Cessna Announces Light Sport Aircraft Details

Oshkosh, Wis.– Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced details and rolled out a full-scale mock-up of its highly anticipated Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) – the Model 162 SkyCatcher – during a press conference at the opening of the annual Experimental Aircraft Association convention.

First flight of the prototype Model 162 is set for the first half of 2008 and deliveries are expected to begin in 2009. Cessna expects to produce up to 700 a year at full-rate production.

At an introductory price of $109,500, the 162 will be powered by a Continental O-200D 100-hp air-cooled, carbureted engine and a fixed-pitch composite propeller. The aircraft will cruise at speeds up to 118 knots and will have a maximum range of 470 nautical miles.

“For the past year, we have been soliciting feedback from the market on our proof-of-concept aircraft, and the result is an airplane that we believe is the most advanced and innovative in its class,” said Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack J. Pelton.

The Cessna 162 SkyCatcher will feature a Garmin G300 avionics system. Information is presented in a single, split-screen primary flight display (PFD) and multi-function display (MFD), or as two full-screen displays with an optional second screen. The SkyCatcher will be capable of Visual Flight Rules/Day/Night operations.

Orders are being taken at Oshkosh with a $10,000 deposit. The introductory price will hold for the first 1,000 orders, and then increase to $111,500.

The SkyCatcher has a maximum gross weight of 1,320 pounds, a service ceiling of 15,500 feet, a useful load of 490 pounds, and a usable fuel load of 24 gallons. It has a cabin width at shoulder height of 44.25 inches. It features two cabin entry doors and forward pivoting seats giving access to a 12.5 cubic-foot baggage compartment.

The aircraft will be aluminum and will meet ASTM standard F2245 for light sport aircraft. The aircraft will have tricycle landing gear with a castering nose wheel and standard dual toe-actuated disc brakes.