Cessna 162 Skycatcher questions

[HeyEng]

I second (or third) the "Champ". Why would someone spend SO much money on some POS made in China that is so limited in what it can do? I don't understand the LSA market...so many good airplanes that won't rape the wallet that are LSA approved.

Guess I am getting old with my "steam" and all...

 

[Roger, Roger]

I'm just curious because it seems like every flight school is switching to only glass... Don't any of them see the value in being proficient with a 6-pack?!

STS-Shiny Trainer Syndrome.

Also, our 30 year old Duchesses were becoming prohibitively expensive and time-consuming to maintain. When purchasing a new multi trainer, the choices were DA-42 or PA-44. We heard bad things about Piper's support, and the fuel efficiency of the (available in glass cockpit only) DA-42 was just too alluring.

Of course, with Thielert's bankruptcy and subsequent warranty cancellations, plus the myriad obscure little issues with the engines, we didn't really come out ahead on using these aircraft over the rusty-but-trusty Duchii.*



*this is of course just a CFI talking. I know nothing of the payment costs, parts costs, fuel expenditures, etc, etc that would really determine if we came out ahead on the use of the aircraft. I know what I saw as far as aircraft availability and reliability, what students were paying, and how many times the @#$%^&* Thielerts threatened to up and quit on people.

 

[Polar742]

All the more reason to get an old 150/152 or Champ and put some money into it.

As all these gadget types are upgrading to glass, I'll bet the market is being flooded with cheap, legal steam gauges.

You could prolly get 2 or 3 150/2 and get paint, interior, motor and reasonable panel upgrade with and inventory of instrument spares for the same price.

An airplane in the shop or ramp isn't making money.

 

[OhioStatePilot]

The DA-42 is seductive. Quiet, comfortable, shiny and colorful too! Although doesn't it feel like riding in seat 33A, albeit with a better view, when the airplane takes care of the hard work for you? :sitaware:

So how's it feel to train the next generation of IT technicians, Roger?

 

[Roger, Roger]

The DA-42 is seductive. Quiet, comfortable, shiny and colorful too! Although doesn't it feel like riding in seat 33A, albeit with a better view, when the airplane takes care of the hard work for you? :sitaware:

So how's it feel to train the next generation of IT technicians, Roger?

Sometimes I wonder how I live with myself.

Also, "the airplane takes care of things for you" applies only to the engines. And even them, only when everything is working properly. The KrAP 140 autopilot is only really good for a) long cross countries or b) flying the vectors while you monitor/set up for the approach.

How much time do you have flying/riding in a DA-42? I could start a whole thread of rants about that daggum airplane. I have about 150 hours in it and though there are some fun things about it, I dislike it overall.

Please stop me before I spend all afternoon cursing Austrian aircraft engineers.

 

[OhioStatePilot]

Sometimes I wonder how I live with myself.

How much time do you have flying/riding in a DA-42? I could start a whole thread of rants about that daggum airplane. I have about 150 hours in it and though there are some fun things about it, I dislike it overall.

Not very much at all... but then again, it didn't take me long to figure out it's value. And that was before the Thielert screw up.

 

[killbilly]

All the more reason to get an old 150/152 or Champ and put some money into it.

As all these gadget types are upgrading to glass, I'll bet the market is being flooded with cheap, legal steam gauges.

You could prolly get 2 or 3 150/2 and get paint, interior, motor and reasonable panel upgrade with and inventory of instrument spares for the same price.

An airplane in the shop or ramp isn't making money.

Spend some time on Trade a Plane. C150s are a STEAL right now - many nice examples under $20K and quite a few 152s for slightly more. Tremendous deals to be had.

 

[Roger, Roger]

Spend some time on Trade a Plane. C150s are a STEAL right now - many nice examples under $20K and quite a few 152s for slightly more. Tremendous deals to be had.

Man. I could even do my own maintenance....

 

[ktsai91]

Just wondering, does anyone know where the engine gauges such as the rpm gauge and the like on the Skycatcher are? Where does the panel shows the fuel gauges?

 

[Roger, Roger]

On one of the glass screens.

 

[ktsai91]

ic

 

[jynxyjoe]

Only Cessna could crash two prototypes and still be able to continue the program. What really gets me is that Cessna has spent over 60 years on high wing strut braced single engine piston airplanes to get it right, and they failed in a major way.

Yeah it is bizarre. But the truth is they never had to test the spin anyhow. I just don't know what the hell is going on with that thing. How can Cessna live with themselves making the new Trama'Hawk?

Also have to agree with Roger, Roger. Getting weird out there when the high wing Cessna is the one you have to worry about getting in a spin...

 

[BillH]

I teach NDB holds in steam gauged airplanes and intersection holds with one vor...

 

[Roger, Roger]

I teach NDB holds in steam gauged airplanes and intersection holds with one vor...

I teach intersection holds with no VOR.

 

[BillH]

I teach intersection holds with no VOR.

Rnav?

 

[Roger, Roger]

I teach intersection holds with no VOR.

And blindfolded.

Inverted.

 

[BillErvin]

If I remember the story, the 2nd edition of the skycatcher actually didn't really crash. It failed to recover from a stall/spin and the test pilot pull a small chute to stop the spin, and it did its job then failed to release. The pilot then pulled the BRS chute and all was good until it hit the ground and the wind pulled it helplessly across a field and into a fence. The pilot tried to collapse the chute but couldn't.

 

[OldTownPilot]

Both "whatever you want to call them" were unrecoverable spins. I'll call them crashed airplanes.

 

[WacoFan]

I think the Skycatcher is a stupid idea and obviously has inferior qualities to the C-150/152 (which never needed a drougue chute and then a BRS chute) to recover from a spin (assuming you could actually get them to spin). I am not sure if a 150/152 is light enough but you could get there. Also, stall speed needs to be 40kts or so I think.

Here is a novel thought. Bring back the C-120/140 series. You could actually make these light enough to work with LSA rules and you are good to go. Recertify at the lower gross and you have an airplane that is more attractive than the unrecoverable-from-a spin-composite-piece-of-excrement Skycatcher.

And then, after we get them building 120/140's again, we can move on to reintroducing the C-180 as well as the Cessna 195.

 

[killbilly]

I think the Skycatcher is a stupid idea and obviously has inferior qualities to the C-150/152 (which never needed a drougue chute and then a BRS chute) to recover from a spin (assuming you could actually get them to spin). I am not sure if a 150/152 is light enough but you could get there. Also, stall speed needs to be 40kts or so I think.

You can definitely get a 152 to spin. Especially the Aerobat. I'm not sure if it's still online, but there was a youtube video of a 52-turn spin done over Austin by one of our local aerobatics instructors in a 152 aerobat.

I like your thinking about bringing back the 140.