Have you ever wondered why your flight school has you do a checkout in each plane you fly, or why the insurance company insists you recently fly make and model? A Cessna is a Cessna, and a Piper is Piper, right?

Not so fast. There are 22 different models of the Cessna 172. Piper has made 18 different models of the PA-28. Forty different models of TWO airplanes! Add in the multitude of options for avionics and you have hundreds of variations of the two most popular training airplanes. How do you keep all this straight and ensure you are comfortable and knowledgeable in the airplane you are flying? Differences training.

A Case Study

You went straight through your private pilot certificate and instrument rating in the same Piper Archer II. Now you are ready to start renting and going places with your family. You have an amazing beach weekend planned. You log in to schedule your favorite plane, and it is already scheduled for training. But, aha! The Archer III is available all weekend. You make the reservation and cannot wait to make this trip.

Friday afternoon finally arrives, and after loading the family and luggage on board, you hop in and…. where is the key? The dispatcher could not have forgotten to give it to you. You run back into the office and ask for the key. The response: That airplane does not have keys; it is a push-button starter. You sheepishly walk back across the ramp, return to the pilot’s seat, and stare at the panel until you finally spot the starter switch.

You decide to sit for a while longer and familiarize yourself with the panel. You think to yourself, “Can I handle this?” You decide an Archer is an Archer and taxi to the runway. It is a nice VFR day, and it is forecast to stay that way throughout the weekend. Albeit behind schedule, you are airborne and on your way with the sun setting quickly behind you.

About 30 minutes later, something is amiss. The GPS and radio have gone black. The panel lights are off. Uh-oh. Electrical failure. At night. What do you do now? After convincing your family all will be okay, you manage to have your kid dig your flashlight out of your flight bag and pass it to the front. Your iPad or tablet with an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) saves you this time. You divert to the closest airport for a safe landing.

Of course, the FBO is closed, and the maintenance shop is closed for the day. Your great weekend getaway turned into an Uber ride to a crummy motel in the middle of nowhere. What happened? The following morning you get your flight instructor on the phone. Their first question is “Did you turn the alternator on?” The Archer III has a separate switch for the alternator, unlike the Archer II, which has a combined battery/alternator switch.

Differences training could have saved your weekend, not to mention embarrassment at the flight school. (Do not worry: You are not the first and you will not be the last.) Differences training can be anything from learning where the switches are to learning how a completely new make and model of aircraft.

More Reasons for Differences Training

The FAA requires a pilot to hold a specific type rating for each turbo-jet-powered airplane they fly. The same “rule” does not apply to our common single-engine airplanes, although you may need complex, high-performance, or tailwheel endorsements. If we take the same approach to small single-engine planes that jet pilots take when it comes to training, we will no doubt eliminate situations like the failed weekend getaway.

The amount of time you need to spend on a differences course will depend on the jump you are trying to make. For example, jumping from a Cessna 172N to a Cessna 172S is a short process. You will learn a few different systems, such as fuel injection, but the airplane is pretty much the same. Going from a Piper Warrior to a Cessna Turbo 182 requires a much more involved transition course.

You may think taking the time and effort to learn different aircraft is “wasteful,” but you never know when and under what circumstance it could be helpful. Obviously, if you plan to fly different makes and models, differences training is necessary.

If you get into the routine of only flying the same airplane for every flight, you may find yourself turning down some opportunities. Maybe your favorite safety pilot has decided to move into a faster plane. Maybe the plane in which you train is in the paint shop for a new look, and you do not want to wait for it to come back before you fly again.

If you want to be more efficient with your aviation training dollars, why not turn your differences checkout into a flight review at the same time? You will be doing most of the same maneuvers and procedures anyway. Training for a new certificate or rating is also a good opportunity for differences training. If you trained for your private pilot certificate in an Archer, for instance, consider switching to a 172 for your instrument rating.

Differences training has its cost benefits and relieves some inconveniences of scheduling aircraft. More importantly, it can make you a more skilled, well-rounded pilot overall.

As a child, Chris Whittle knew he would fly someday. After he completed his first solo at age 16, Chris' flying career has quite literally taken off. In his nearly 20 years of training countless students, he is among the most respected flight instructors in North Carolina. The Alamance County native and East Carolina University graduate has amassed more than 12,000 hours of flight time and has been identified by the FAA as a Designated Pilot Examiner. He has administered more than 1,500 checkrides since becoming a DPE. Learn more about Chris and the rest of the Elon Aviation staff at www.elonaviation.com.