Cessna-162 Sky Catcher (news)

[Александр E - Cessna]

Route 66 West in the Skycatcher

In September 2009, The Model 162 Skycatcher prototype flew from the Cessna Aircraft Company facilities in Wichita, KS to King Schools in San Diego, CA. We sent a film crew with Cessna Chief Pilot Kirby Ortega to capture this beautiful trip across the western United States.

An exclusive, special-edition DVD capturing the trip was produced and will be mailed to all Skycatcher order holders in December. We are excited to give future Model 162 owners a glimpse of the Skycatcher in action.

Kirby had much to say about his journey. "Sport flying is what I was able to sample recently with a flight in the Skycatcher from Wichita to San Diego. Granted, not many pilot adventurists would fly this distance but it can be done, safely and comfortably in the Skycatcher," he said. "With its modern avionics suite, the aircraft provides the pilot with a wealth of information concerning weather, terrain and flight planning. This information allows the pilot to plan with no questions as to uncertainty. Just as motorcyclists journey to Alaska or even Sturgis on their favorite two wheeled ride, Skycatcher pilots will fly to their favorite destinations of choice, such as Oshkosh or Sun n' Fun. Sport flying is fun flying and the Skycatcher is a comfortable ride with wings...let's fly!"



First Production Skycatcher Takes to the Air

The first production Skycatcher took to the skies for its inaugural flight in China on September 17th. This Skycatcher is the first to be fabricated and assembled on production tooling at Shenyang Aircraft Company (SAC). During the flight, the aircraft performed a number of handling quality tests.

"The Skycatcher program continues to make significant progress with the first flight of our very first aircraft produced on production tooling," said Jack Pelton, chairman, president and CEO. "We are eager for the Model 162 Skycatcher to take its place in the industry as the light sport aircraft of choice."

SAC is fabricating the airframe structure and integrating U.S.-made engines, systems and avionics. Aircraft will be shipped to the United States reassembly sites for reassembly, production flight test, and issuance of the Special Airworthiness Certificate. Skycatcher customers will take delivery of their new aircraft at their local Cessna CSTAR dealership. At the point of delivery, they will also have the opportunity to install a number of factory options to personalize their new Skycatcher.


Cessna Skycatcher Completes ASTM Compliance

At AirVenture 2009, Cessna announced the Skycatcher is in compliance with ASTM International standards for Light Sport Aircraft. Light Sport aircraft, like the Skycatcher, are built to ASTM International standards. This clears the way for deliveries which are expected to begin before year's end.

The entire company is excited and proud of this recent accomplishment, including Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton. "This is significant not only for Cessna, but for the aviation community as a whole," said Jack. "Once these airplanes enter service, they will act as a catalyst for increased pilot starts. They will significantly change the economics of ownership and operation for flight schools, aircraft renters and aircraft owners, and will benefit the entire General Aviation community."

In several areas, Cessna conducted additional tests on the Skycatcher not required by the ASTM International standards, such as an extensive Ground Vibration Test and instrumented, in-flight flutter testing. Upcoming testing includes an airframe fatigue test to ensure a durable product for the training environment. These tests are also not required by ASTM, but considered important to ensure all aircraft with the Cessna brand meet our exacting standards for safety, reliability, and long-term value.

Cessna has been hard at work to certify the Skycatcher since it was first announced. A total of three Model 162 aircraft were flown during the certification process: our first 162, which was a proof-of-concept airplane, followed by a prototype aircraft, then the first production configuration aircraft.

The proof-of-concept airplane first flew on October 13, 2006, and flew a total of 100 flights and over 140 hours in support of the Skycatcher program. Engineers were able to assess handling qualities, stability and control, stall speeds, stall characteristics, and performance. The POC was also been used for engine and propeller development testing.

Refinements were made to the design of the Skycatcher based on the early flight tests. The new design was first tested during its inaugural flight on March 8, 2008. Design refinements continued to be made based on flight test results. This aircraft flew 111 total flights and nearly 130 flight hours.

The first production configuration airplane made its first flight on April 30, 2008. To date, this aircraft flew 172 tests and over 200 flight hours.

By the time ASTM compliance was achieved, the Skycatcher test team completed over 750 compliance test conditions, over 1,350 stalls, and over 500 spins. As with all our models, Cessna will continue testing the prototype aircraft with the goal of constant improvement.


New Cessna Sport/Private Pilot Flight Training System

At Cessna, we know not everyone is meant to be a passenger. Some of us are destined to be pilots, to rise to the call and achieve the dream of flight. These are the people who inspired Cessna's newly launched Sport/Private Pilot Flight Training System.

Designed specifically for entry-level student pilots, the training program meets acceptable training standards for private pilot certification under Part 141 by the Federal Aviation Administration. The curriculum was designed in partnership with King Schools and is a proprietary training program, available only at Cessna Pilot Centers.

The Cessna Flight Training System is an interactive, fully customizable, and self-paced online training experience. This advanced ground course is designed by Cessna to coordinate seamlessly with Cessna-built training aircraft and in-flight lessons. The result is a learning system so effective it sets a new standard for the entire pilot training industry.
The major advantages of the Cessna Flight Training System are that it's web-based for maximum customer flexibility, and it incorporates customizable scenarios for maximum instructor flexibility. The web-based system keeps track of every aspect of customer training and can be accessed from any location where there is access to the Internet. And since the program is web-based, changes and updates can be made instantly, with no replacement materials to distribute. The program also allows an instructor to customize the program to meet the requirements of the local training environment while not compromising the integrity of the training system.

According to Julie Filucci, manager of Cessna Pilot Centers, "Scenario-based training better prepares the customer to use his or her pilot certificate after training is complete. The program ensures that the customer is a true partner in training, because of the guidance it provides to instructors on working with the customer through a unique progress tracking system. Also, the customer can begin training as a sport pilot and seamlessly transition to the private pilot course."

Julie recently demonstrated the new Cessna Flight Training System at a Cessna Pilot Center Seminar in San Antonio and the response was very enthusiastic. "Being able to set themselves apart from other flight schools is critical to the Cessna Pilot Centers' success, and the new curriculum provides a concrete advantage," said Julie.

Cessna Pilot Centers are flight training affiliates that use Cessna's proprietary training curriculum and Cessna aircraft. There are more than 280 in the United States and around the world, offering customers an array of services including flight training. More information can be found at http://www.cessnaflighttraining.com.


Skycatcher Flight Review in Flying Magazine
Be looking for the December edition of Flying magazine which will include Mac McClellan's recent flight review of the Skycatcher.