We're in the circuit (pattern!) at Leesburg. After a few touch-and-goes we stopped and Bill and I swapped seats. Now it was my turn in the 172. I was expecting a big change from the PA28s that I've done hundreds of hours in, and I wasn't wrong. Initial impressions: high seating position, the novelty of having a door on the left (and being very conscious of whether it was shut or not!), great acceleration, short take-off roll and strong climb-out even though we were heavy. Sensitive in pitch although that might have been me overcontrolling at first; very stable, nose-heavy in steep turns, huge pitch change when dropping the big Fowler flaps, high nose attitude in the flare. Note to self: set the trim slightly forward of the take-off position for more elevator feel on the take-off roll.