Transitioning to a C162

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JJ Campbell
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Transitioning to a C162

Post by JJ Campbell »

I've done all my flying/primary training in a Tecnam P-29 (Rotax 912, no carb heat, no mixture control). I want to start renting a C162 Skycatcher at the most conveniently located airport near me. What kind of homework/chair flying can I do to minimize the time it takes for the rental folks to sign off on me?
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by Sling 2 Pilot »

Try and grab a copy of the POH for review.
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by JJ Campbell »

I meant P-92

I do have the POH and am working my way through. Also, the plane has a G500 so I will see if I can find some u-tube tutorials on it.
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by FastEddieB »

If they allow it, just sitting in the plane for a while to get oriented to the locations of all the knobs and switches can be very beneficial.
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by drseti »

FastEddieB wrote:If they allow it, just sitting in the plane for a while to get oriented to the locations of all the knobs and switches can be very beneficial.
I'll go one step further. Sit in the plane a lot, so you can put your hand on any switch or control, blindfolded.
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by AviatorCrafty »

I'm actually in the reverse of your situation! I did my training/checkride in the Cessna 162 but three days after my checkride the school sold their last 162 so I had to move to another flight school with six or so P92's in their fleet. My experience in the very first flight was it felt almost the same (as almost all LSAs fly the same I've been told, but I noticed the P92 was slightly more smooth compared to the 162), but after about 10 minutes I kind of forgot I was in a new plane. Now I will mention the 162 has a free moving nosewheel, so since you're used to a direct drive it may take some getting used to, but once you master it you can do some pretty cool things with it (I actually miss being able to do turns on a dime when I turn with the P92 direct drive nosewheel). Now before my checkout I studied the POH memorizing all the limitations/procedures/cockpit layout so thats probably why the transition was easy for me so I'd recommend you do the same. But here is a short list of the biggest differences I can come up with:

Fuel System: In the 162 you don't have any control over which tanks are/aren't feeding besides the emergency shutoff valve, and each tank has a sight gauge on the root of each wing inside the cockpit (only reads to 1/2 tank on the ground)

Flap speeds/control: Flaps are controlled by a manual lever in between the seats with three positions, 100 knots for first setting, 85 for second setting, 70 knots for full flaps. The P92 has a published VFE of 68 knots but my instructor said Tecnam said something about being able to use takeoff flaps while in the green band, even above 68 but any more flaps to be below 68, haven't seen any publications of that online but I'll take his word for it.

Cockpit layout: The 162 wins here since it's a very simple layout where you have your two screens (or only one if equipped so) and your five switches for battery, avionics master, and lights in between them, and radio/transponder below.

The 162 has an incredibly sensitive stall horn so watch for that


Those are the biggest differences in my opinion, good luck in the 162, but it carries less than the P92 so you may not be able to take everything up, but it's still a fun plane to fly regardless! Hopefully this helps you and if you don't mind me asking which airport are you renting the 162 at?

Here is a pdf of the 162 POH I used during training: https://support.cessna.com/docs/custsup ... 62PHUS.pdf
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by drseti »

Whenever I transition to any new aircraft, I sit down with the Approved Flight Manual and fill out this worksheet:

http://avsport.org/DPE/forms/acftspec.pdf

And then memorize the critical numbers.

Note that some of the specs don't apply to fixed gear ASEL, so for an LSA, you can ignore them.
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by JJ Campbell »

AviatorCrafty wrote:I had to move to another flight school with six or so P92's in their fleet.
It sounds like you might be at Hanover Municipal (OFP). It is about 100 miles from me and I drove down there on a Saturday morning to check it out. Very nice airport and lots of P92s. We only have 2 P92s at Bay Bridge (W29).

I'm going to Leesburg (JYO) tomorrow to meet a CFI and talk out the transition training. JYO is the closest airport to me (I live near the Pentagon). It is in the SFRA but is in a special cut-out called the Leesburg Exclusion Area where the SFRA rules have been relaxed.

Thank you for all the great info!
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by AviatorCrafty »

JJ Campbell wrote:
AviatorCrafty wrote:I had to move to another flight school with six or so P92's in their fleet.
It sounds like you might be at Hanover Municipal (OFP). It is about 100 miles from me and I drove down there on a Saturday morning to check it out. Very nice airport and lots of P92s. We only have 2 P92s at Bay Bridge (W29).

I'm going to Leesburg (JYO) tomorrow to meet a CFI and talk out the transition training. JYO is the closest airport to me (I live near the Pentagon). It is in the SFRA but is in a special cut-out called the Leesburg Exclusion Area where the SFRA rules have been relaxed.

Thank you for all the great info!

Yep I fly out of KOFP! I trained at KCPK since they had two (now none) C162s. I've seen Av-Ed but never have actually been there, do they let sport pilots use their driver's license as a medical when renting the 162? When I get my Sport CFI and if there are jobs for my career field near W29 I'd move out there and maybe teach part time.
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by JJ Campbell »

"AviatorCrafty wrote:"
I've seen Av-Ed but never have actually been there, do they let sport pilots use their driver's license as a medical when renting the 162?

Absolutly!
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by stevem »

I have owned a Skycatcher for about 7 years. Before I purchased the plane, I got the King Schools Flying the Skycatchertransition course. https://www.kingschools.com/aviation-co ... skycatcher The course was very helpful and covered the basic G300 functions and training flight maneuvers. However, nothing beats sitting in the plane and getting acclimated. Be sure to use the ground power receptacle when getting familiar with the avionics or you can run the battery down. Download the POH, checklist, Garmin SL-40, Garmin GTX-327, and the PM3000 intercom manuals for review. I wish you well. The Skycatcher is an enjoyable aircraft to fly
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by ryoder »

The 162 needs to be leaned appropriately so get used to that.
Lean after startup rich before takeoff. Lean at cruise and even in the pattern.

Carb heat isnt normally necessary. Leave the MFD in engine mode so you can see the carb temp. It's usually warm.
Make sure you dont put the wheels down until its ready to land.
Come in on final around 55 kts not 65 or 70 as that is way too fast. If you are fast plan on gliding a bit in ground effect before landing.

I transitioned from a Mooney and the hardest thing was flying wo slow on final.
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by AviatorCrafty »

ryoder wrote:The 162 needs to be leaned appropriately so get used to that.
Lean after startup rich before takeoff. Lean at cruise and even in the pattern.

Carb heat isnt normally necessary. Leave the MFD in engine mode so you can see the carb temp. It's usually warm.
Make sure you dont put the wheels down until its ready to land.
Come in on final around 55 kts not 65 or 70 as that is way too fast. If you are fast plan on gliding a bit in ground effect before landing.

I transitioned from a Mooney and the hardest thing was flying wo slow on final.

You definitely need to land at 55 kts, during my training I would always try to land at 60-65 and would float a pretty good distance every single time, the 162 loves to glide. It's kind of the same way in the P92 I fly now but doesn't float as bad.
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by AviatorCrafty »

stevem wrote:I have owned a Skycatcher for about 7 years. Before I purchased the plane, I got the King Schools Flying the Skycatchertransition course. https://www.kingschools.com/aviation-co ... skycatcher The course was very helpful and covered the basic G300 functions and training flight maneuvers. However, nothing beats sitting in the plane and getting acclimated. Be sure to use the ground power receptacle when getting familiar with the avionics or you can run the battery down. Download the POH, checklist, Garmin SL-40, Garmin GTX-327, and the PM3000 intercom manuals for review. I wish you well. The Skycatcher is an enjoyable aircraft to fly
I've been curious, what's it like owning a 162? I trained in one and sadly couldn't enjoy it after my checkride as my school sold theirs three days after my checkride. I understand it doesn't get much support from Cessna so what is it like maintaining it? I came to love the 162 and its little quirks despite other people saying its terrible, I felt like it was kind of misunderstood since my instructor and I loved flying it. Apart from the not-so-great useful load I wouldn't mind owning one on day and I know there are much better LSAs out there but the 162 would fit my mission were I planning to get one, and the G300 is a great avionics platform as well, plus the 162 is just plain sporty and fun to fly.
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Re: Transitioning to a C162

Post by FastEddieB »

AviatorCrafty wrote: You definitely need to land at 55 kts, during my training I would always try to land at 60-65 and would float a pretty good distance every single time, the 162 loves to glide.
There seems to be different meanings to “land” in this regard. Some mean final approach speed. Some mean touchdown speed. Since the actual landing happens when the wheels touch, I think the latter is more appropriate.

So, my question would be, which do you mean when you say “You definitely need to land at 55”? It sounds appropriate for a final approach speed, but quite fast to be touching down at in a 162.
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