Cessna 162 SkyCatcher Forum

[Hylafly]

As a high time Cessna pilot, I am very concerned about the fact that

The C-162 is above gross with two adult males and a full tank of gas.



Gonna be some bad takeoff accidents.



What is the Cessna reply to that??

[Sean Caranna]

Looks like Cessna is planning to have tabs and a fuel quantity sight gauge to help facilitate partial fueling. It is, of course, the PIC's responsibility to insure that the aircraft is within it's weight and balance limitations for each flight. Lazy pilots who operate any aircraft beyond its limits are statistics waiting to happen regardless of what they fly.
The SkyCatcher has a little more useful load than the Cessna 150. This combined with the 162's greater rate of climb, better power loading, and lower stall speed should make for a safe aircraft.

162 Power Loading - 13.2:1
152 Power Loading - 13.4:1 (w/ SparrowHawk STC)
152 Power Loading - 15.2:1
150 Power Loading - 16.0:1

162 Full Fuel Useful Load - 346 lbs
152 Full Fuel Useful Load - 404 lbs
150 Full Fuel Useful Load - 334 lbs

[Hylafly]

Sean,

Thank you for the reply.

I agree that a lazy pilot is a statistic waiting to happen. However, a simple trainer
with an easy overload is also a statistic waiting to happen. Especially with student pilots
who are trying to be careful or are nearly overloaded themselves on a cross country.

The 152 is a better trainer. It never could be overloaded with full tanks and two adult
males.

[twoeggsup]

Ok, I've have to ask...
What is the real life useful load of a typical C152 when you add avionics, strobes, steps, wheel fairings etc... ?

Looking at an 1980 152 POH it looks like they have their toll on useful load.
152 --- 566lbs.
152 II --- 533lbs.

From looking at the equipment list a standard 152 didn't even include dual controls.

How many of these items are already included in the C162 empty weight?

Am I missing something here?

[Sean Caranna]

My IFR equipped 1978 Cessna 152 with dual nav/comm and marker
Useful Load: 510 lbs
Full Fuel Useful Load: 363 lbs

With two pilots I usually only put in 18 gal. This gives a useful load of 402 lbs

[Hylafly]

Yes, but you are talking about specially tweaked out 152s,

The vanilla 162 will be above gross with two adult males and a full tank of gas.

It should be kept simple.

[Sean Caranna]

The extra equipment is 11 lbs

[Hylafly]

Is Cessna going to Placard the gas cap filler area and the Fuel guages to assure that
overfilling does not occur??

[cessnaguy]

New member here, gang.

This little pony is overweight when I compare it's looks to the 0-200-A in my 150M.

The only advantage with the 0-200-D is the elimination of carb ice. The 'IO-240 style' intake manifold slapped over the top of the crankcase needs to be redesigned and lightened. Also, weight savings could be gained by getting rid of the forward mounted, belt-driven alternator and mounting it on the rear accessory case as the 'A' model engine alternator is mounted. The mounting bracket and drive belt and pulley add unnecessary weight. The wet 'D' oil sump looks heavier than the bean pod style of the 'A' model as well. This engine design needs more work to decrease it's weight by at least 20 lbs. Then we could add some more useful load to this little bird. 510 pounds now!!

[twoeggsup]

I really don't see it as being too much of a major issue, many aircraft are actually over gross with full fuel and all seats occupied. Many aircraft do have fuel tabs for partial fueling and Cessna says they are considering it for the C162. It's the PIC responsibility to manage and just how many people out there are going to insist on topped off tanks for 500 miles and over 5 hrs of flight when they're taking a friend up for a $50 hamburger at the next airport?

It is afterall is an LSA, it can like any aircraft be a cross country cruiser, but that's not it's mission. I think it will suit the majority of student pilots and instructors and the fact that they plan to incorporate sight gauges in the wing roots sounds really good to me.

I think the real beauty of the C162 is that it will be built by Cessna. Most of the aircraft will be conventional metal construction, after a student bangs a wing on the hanger door it can get pushed back in the hanger for a repair and be back on the line the next day. That's not going to happen with a high tech composite craft from the third world.

The name Cessna will also help to ease the concerns of new students. Imagine you're a new student and your instructor says "We're going do stalls today, do you wanna take the Cessna or the Tecnam Echo Supra?"

As far as the O200-D... Well, I'm just really surprised that Cessna, a Textron company. Doesn't use an engine from Lycoming, a Textron company.

[cessnaguy]

Take a look at some of the 162 "windshield/instrument panel" pictures and notice how high the instrument panel sticks up into the forward field of view.
This design feature would bug me.

[owenstrawn]

Cessnaguy, where are you getting this information about the configuration of the O-200D? As far as I have heard the engine is still a work in progress, details TBA. How is carb ice eliminated?

[owenstrawn]

I can't find any one source for equipment information, but from the press releases, the specification brochure, and magazine articles, here is the equipment list I've come up with so far.

Cessna 162 Skycatcher standard equipment list (day & night VFR capable)
(830 lbs standard empty weight)
Dual control sticks
Dual adjustable rudder pedals
Dual toe brakes
Mechanically operated flaps
Electrically operated elevator trim (no rudder trim)
Castering nosewheel
Two upward hinged doors
Two non-adjustable foam padded seats, which can be pivoted foward for baggage access or removed from the airplane entirely
Adjustable seatbelts with shoulder harnesses, door mounted armrests, center console with storage, baggage net, glareshield
Navigation, anticollision, landing, and instrument panel lighting
Continental O-200D with carburetor, fixed pitch composite prop, and 40 amp (14 volt) alternator
Garmin G300 split-screen primary flight and engine information display with VFR GPS moving map
Garmin SL40 com radio and GTX327 mode C transponder
121.5 mhz ELT

---------------

Information on options is sketchier, but so far I've got:
Secondary display panel (dedicated MFD)
406 mhz ELT
Ballistic parachute
Autopilot
Wheel fairings
Enhanced graphics

[Tungsten]

cessnaguy wrote: Take a look at some of the 162 "windshield/instrument panel" pictures and notice how high the instrument panel sticks up into the forward field of view.
This design feature would bug me.

I've sat in the mockup. The top of the panel is not even remotely an obstacle to over the nose vision. I think you're being mislead by the pictures taken to highlight the panel layout. They're not taken from the pilot's eyepoint.

Tungsten

[cessnaguy]

Quote:
I've sat in the mockup. The top of the panel is not even remotely an obstacle to over the nose vision. I think you're being mislead by the pictures taken to highlight the panel layout. They're not taken from the pilot's eyepoint.

Tungsten

Thanks Tungsten, I accept what you note. I've yet to sit in a 162 but would like to check it out.
If you look at other aircraft pics in magazines with the aircraft in level flt. attitude,
the pilot's line of sight is just a smidgeon above the glareshield. The Glasair 111 would be an example.
The glareshield and forward to the windshield follows the engine cowl line, aft in a straight line in many aircraft, and they come up too high into the windshield blocking a chunk of it out.