EAA Sport Aviation - January 2010

We knew we could do this in three days of flying, no sweat…weather permitting. Kirby, Cessna Aircraft’s chief pilot for piston airplanes, was confident. He broke the trip down to manageable legs, and three days of hopscotch flying looked su;cient. To cross eight states, he planned nine or 10 legs totaling about 19 hours spread over three days, with a fourth flying day available as a hedge against Mother Nature.

Ultimately the flying time amounted to only 17. 1 hours, but the flying days expanded into a fourth, courtesy of a wicked fall storm that pillaged the southeast states. Yet we still arrived at Tampa Executive (VDF) exactly 72 hours after leaving San Diego’s Montgomery Field (MYF); from 9: 10 a.m. PDT ;ursday to 11: 10 a.m. Sunday EST.

;e trip gave me time to become familiar with the SkyCatcher—how it flies, how it performs, what’s enjoyable about the little bird. ;e aircraft drew repeated questions about its “type;” it seemed to vex controllers and briefers at every contact. “Not in our database,” we heard repeatedly.

Well, C162 will be there soon! With more than 1,000 ordered and the first airplanes to be delivered early this year, controllers should hear from plenty of SkyCatcher pilots soon.

As you’d expect, the 162 also drew interest on most of the ramps we visited, which often were thick with business-turbine machines. In that atmosphere the little airplane represented a di;erent sort of aviation: flying solely for the desire to fly. And the SkyCatcher demonstrated a;rmatively that a small sport plane with the modest primary mission of flight training and fun flying o;ers capabilities beyond its original intent.

Flying the SkyCatcher proved easy and predictable enough to avoid feeling like work during three days that averaged about five hours each. Excellent visibility made sightseeing an integral element of the en route fun.

Its sophisticated glass panel provided information and hazard protection to help us avoid some of the dangers possible when taking any light aircraft across four time zones, particularly when Mother Nature played her hand.

;e 162 lifted payload enough to let a
couple of less-than-svelte pilots still pack
for comfort, if not fashion, and fly legs long
enough to daily cover the ground needed.
And it accomplished all this without
becoming monotonous, burdensome, or
boring. It was fun!

CESSNA RETURNS TO THE TWO;PLACE REALM

Fifteen years ago at a National Business Aviation Association convention, then Cessna Chairman Russ Meyer explained to me how flight schools preferred four-place aircraft for training. ;e ability to throw an “observer student” in the back and charge them a reduced rate to watch another student and instructor interact helped cover the costs of offering flight training in late-model airplanes.

But a decade-and-a-half changes perspectives in many areas. Today, the 5-year-old LSA/sport pilot movement has returned the two-seat trainer to prominence, with more than 100 choices, all of them less costly then the four-seat alternatives.

Into this environment Cessna launched its development program not long after the LSA movement won its blessings from the FAA. After debuting a proof-of-concept prototype at EAA AirVenture 2006, the SkyCatcher concept evolved as Cessna sought to find the right fit for the market. ;e resulting plane reflected much of the tradition of Cessna’s past with some considerable nods to today and the future.

For example, the 162 sports Teledyne Continental’s redesigned, lightened O-200D engine, still making 100 hp. It’s a new version of an engine Cessna used in thousands of C-150s. (Read more about the O-200D in this month’s Firewall Forward column, page 94.)

The SkyCatcher also employs metal construction—technology Cessna knows well—and many components were chosen for weight and simplicity: a castering nose wheel; manual Johnson-bar flaps; fixed, non-adjust-able seats; sturdy landing gear; sight-tube fuel indicators, and an all-on/all-o; fuel system.

Beyond these considerations, however, the
SkyCatcher provides a level of sophistication
to match its role as Cessna’s new entry for a
market known for its step-up habits.
Aircraft Make & Model:

Cessna SkyCatcher Model 162

Certification: Light-sport aircraft

Length: 22. 8 ft.

Wingspan: 30 ft.

Height: 8. 3 ft.

Maximum Gross Weight: 1,320 lbs.

Empty Weight: 830 lbs.

Fuel Capacity: 23 gal.

Seats: 2

Powerplant Make & Model:
Continental O-200D
Horsepower: 100 hp
Propeller Make & Type: McCauley
Cruise Speed/Fuel Consumption:
Approx. 20. 9 nautical mpg
Power Loading: 13. 2 lbs/hp.
Wing Loading: 11 lbs/sq. ft.
Equipped for: Day VFR
VNE: 124 knots
Stall w/flaps: 39 knots
Stall without flaps: 44 knots
Price: $111,500