Tom old chap ,,very rare that I disagree with you mate,
Although I do still stand by my [self-acclaimed]words of wisdom .
tomshep wrote:The C42 isn't a good trainer because it is easy to fly.
I certainly wasn't implying that the Ikarus wasn't a good aeroplane . It's a bloody superb aircraft . You could pack your sandwiches/coffee chart/tablet and go off and fly the length/breadth of the country in great comfort . [and you couldn't do that in a Moth,,
,]
But if you learn to fly in a PA-28 for example , then progressing on to say, a Turbo Arrow or a Saratoga would be a fairly painless and logical progression .
Similarly ; If you got your PPL in a C.152 , then advancing on to a 172/182 , Centurion etc wouldn't come as too much of a culture shock either.
But if you trained in a C.42 , then going on to other types might just come as a bit of a surprise when you find that it doesn't leap into the air just seconds after applying full-power and keeping that ball centred requires a bit of hand/eye/foot co-ordination. Also on landing ,,if your aiming to get into a short strip , you'll need to plan using your resources very well because if you don't put it down right on the threshold , then you could end up becoming good friends with the hedge. None of this is particularly relevant in a C.42 .
Of course , if you learn in an Ikarus and then just continue your flying in one , then none of the above matters anyway .
I am trying to deploy my theory at the moment by teaching one of my grandsons to drive using his mum's L/R Defender. In the hope that he'll be completely unfazed when he jumps into anything else in future.
I'll probably be proved wrong there too....