Big News From Cessna

Interesting stuff - thanks for the heads up Jared 👍

It is neat, but Cessna has the wrong idea in my opinion. The are making a 2 seat, light sport aircraft, and said that they are going to try and keep the price down around 100K. For $100,000 I could probably get a used IFR Certified 182. Good idea, but bad marketing.

thanks for information m8!

The LSA is not designed to be an option in a price range that might also be filled by larger but older aircraft. LSA's by Cessna (and others) are designed to meet a specific market niche that cannot be filled by other aircraft.

A couple of years ago, FAA created the Sport Pilot rating. It allows people who have mild medical conditions that would not allow them to qualify for a third-class medical to fly under restricted conditions if they are healthy enough to hold a state driver's license.

One of the restricted conditions is the aircraft can not have more than 2 seats, cannot have a gross weight rating above 1320 pounds and cannot have a maximum airspeed of over 120 miles per hour. Very few aircraft already available met those restrictions and most that do are tail wheel. So, in the past couple of years, several manufacturers have designed and built new aircraft models to meet that requirement. It appears Cessna is now going to join their ranks.

I agree with SamIntel, and would like to add that this idea in general isn't such a praise worthy.
I'll tell you why.

We all heard of sports cars, you know, convertibles beauties in sparkling colors with powerful engines and which are a girl magnet.
But come on, a sports aircraft? Sports cars are ment to have fun andshow off, you know, drive around the city and let everybody pop their eyes on your babe.

But who on earth is going to see you whe you're 7,000 feet in the air?
Besides, where will you show off, on the airport taxiways?

Another point is, when you drive around with your Porsche Boxter or Dodge Viper you can have a rest and enjoy the driving while all the other guys practically drool. When you're in the air you have to keep control of the aircraft, you have to watch the instruments, you have to VOR navigate, you have to keep in contact with airports and traffic and a million other things and do them constantly, which gets the fun out of the way. I don't say that in a car you don't do these, but you do them with less emphasis, or less frequent.

I don't think a sports airplane is a valuable idea. But that's my 2 cents.

While I was writing my above post Don Wood wrote his - so I only got to read his post after writing my own.

Wood's post puts things in a different light, and it made me look at this matter in a different point of view, which renders my former opinion les relevant. Thanks Wood!

Pilau wrote:

I agree with SamIntel, and would like to add that this idea in general isn't such a praise worthy.
I'll tell you why.

We all heard of sports cars, you know, convertibles beauties in sparkling colors with powerful engines and which are a girl magnet.
But come on, a sports aircraft? Sports cars are ment to have fun andshow off, you know, drive around the city and let everybody pop their eyes on your babe.

But who on earth is going to see you whe you're 7,000 feet in the air?
Besides, where will you show off, on the airport taxiways?

Another point is, when you drive around with your Porsche Boxter or Dodge Viper you can have a rest and enjoy the driving while all the other guys practically drool. When you're in the air you have to keep control of the aircraft, you have to watch the instruments, you have to VOR navigate, you have to keep in contact with airports and traffic and a million other things and do them constantly, which gets the fun out of the way. I don't say that in a car you don't do these, but you do them with less emphasis, or less frequent.

I don't think a sports airplane is a valuable idea. But that's my 2 cents.

Pilau, do you understand what a LSA is. Don Wood's post completely explain what it is and how it is for a different maket of people. The Cessna "Sport" is a LSA. Its not what you would consider in car term a sports car. Its only called that because of the market it appeals to.

Yesterday Honda also officially announced there Honda Jet and there alliance with Piper.

Here's some bigger photo's of the Cessna.

And the new larger NGP.

The Honda Jet

I drove past Wittmann field monday when I was working, and you can't even imagine how big this is. I've never seen so many airplanes in one place.

Btw, for the week, its the busiest airport in the world. 🙂

Group of planes taxing off.

This is how planes are constanly landing and taxing, note the Pilatus PC-12 landing. Its really impressive when you see at least a hundred different Beech King Air's with people camping next to there million dollar planes. 🙂

The LSA is not designed to be an option in a price range that might also be filled by larger but older aircraft. LSA's by Cessna (and others) are designed to meet a specific market niche that cannot be filled by other aircraft.

Yeah, I agree youwith there, but for much less you can get a sport plane with almost exactly the same performance, if not better. As a kit for about 30K, or used with only a couple hundred hrs on them for about 45K:
http://www.rans.com/3S6ES.htm

I don't like the new sport pilot certificate(SPC). I remember when they came up with the Recreational pilot certificate with all it's restrictions. It was a waste of time that few embraced. The SPC is better but if I was training as a new pilot, I would go for the full Private Pilot certificate(PPL). For those that have medical issues, yes, the SPC will be good. The LSA aircraft (new) will not be cheap. As far as lower training cost, the time and money you spend on your pilot training is an investment in yourself and in safety that may save you and your family some dark stormy night, it's not the place to pinch pennies. I also have concerns about the lower level of training for the SPC. The US minimum standard for the PPL was set long ago and I feel that it's inadequate to prepare competent pilots in today's complex aircraft and airspace. The thought of people flying with even less training is a little unsettling. For those with a certificate, Sam is correct, you can find better used aircraft for the same price as a new LSA. Most look like toys(no nose wheel steering just differential braking).

The SPC is not useless but the standard PPL is a better deal in the long run, unless you have medical issues. 🙂

CRJCapt: I agree with most of what you said, however, the SPL was designed for people who do have those medical issues and for people who only want to fly light and ultra-light aircraft with all its restrictions, not for people who want to fully interact in the aviation system. Like other licenses, those who hold it must be certified competent by a flight instructor for any flight phases they want to use, including radio communication and they, like other pilots, must pass bi-annual flight reviews by an instructor to remain current.

My understanding from reading AOPA bulletins and articles is the majority of people who make use of the SPL will be people who already hold more advanced licenses but who can no longer qualify for third-class medicals. As I understand it, there are many medical conditions which disqualify one for an FAA medical but that will allow safe flight under the restrictions imposed by the SPL.

To correct an error I made in my previous post, the aircraft a SPL holder may fly must have a top speed of no greater than 120 knots, not 120 mph.

For those who have commented about the higher cost of new SPL aircraft, the same points have almost always been true when discussing any aircraft type, all the way up to jumbo jets. It is normally less expensive to buy used than new and, in the cases where they are available, it has always been cheaper to make or buy a home-built than to buy a new factory aircraft. However, until the last year or so, there have been very few aircraft on the market that qualify as Sport Airplanes so the companies who are beginning to build them are trying to meet a market niche. It remains to be seen if demand will be great enough to support a wide range of builders.