Why are 162s so cheap

Talk about airplanes! At last count, there are 39 (and growing) FAA certificated S-LSA (special light sport aircraft). These are factory-built ready to fly airplanes. If you can't afford a factory-built LSA, consider buying an E-LSA kit (experimental LSA - up to 99% complete).

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ShawnM
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Re: Why are 162s so cheap

Post by ShawnM »

drseti wrote:
Warmi wrote: Who do Piper Sport owners go to for parts etc ... ?
They go to Czech Sport Aircraft (formerly Czech Aircraft Works) who still supports all Sport Cruisers, regardless of how they were labeled. (I understand CSA has not been particularly forthcoming with LoAs, but that's another matter.)
Correct, the PiperSport was always supported by CSA, not Piper, it was only badged as a Piper because they wanted a name in the light sport market. That whole marriage only lasted one year, 2010, and Piper wanted out as they could not deal with CSA. I think the divorce papers state "irreconcilable differences". :mrgreen: The non-existent LOA's are another story for another day.
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Warmi
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Re: Why are 162s so cheap

Post by Warmi »

ShawnM wrote:
drseti wrote:
Warmi wrote: Who do Piper Sport owners go to for parts etc ... ?
They go to Czech Sport Aircraft (formerly Czech Aircraft Works) who still supports all Sport Cruisers, regardless of how they were labeled. (I understand CSA has not been particularly forthcoming with LoAs, but that's another matter.)
Correct, the PiperSport was always supported by CSA, not Piper, it was only badged as a Piper because they wanted a name in the light sport market. That whole marriage only lasted one year, 2010, and Piper wanted out as they could not deal with CSA. I think the divorce papers state "irreconcilable differences". :mrgreen: The non-existent LOA's are another story for another day.

Haha .. the stories you tell about how inflexible CSA can be in terms of supporting their users, sometimes it sounds like it may as well be managed as a dead product , the way C162 is :-)
Flying Sting S4 ( N184WA ) out of Illinois
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MrMorden
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Re: Why are 162s so cheap

Post by MrMorden »

WDD wrote: And there is still the echo of the two prototypes crashing during development.
I would not hold that against the airplane...that is actually what development is for. The tail was redesigned to solve the issues, and IIRC the crashes occurred in spins...I don't even know if spins are allowed in normal operations.

The primary problems are both related to Cessna's engine choice: Weight and fuel burn. The engine is 80-90lb heavier than a similar Rotax 912, and burns more fuel, which magnifies the weight problem be requiring more fuel to go the same distance. Most real-world C162s I have seen have a useful load around 480-490lb. That's fine for solo flight, but with two normal Americans in the airplane it doesn't leave much left, especially for travel.

Other than that, I do think the airplane is a good one and has some nice design elements.
Andy Walker
Athens, GA
Sport Pilot ASEL, LSRI
2007 Flight Design CTSW E-LSA
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MrMorden
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Re: Why are 162s so cheap

Post by MrMorden »

Warmi wrote:sometimes it sounds like it may as well be managed as a dead product , the way C162 is :-)
Not if you're willing to fly and maintain them *exactly* as the manufacturer intends, with no deviation. That's kind of how the S-LSA rules are meant to be, but many manufacturers are more accommodating of the realities of operating an airplane. I have to say Flight Design has been very good in thie regard, I would have been perfectly happy to keep my CTSW as an S-LSA, if I didn't want to do my own maintenance as a cost and convenience matter.
Andy Walker
Athens, GA
Sport Pilot ASEL, LSRI
2007 Flight Design CTSW E-LSA
ryoder
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Re: Why are 162s so cheap

Post by ryoder »

Cheap is good. Get one and enjoy a great airplane at a low cost.
Or don't. I bought my Mooney cheap too. Got some hate for that.
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