I recently read a refreshing article regarding Piper getting more involved in the training and flight school market. I know that’s hard to believe they could get more involved as most of us have all flown a Piper aircraft of some sort in our current or past training career. However if you look at how dominant Cessna has been with their 172 series and 152’s of the past, it makes sense for Piper to want to step up. I love flying so whether I’m in a 172, Archer, Warrior etc, it really doesn’t matter to me. For training purposes, as a CFI, I will say the 172’s are very forgiving, but there is something to say about a training in a low wing Piper. I found with past students it simply came down to what was available, cheap and preference, in that order.

Piper does seem to have a few training markets cornered such as with their twin Seminole and it would be interesting to know if we will see  “Piper Training Centers” competing with Cessna Training Centers. Anything to keep future pilots interested, engaged and excited will only benefit the aviation community. Here’s the link to the full article put out by AOPA: http://bit.ly/Yh92Ju