Pilot Tools · Compare Aircraft
Compare aircraft and plan your transition.
Compare the aircraft below, then answer three questions to build a briefing for your instructor.
Planning and briefing support. It never authorizes operation, constitutes a checkout, or establishes insurance eligibility, and it never replaces the exact POH/AFM, operator requirements, or qualified instruction.
The aircraft you know → the aircraft you will fly
What changes for you?
Same training category does not mean the same systems, limits or cockpit habits.
Usable fuel
TO · Piper PA-28-181 · Archer II
48 U.S. gal usable; 50 total in the stock base system.
§1 fuel; §2 p. 2-7What changes for you: Base planning on usable quantity, actual loading and measured consumption—not the previous airplane's tank size.
Selector and fuel management
FROM · Cessna 172S · NAV I/II
LEFT / BOTH / RIGHT, plus a separate fuel shutoff. BOTH required for takeoff and landing. LEFT or RIGHT limited to level flight.
§2 p. 2-11; §7 fuel systemTO · Piper PA-28-181 · Archer II
LEFT / RIGHT / OFF; no BOTH. Select a tank containing fuel. Use the electric pump for the specified operations and tank changes.
§7 pp. 7-7–7-10; §4 cruiseWhat changes for you: Moving from BOTH in the C172S: this Archer has no BOTH. Select a tank with fuel and rehearse the tank-change and electric-pump procedure from the Archer checklist.
Flaps
FROM · Cessna 172S · NAV I/II
Electric; 0°, 10°, 20°, 30°. VFE: 110 KIAS through 10°; 85 KIAS beyond 10° through 30°.
§2 p. 2-4; §7 wing flapsTO · Piper PA-28-181 · Archer II
Manual lever; 0°, 10°, 25°, 40°. VFE 102 KIAS.
§2 p. 2-2; §7 flight controlsWhat changes for you: Moving from electric flaps to the Archer's manual lever: learn the 10°/25°/40° detents and the cited 102 KIAS extension limit. Check the target position rather than repeating the Cessna hand movement.
Engine / induction
FROM · Cessna 172S · NAV I/II
180 hp Lycoming IO-360-L2A; fuel injection; fixed-pitch propeller.
§1 engine; §2 p. 2-5TO · Piper PA-28-181 · Archer II
180 hp Lycoming O-360-A4M; carburetor with carb heat; fixed-pitch propeller.
§1 engine; §7 p. 7-1What changes for you: Moving to this carbureted Archer: identify carb heat and its required normal/emergency use. Do not transfer the fuel-injected C172S induction or restart flow.
Electrical system
What changes for you: Do not transfer a starting, external-power or failure procedure between different voltage systems.
Panel / instrument sources
FROM · Cessna 172S · NAV I/II
Base conventional-instrument installation. Installed avionics, autopilot and any replacement attitude instruments require the aircraft's equipment list and supplements.
§7 flight instruments; §9 supplementsTO · Piper PA-28-181 · Archer II
Base conventional panel and vacuum pump. The source aircraft's later G5/GFC500 and navigation supplements are not a promise about your installation.
§7 panel; appended AFMS excludedWhat changes for you: Model name does not identify today's panel. Trace the installed power and pressure sources and read every applicable supplement.
Selected limitations
FROM · Cessna 172S · NAV I/II
Normal-category takeoff: 2,550 lb. VNE 163 KIAS; VNO 129 KIAS. CG, loading and utility-category restrictions remain aircraft-specific.
§2 pp. 2-4, 2-7–2-10TO · Piper PA-28-181 · Archer II
Normal-category maximum weight: 2,550 lb. VNE 154 KIAS; VNO 125 KIAS. Use the applicable loading envelope and supplements.
§2 pp. 2-1, 2-5–2-6What changes for you: The same maximum takeoff weight does not mean the same CG envelope, loading or speed limits.
Selected speeds · KIAS
FROM · Cessna 172S · NAV I/II
Maximum glide: 68 KIAS in the cited manual. VA: 105 / 98 / 90 KIAS at 2,550 / 2,200 / 1,900 lb.
§3 p. 3-3; §2 p. 2-4TO · Piper PA-28-181 · Archer II
Power-off glide: 76 KIAS, air conditioning off. VA: 113 KIAS at 2,550 lb; 89 KIAS at 1,634 lb.
§3 p. 3-11; §2 p. 2-2What changes for you: Do not carry over the previous airplane's glide speed. These are the cited base-manual conditions, not universal target speeds.
Normal-procedure differences
FROM · Cessna 172S · NAV I/II
Verify BOTH and fuel shutoff ON; follow the auxiliary-pump procedure for the operation. Flap position is electrically selected.
§4 checklists; §7 fuel/flapsTO · Piper PA-28-181 · Archer II
Before takeoff/landing, select the appropriate fullest tank and turn the electric pump ON. Normal takeoff and short-field flap configurations differ; use the exact procedure.
§4 takeoff, cruise, approachWhat changes for you: Build a new flow from the exact checklist; verify it rather than substituting the old aircraft's memorized flow.
Power-loss differences
FROM · Cessna 172S · NAV I/II
In-flight restart includes checking shutoff ON, selector BOTH and auxiliary pump ON. No carb-heat step: this base engine is injected. This is a difference summary, not the restart checklist.
§3 p. 3-5TO · Piper PA-28-181 · Archer II
In-flight power loss includes selecting a tank with fuel, electric pump ON and carb heat ON. Compare fuel-pressure evidence and the primer. This summary is not the complete checklist.
§3 pp. 3-3–3-4What changes for you: Establish the appropriate airspeed and select the best reachable landing area. Troubleshoot only as altitude and workload permit, using the exact checklist.
These selected differences are study material, not complete checklists. The exact aircraft's current AFM/POH, supplements, placards and instructor checkout control. A base profile does not establish that a particular tail number matches it.
Configurations, documents and source identity
Cessna 172S · NAV I/II
Base fuel-injected, fixed-gear configuration in the July 2004 manual. Not a NAV III / G1000, diesel, modified-fuel or STC profile.
Cessna 172S POH / AFM · 172SPHUS05 · Revision 5, July 19, 2004Source snapshot checked 2026-09-05. Archived copy, not a promise of current revision for your aircraft.
SHA-256 54D2529B9931A9F80A450044C9F3B377F78637182328D8DBCE7A4E6A064D4845
Piper PA-28-181 · Archer II
Stock carbureted Archer II base handbook. The source copy includes aircraft-specific fuel/avionics STCs; those supplemental modifications are EXCLUDED from this base comparison. Not Archer III/TX/LX or diesel.
Piper Archer II POH / AFM · VB-1120 · issued July 2, 1979; base pages with incorporated revisions in cited copySource snapshot checked 2026-09-05. Archived copy, not a promise of current revision for your aircraft.
SHA-256 95132494021AAEB9A8730CCFDFD8AA7036CD0E21BE5B58EE99BE317F8F391B22
Plan an Aircraft Transition
Question 1 of 3
What kind of change is this?
Choose the closest description. Nothing here authorizes or endorses an operation.
Sources and methodology
- Who it is for
- A certificated pilot moving to an unfamiliar airplane, engine, gear configuration or avionics suite.
- What you finish with
- Produce a written briefing plan for your checkout: which AFM/POH sections to compare, what to ask your instructor, and what to debrief afterwards.
- Included
- Three-question planner that builds the plan in the browser
- A document-comparison list keyed to the change you are making
- Instructor questions and a post-flight debrief sequence you can print
- Try it first
- Answer the three questions and read a real generated plan before you commit to anything.
- Primary sources
- Version
- transition-planner-v1.0 · last reviewed 2026-08-31
- Who reviewed it
- The planning structure is written in-house against §61.31 and FAA guidance. It contains no aircraft performance numbers, because those belong only to your AFM/POH.
- Limits
- Never authorizes operation and is not a checkout, endorsement or insurance qualification.
- Contains no speeds, weights or limitations — read them from the AFM/POH for your serial number.
- Found an error?
- Tell us and we will correct it or say why we disagree: fly@pilotmethodaviation.com
Inside the planner
A briefing you can take to your instructor.
Compare documents, prepare your questions, and plan the debrief. This example is the output for a change of avionics environment.
