Light · ICAO C162

Cessna 162 Skycatcher

The Cessna 162 Skycatcher was Cessna's attempt to build a modern, factory-built successor to the aging Cessna 150/152 trainers, sized to meet the FAA's lighter, simpler Light Sport Aircraft category. Its glass cockpit and modern avionics were a significant step up from the analogue gauges of older trainers still in wide use. Production was outsourced to a factory in China, an unusual arrangement for Cessna that drew some controversy among US aviation circles. Cessna ended the program after a relatively short run, and Skycatchers remain a comparatively uncommon sight next to older Cessna trainers.

Cessna 162 Skycatcher, example photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: ZLEA · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Built to the lighter Light Sport category, the Skycatcher is noticeably smaller and lighter than the 152 trainer it was meant to succeed.

Specifications

Length6.5 m (21 ft)
Wingspan8.9 m (29 ft)
Height2.4 m (8 ft)
Maximum passengers1
Persons on board2
Maximum take-off weight0.6 t
Range470 NM (870 km)
Maximum speed118 kt (219 km/h)
Stall speed37 kt (69 km/h)
Service ceiling12,000 ft (3,658 m)
Optimum ceiling12,000 ft (3,658 m)
Rate of climb880 ft/min (4.5 m/s)
Take-off distance195 m (640 ft)
Landing distance320 m (1,050 ft)
Fuel capacity90 l
Engines1x Continental O-200D

Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.

In CatchFlights

In CatchFlights the Cessna 162 Skycatcher starts as a Rare catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.

A catch counts for the manufacturer Cessna, the 162 Skycatcher family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.

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