Best fast plane for student pilot?

Don't rule out the "cricket"
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I went Diamond DA20, then Diamond DA40, and now Cirrus SR22T. I'm looking to move up to a turbine now. It has been a very smooth transition and fun. Don't overlook the Diamonds. They have an incredible safety record, are a blast to fly, and have a center stick to boot!

 

I second (third and fourth) the votes for the Diamond DA20 or 40 (depending on your needs) as a great plane for a new pilot. I own a DA40 now and have been considering moving up. But as many have touched upon it really depends on your needs. If most of your travels are within a 300 mile range then getting from point a to b 20 to 25 minutes quicker might not be that much of an issue. Plus the DA40 will burn less than half the fuel of a Cirrus or Cessna 400. It's also a very forgiving plane, confidence inspiring, capable and safe. All very positive attributes. One more thing - if your budget is around $300k you could pick up a Ferrari AND a DA40 instead of one SR22 or 400!

 

Heck yeah! When I first started doing spin training, we used power to aggravate the spin a bit, and it really made normal spins and stalls seem like complete non-events. Very empowering once you know exactly what to do and you realize that, in terms of maneuvering mishaps, that is the worst thing that can happen. Excellent confidence booster.

Anyway, on topic. As has been suggested, definitely find a nice, forgiving plane to build some hours in. You need to spend time building skills and, perhaps more importantly, defining your personal minimums before you introduce the worry of staying ahead of a truly high perf airplane with systems, complexities, etc. Also, be VERY realistic as far as what you can afford and know what to expect maintenance wise. As with Ferraris, the price of admission is often the very easy part. I know all too well about how a little plane can bring you big pain. Honestly, I wouldn't trade the hours and life changing experiences I had in my tin can, but no matter how much money you have, you will get sick of $5K bills kicking you in the @$! on top of fuel and other expenses every few months! Be VERY selective and realize that airplane PPIs don't always reveal the full story.

 

Doing spins in he T-37 was some of my most fun flying. Scared the crap out of me the first couple of times, but after you knew you could recover it and recover it well it was great.

 

...But hopefully always sobering that if you didn't do it right, the T-37 could keep on spinning, even with full anti-spin input (full-forward elevator and full opposite rudder), right?

Blue Skies!

Hannibal