Most student pilots learn in a small single-engine airplane with fixed landing gear and simple systems, such as a Cessna 172 or 152, a Piper PA-28 Warrior or Archer, a Diamond DA20 or DA40, or a Cirrus SR20. Any of them can carry you through private pilot training. What matters more than the brand is learning your particular airplane from its own handbook.
Part of our Learn to Fly library. Not sure where to start? A discovery flight puts you at the controls of a trainer with an instructor beside you.
What makes a good training airplane
Good trainers share a few traits, and some of them are written into the regulations.
- Dual controls. Under 14 CFR 91.109(a), an airplane used for flight instruction must have fully functioning dual controls. Its narrow exceptions for throwover control wheels do not apply to a new student.
- Simple systems. A trainer such as the Cessna 172 has fixed landing gear and a fixed-pitch propeller. The FAA defines a complex airplane as one with retractable landing gear, flaps and a controllable-pitch propeller (14 CFR 61.1), and flying one as pilot in command later takes extra training and a one-time logbook endorsement under 14 CFR 61.31(e).
- Honest stall warning. You will practice stalls on purpose. The Cessna 172S handbook, for example, describes conventional stall characteristics and a warning horn that sounds 5 to 10 knots before the stall.
- A clear handbook. Every trainer’s limits, procedures and performance charts live in its Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH). Our POH guide explains how to read one.
Trainers you may fly
Seats, power and weights below come from each airplane’s FAA type certificate data sheet; the last column adds what the data sheet or the manufacturer highlights.
| Airplane | Seats | Engine power | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 152 | 2 | 110 hp (108 hp with the later O-235-N2C engine) | Certificated in the utility category; 1,670 lb maximum weight |
| Cessna 172 (N, P, R, S) | 4 | 160 to 180 hp | High wing; 2,300 to 2,550 lb maximum takeoff weight, depending on model |
| Piper PA-28-161 Warrior, PA-28-181 Archer | 4 | 160 hp (Warrior), 180 hp (Archer) | The PA-28 family dates to the Cherokee, approved in 1960; the Pilot 100i is a three-seat Archer trainer |
| Diamond DA20-C1 | 2 | 125 hp | Composite airframe and center-stick controls; 1,764 lb maximum takeoff weight |
| Diamond DA40 | 4 | Lycoming IO-360, or a jet-fuel diesel in the DA40 NG | Composite airframe |
| Cirrus SR20 | 4 (some later airplanes seat 5) | 200 or 215 hp | Whole-airplane parachute system (CAPS) as standard equipment |
The Cessna 172 is the airplane many students meet first. Textron Aviation, which builds it today, calls the Skyhawk the most popular single-engine airplane ever built and says more than 44,000 have been produced. Our Cessna 172 guide covers every model, with engines, weights, fuel and cruise speeds.
High wing or low wing?
The 172’s wing sits above the cabin; on a low-wing trainer it sits below, and each design hides a different part of the sky. The FAA’s collision-avoidance advisory circular, AC 90-48E, notes that high-wing airplanes have restricted visibility above and low-wing airplanes have limited visibility below, and that the worst case is a low-wing airplane flying above a high-wing one. It recommends banking from time to time to uncover those blind spots.
Ask your flight school which model and year you will fly, then study that exact handbook. A 172N and a 172S share a name, but their engines, fuel capacity, flap limits and airspeeds differ.
Learn your airplane, not just “a trainer”
Airspeeds and limitations change by model and sometimes by year, so memorize the numbers in the POH for your airplane’s serial number. Start with these Cessna 172 guides:
- Cessna 172 specs: engines, weights, fuel and cruise speed for every model.
- Cessna 172 V-speeds: airspeed limits by model, with a printable card.
- Cessna 172 POH: which manual matches your airplane and what is inside.
- Cessna 172 checklist: how to use one, phase by phase.
Two skills carry over to any trainer: weight and balance, where our calculator opens with a worked Cessna 172N example, and the systems knowledge on our how airplanes work pages.
What you'll need
Study materials for the airplane many students train in, plus the FAA handbooks behind every lesson.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common training airplane?
The Cessna 172 is the trainer many students meet first. Textron Aviation, its manufacturer, calls the Skyhawk the most popular single-engine airplane ever built, with more than 44,000 produced. Other trainers you may fly include the two-seat Cessna 152, the Piper PA-28 Warrior and Archer, the Diamond DA20 and DA40, and the Cirrus SR20.
Does the airplane I learn in matter for the checkride?
Under 14 CFR 61.45 you furnish the airplane for the practical test, and it must be properly certificated, carry the equipment each task requires, have no limitation that prohibits a required maneuver, and have controls both pilots can easily reach. What matters most is that you know that airplane’s limitations, systems and procedures from its POH, because the Airman Certification Standards include an Operation of Systems task.
Is a two-seat or four-seat trainer better?
Both work. A two-seat trainer such as the Cessna 152 or Diamond DA20 is lighter, while a four-seat trainer such as the Cessna 172 or Piper Archer has room for a passenger or observer. Four seats do not mean four adults with full fuel, though: Textron lists a full-fuel payload of 560 pounds for a new 172S, so run weight and balance before every flight.
Do I need a complex airplane for my private pilot certificate?
No. You can earn a private pilot certificate in a simple fixed-gear trainer. Under 14 CFR 61.31(e), flying a complex airplane, one with retractable gear, flaps and a controllable-pitch propeller, as pilot in command later requires additional training and a one-time logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor.