Exclusive: Skycatcher Deliveries Delayed
Updated on January 19th with new reaction from Cessna…
It looks like Rose Pelton will be the only one with a Cessna Skycatcher for awhile.
Archerbravo.com has learned that order-holders for the new 162 will be receiving letters informing them that their estimated delivery dates have been delayed 6-10 months.
This means flight schools banking on fresh business with the Cessna LSA on their lines later this year will now have to wait until 2011 or later, in some cases.
The original delivery dates were issued in April 2008, and since then the Skycatcher has had its share of issues, including two test-flight crashes and several design modifications to the tail.
“We made several changes to the airframe and systems,” Cessna’s Doug Oliver told ArcherBravo.com, explaining the delay. “These aircraft, as with all Cessna aircraft, are designed to be in service for decades. So we prefer to take a little extra time now to ensure long term success.”
In the short term, Cessna proudly announced its first 162 delivery last month, not to a busy flight school with dozens of students, but to the wife of Cessna CEO Jack Pelton.
Cessna would not comment on that decision. Perhaps we should just chalk it up to the perks of being the boss.
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Maybe the time and costs of flying engineers, technicians, test pilots and quality control experts half way around the globe to teach a future Chinese competitor how to build an airplane makes this airplane a lot more expensive than Cessna claims–as in 6+months of no sales and flight schools left high and dry.
Has anyone but me noticed yet that the performance specs on the “NEW” Cessna Skycatcher are the SAME as the Cessna 150 from about 20 years ago?
Just wondered why the “NEW” plane with the SAME specs is LSA but the older C-150’s are not.