Here’s a spot of welcome news for all those who’ve been waiting to get their hands on a Cessna 162 Skycatcher: Kansas Aviation, Inc. gets first honors for putting the long-delayed S-LSA into service for flight training and rentals. *** An interesting note: the school is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yingling Aircraft, Inc., one of three domestic sites Cessna picked to assemble and test fly the Skycatcher once it arrives from the Chinese factory where it’s fabricated. *** The airplane was first delivered to a retail customer, Bravo Sierra Group, which leases the aircraft to Kansas Aviation for use in its Cessna Pilot Center (CPC). *** Rental rate harkens back to the day when sub-$100/hr rental rates were common: the Skycatcher is available at $98 per hour wet. *** Dave Tiday, the school’s manager and Chief Flight Instructor, believes the Skycatcher “will be key to developing the next generation of pilots.” *** Powered by a Continental O-200D, 100-hp air-cooled engine with a fixed-pitch propeller, the Kansas Aviation C-162 has a Garmin G300 avionics system with a single, split-screen PFD (primary flight display) and an MFD (multi-function display). *** The school will also offer a Light Sport Aircraft Transition Course to train certificated pilots in the differences between conventional GA single engine planes and the Skycatcher. *** Congratulations to Kansas Aviation!
