With new aircraft prices starting at nearly $500,000 and very easily topping $1 million, prospective owners with modest budgets often feel resigned to owning and flying airplanes that are many decades old. Look hard enough, however, and there are some less-common options.
Such is the case with today’s bargain, a 2011 Cessna 162 Skycatcher, priced at $79,000.
Manufactured between 2009 and 2013, just under 300 Skycatchers were built before production stopped. The type was intended to serve as a modern evolution of Cessna’s venerable 150 and 152. In many ways, it indeed carried the legacy forward, but due primarily to costs, it was never as successful in the market as its predecessors.
With a similar outward appearance to the 150 and 152, the 162 initially appears to offer an identical flying experience. It is, after all, a two-seat, high-wing single utilizing the 150’s 100 hp Continental O-200 engine.
But from the time you open up the unique gull-wing doors and slide behind the similarly unique control sticks that emerge from underneath the panel, it becomes clear that there’s more to the 162 than meets the eye.
The interior itself has a clean, utilitarian feel, without the yellowed and cracking plastics in so many older 150s and 152s. And in the place of heavy, antiquated steam gauges, this 162 has two vastly more functional vertical Garmin displays. Best of all, the cabin provides noticeably greater space for its two occupants than a 150, with an impressive 8.6 additional inches of shoulder width. That’s 4 inches more than a 172N.
This Skycatcher is a particularly impressive example. With only 899 hours since new on both the airframe and engine, no corrosion or damage history, and full logs, it has reportedly been well taken care of. Indeed, the seller notes that the airplane has been privately owned and operated by an airline pilot, whereas many others have been put through the wringer by a long line of primary students.
The seller goes on to list a number of items that have been replaced over the years, including the magnetos, exhaust, and battery. The airplane will even include extras, such as a cover, towbar, Bose headset, and Stratus ADS-B In unit.
It’s impossible to buy a factory-new certified aircraft for under $100,000 today. But considering the exemplary condition of this Skycatcher, it’s possible to get darn close.
Learn more about Cessna 162 ownership here.
You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance and quickly calculate your monthly payment using the airplane finance calculator. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.
