First Cessna 162 SkyCatcher Delivery

AZPilot · Post by **AZPilot** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:09 am

From AvWeb:

Rose Pelton Takes First Skycatcher

Cessna has delivered its first Light Sport Aircraft model 162 Skycatcher to Rose Pelton, the wife of Cessna president and CEO Jack Pelton, Dec. 18. The first delivery was announced at AOPA Summit 2009 in Tampa in November. The company held a ceremony Friday at Yingling Aircraft in Wichita, Kan., which is one of three U.S. re-assembly facilities (much of the airframe is made in China) for the aircraft. Cessna says it has gathered more than 1,000 orders for the Skycatcher since the program was announced in 2007 at AirVenture Oshkosh. The company, together with King Schools, has developed a Web-based training system for sport and private certificates that will be available through the Cessna Pilot Center network.

The Skycatcher is Cessna's answer to the Light Sport Aircraft rules and fits within the restrictions that hold it to a 1320-pound gross weight and a 120-knot top speed. The aircraft is powered by a 100-hp Continental 0-200D that drives a fixed-pitch propeller. It has a maximum range of 470 nautical miles and is available with a split-screen Garmin G300 avionics package. The aircraft is built to be both day and night VFR capable. Pricing is currently set near $110,000.

tadel001 · Post by **tadel001** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:19 am

what is the fly away cost for a Cessna 162? Fly away meaning all cost included.

AZPilot · Post by **AZPilot** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 12:40 pm

tadel001 wrote:what is the fly away cost for a Cessna 162? Fly away meaning all cost included.

It's been a couple of years since I've seen the contract, but I think the very first initial orders were for $108K retail, and that was all in. Re-assembly was to be done by a few select Service Centers that bid on the work.

CPCs and CSTARs got a small price break.

tadel001 · Post by **tadel001** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 1:23 pm

I wonder what the cost would be to buy today. Price, plus shipping, assembly, certification, etc. The $108K and the $111,500 price does not say what is included.

FastEddieB · Post by **FastEddieB** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 1:46 pm

They're currently quoting $112,250.

From:

http://cessna.com/single-engine/skycatc ... icing.html

I'd assume its a "one-size-fits-all" price, but I don't know that for a fact.

CharlieTango · Post by **CharlieTango** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 4:12 pm

i just read $112,500. out the door / well equiped $130,000

AZPilot · Post by **AZPilot** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 7:16 pm

It will be interesting to see how many of those 1000 orders actually close.

The economy and airplane biz have deteriorated pretty substantially since 2007.

The CPCs are going to be hard pressed to finance them, and there wasn't any real profit for the CSTAR's to floorplan them.

Murrell · Post by **Murrell** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:52 pm

There really is a;
Cessna 162 Skycatcher Forum
http://www.162skycatcher.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=3

It's been around for quite some time, I think there is only one member !

Murrell

AZPilot · Post by **AZPilot** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:38 pm

Murrell wrote:There really is a;
Cessna 162 Skycatcher Forum
http://www.162skycatcher.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=3

It's been around for quite some time, I think there is only one member !

Murrell

It does seem to be some kind of screwed up RSS feed site that uses AeroNewsNetwork as the source.

No views and no comments.

Upon further investigation it looks like the admin is trying to set up a Skycatcher "club" and charge membership fees. There is also a pilot store.

I have never heard of it.

Jim Stewart · Post by **Jim Stewart** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 1:51 am

Yawn.

AZPilot · Post by **AZPilot** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 5:42 pm

Just read the AOPA Pilot magazine article. Apparently, it doesn't fly anything like a Part 23 Cessna single. I think that is unfortunate for the operators that also operate the 172s. Transition time will be increased.

Non adjustable seat, painted metal interior to save weight, ie no soundproofing.

Interesting stats: 1044 total orders to date, only 639 domestic, 439 "retail", so 200 are CPC/CSTAR. That looks like an "ouchie" in todays economy.

Alton Marsh is a good reviewer.

Super Cub · Post by **Super Cub** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 7:59 pm

Has anyone heard if this 162 or serial number 2 will be at the Sebring Expo? I would be interested in a demo ride.

CTflyer · Post by **CTflyer** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 6:00 am

Didn't Cessna announce they had around 1000 Skycatcher orders over a year ago?

They're also popping up for sale already on many websites:

http://www.controller.com/list/list.asp ... anu=CESSNA

How could they be sold, if they're not yet available? Are those places taking orders for planes that have a two-year wait?

Tom

Jim Stewart · Post by **Jim Stewart** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 1:19 pm

Airplanes are generally considered sold as soon as a sales contract is signed and a deposit is paid. At that point the buyer has a serial number and delivery position that he can turn around and sell to someone else.

I think that most of those sales were to Cessna Pilot Centers. Needless to say, that was at a different time and a different economy.