Post 172 Is Actually About 162

This is the Cessna 162 Skycatcher. Yes, I want one. A blue one or red one...maybe not purple.


I'm not one to do commercial posts, and this isn't solicited by Cessna. This is just about pure love for Cessna's new LSA - The Skycatcher.


The Skycatcher is simple and state of the art. It as a 100 horsepower Continental O-200 engine, that burns just over 4 gallons per hour at 77% power/112 KIAS at 6,000 feet. Max speed is 118KIAS at sea level. It has electric trim and MANUAL slottted flaps. YES! Manual flaps on a new Cessna.

Takeoff roll at sea level 770'/1250' over 50' obstacle. Landing distance is 420'/1040' over 50' obstacle.

It holds 24 gallons useable, climbs at 850 FPM at sea level and has a service ceiling of 15,500 feet.

The flight controls consist of a sticks with trim & radio controls and rudder/brake pedals on both sides. The nosewheel is free castering, so steering is done via differential braking. 172/182 pilots are already used to that technique anyway.

A single Garmin G300 display will provide primary flight and engine information in a split screen format. A Garmin SL40 Com radio, Garmin GTX327 Mode C transponder,
and a 121.5 Mhz ELT will be standard equipment. This photo shows an MFD as well. I imagine it will be optional for GPS nav/wx/terrain and other goodies. Gotta love the cup holder on the passenger side, too.

Strange angle for a photo, huh? That's possible because the doors open vertically. It looks a little more comfortable than a 152, don't ya think?

Cessna is accepting orders already for delivery in early 2009. I think this plane is going to bring some affordability back to flight training. Kudos to Cessna. This is a lot of airplane for a pretty low price, especially considering that it comes from Cessna.