Opinions on the Piper PA-38 Tomahawk

[flightgeek]

Hey everyone,
I have logged 100+ hours in Traumahawks and I love them. Their unpredictability makes them fun and exciting to fly.
I suppose people are partial to the type of plane they were trained in, be it Cessna or Piper. I flew a 152 last week for the first time and I can say without a doubt that I would rather fly the Tomahawk any day. I like somewhat of a challenge. There is nothing to stalling a 152, the nose just calmly drops strait ahead. I didn't like that. I like how the tomahawk's wing drops during the stall. You have to use the rudders! (something not required in the 152)
My next venture is spinning the Tomahawk. I know several instructors that have spun them and they are still alive.
Another plus to the PA38 is the low wing. I didn't like the high wing of the 152 at all. Not to mention, I need like two good sized telephone books to sit on if I want to see over the panel. Taxiing was a real pain in the @ss. Oh yeah! Tomahawks are soooo much roomier than 152's. You could never get two good sized people in a 152. I also like not having to add carb heat every 10 minutes in the PA38.
Tomahawks are a good choice!

 

[puddlejumper]

Tomahawk

I've got about 150 hours in the mighty Tomahawk. Half of those hours are giving instruction, the rest for personal flying. The Tomahawk is certainly a lot roomier and comfortable than the 150/152. My 152 time is limited, but the Tomahawk was a good 10 or 15 kts faster than the 150. If given the choice, I'd rent or own the Tomahawk over a 2 seat Cessna anyday.

I've spun plenty of Cessnas and the Tomahawk. Everything stated so far is accurate. One must use proactive recovery techniques in the Piper. The stalls are fairly predictable. Rudder use is a must, and that becomes an issue with many lowtime students. Once proficient, slowflight and stalls are no big deal. There is some sort of SB on installing an extra stall strip on each wing. The one I flew, only had the single strip. The POH had different stall speeds for each configuration.

As far as trainers for spinning, I'd rather spin the Tomahawk (as a test pilot, as DMS says) anyday over the Diamond KATANA (DV20). These things will spin up pretty freakin tight! The Tomahawk loses some altitude but the KATANA will make your field of vision gray-out! It really will surprise you the first time you try this in a KATANA.

Anyway, I'm actually considering buying into the Tomahawk I used to fly. It's a very economical, efficient 2 seater and I'd enjoy instructing in it again.

-PJ