the 172 until I learned how to wrestle the sloppy beast and make it do what I wanted. The PA32-RT is a flying brick with a sink rate of a cinder block. The PA46 is heavy but fantastic. That extra weight helps smooth out the ride compared to a 172.

Physics-wise, I certainly see how people would think a high-wing is worse for cross-winds, but I disagree from experience. I've flown both the 172 and Citabria in some pretty wicked, gusty crosswinds and didn't find the high wing to be an impairment. If anything, I was quite happy to have more distance from the wingtip to the wing-eating-asphalt below. Even playing between the spiral bands of a hurricane, the high-winged 172 was very manageable.

As an aside, I highly recommend flying in the gap between the spiral bands of a tropical system. Yes, you need to have your wits about you, do plenty of planning, understand tropical systems, along with ADS-B radar or SiriusXM radar data on-board, but it was still the most challenging yet most rewarding flying I've ever done. Far more than my first solo. Maintaining VFR cloud clearances and keeping ahead of advancing storm lines was tough, but fun. Definitely something to do with an experienced CFI or experienced ATP on-board.

[goneflying]

I have flown both, and I prefer the Cherokee series. I just love the low wing handling and landing characteristics. Crosswind landings are so much easier in the Cherokees.

[tu_alum]

Nice video - flew PA-28s and C-172s for years, and enjoyed both. The Pipers have great visibility in a turn, but if you have to get in or out of an aircraft in the rain, the Cessna wing makes a great umbrella.

[hvacmike]

When I was a newbie pilot I did a go around with 40 degrees of flaps deployed with 3 seats occupied. It was climbing at a pitiful climb rate took me longer than it should to figure it out. This was the only Cessna 172 that went beyond the 30 degrees in the rental fleet. Learned a lesson I will never forget.

[ericbitzer]

My dad used to rent Piper Cherokees from Delaware Aviation at KPNE. They were my favorite times of my life going up in Cherokee 140s. The only airplane I ever had the controls of when I was a young boy. He quit flying in the early 80's unfortunately because he said it just got too expensive and I guess the novelty wore off.

[RusscanFLY]

For me personally, I prefer flying a low wing and more windy conditions. But I will admit, I did all my flight training in a 172, and I appreciated the fact that me and my Cfi had our own doors. I will say that pattern work is much easier in a low wing, especially on that based a final term. Regarding flight training, you can’t go wrong with either airplane.