Skycatcher

Airplane developer Cessna reported earlier that their first Cessna 162 Skycatcher was delivered today to Rose Pelton, the wife of the CEO of Cessna. Certainly an interesting first 'buyer' of the brand new Light Sport Aircraft (LSA), but I guess Cessna wanted to send a positive message after losing the first two 162 prototypes crashed after induced spins (the pilot escaped safely both times).

Cessna is famous in aviation circles for their easy to fly, so-called trainer aircraft like the Cessna 172 (which is what I personally learned to fly in, as well). Simple to fly and virtually impossible to lose control of (you practically have to force it to stall, and you do have to force it to spin), the 172 is a great little airplane. The 182 is positioned as an intermediate plane with more power and performance capabilities of the 172, and upgraded avionics packages by default. The 162 is a step back in that regard, as it is a smaller, slower airplane (as per LSA rules) meant for training and short hops. I think Cessna is hoping that people who have their pilots license and want a plane of their own, but can't afford the standard prices, would love to have their hands on a plane they know they can fly and afford (starting price is $100,000 versus $250,000-$400,000 for a 172 or 182).

It's certainly a valid option, but I'm keeping my eye on the Salder Aircraft Vampire LSA (despite the shitty name of "Vampire" it's quite a good plane) as a potential plane for myself, though not any day soon (since it is not available yet, and I couldn't afford it even if it was :D)