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The most serious problem has been unnecessary and sometimes detrimental maintenance and repair. Fuel consumption is good, showing about 7.64 gallons per Hobbs hour, or 9.39 gallons per tach hour. Maintenance costs, both scheduled and unscheduled (including a prop overhaul) have averaged $13.36 per Hobbs hour ($16/tach hour). A typical Cutlass with an IFR panel might tip the scales at about 1,650 pounds.
Archer Reports Success With Battery-Pack Drop Testing
This ranks in the middle of the pack when comparing the 172 to other Cessna airplanes. The FR172 Reims Rocket was produced by Reims Aviation in France from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s. It was powered by a Rolls-Royce built, fuel-injected, Continental IO-360-H(B) 210 hp (160 kW) engine with a constant-speed propeller.[26] Variants included the FR172E until FR172J.
Special versions
Pilot Report: Turbodiesel Cessna 172 JT-A - Plane & Pilot
Pilot Report: Turbodiesel Cessna 172 JT-A.
Posted: Wed, 28 Mar 2018 07:00:00 GMT [source]
It also uses an older design, with the first flight dating back to 1955, but it is affordable and highly reliable for long-term use. The 172M of 1973–76 gained a drooped wing leading edge for improved low-speed handling. LED landing and recognition lights offer enhanced visibility and strong illumination for night flying. It had good compression and was using one quart of oil every nine hours. The camshaft is estimated to be good for another 200 or 300 hours.
Continental Introduces Diesel For Helicopters
The vernier mixture control was recently replaced due to the outer housing wearing through where it goes through the firewall. This has been the most expensive part we have replaced, costing about $220. For example, one safety feature weve always touted is shoulder harnesses. The Cutlass came standard with plain-vanilla shoulder harnesses for the front seats.
How do I appropriately choose the power settings on a C172 for cruise?
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a popular aircraft for recreational flying and private pilots. The aircraft includes integrated cockpit avionics for advanced flight capabilities. The 172L, sold during 1971 and 1972, replaced the main landing gear legs (which were originally flat spring steel) with tapered, tubular steel gear legs. The "L" also had a plastic fairing between the dorsal fin and vertical fin to introduce a greater family resemblance to the 182's vertical fin.
WINGS DESIGNED FOR THE STUDENT
This leaves a half ton of useful load-quite good for a mere 180-HP aircraft. Indeed, thats enough to allow two 170-pound men and their 140-pound wives to fly away with full tanks. And theres almost always the option of trading some fuel for passenger and/or baggage weight.
Cruise speed/endurance w/45-min rsv, std fuel (fuel consumption, ea engine) @ 75% power, best economy
This visibility issue is not generally a problem outside the base to the final turn. The Skyhawk is also easier to chock and unchock as the pilot does not need to crouch to access the landing gear. Its high wing design incorporates the advantages inherent to this design choice, most of which make the Cessna 172 especially suited for the role of pilot training. The increased distance from the ground helps shorten the landing run as it is not as strongly affected by the ground effect. The Skyhawk is an inherently stable aircraft thanks to the high wing, as it places the center of mass below the center of lift.
Wing loading
The Cessna Skyhawk: A Complete History - Simple Flying
The Cessna Skyhawk: A Complete History.
Posted: Mon, 04 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
By the same token, the nearest competitor for the Cutlass-Cessnas own 177RG Cardinal-offers more performance, but costs more to own. In terms of configuration, the Cutlass is straight 172, with the exception of the electro-hydraulic landing gear. Wisely, Cessna left off the main gear doors that had proven so troublesome in other retractable singles. HistoryThe timing of the Cutlass introduction was unfortunate; it hit the market in 1980, generally seen as the year when the GA slump began. Nearly every flight school around the world has at least a few Cessna 172’s in use.
This plane is better equipped for long-distance flying, with increased interior space for bigger parties. It can reach top speeds of 135 miles per hour and a maximum flying range of 540 miles on one full tank of fuel. It is a much lighter plane, too, with a compact construction and a weight of 1,320 pounds. The top speed of a Cessna 172 is 187.6 miles per hour, ranking as a mid-tier speed option compared to other Cessna planes. This improved version of the Cessna 170 also provides a cruising speed of 141 MPH.
With a cabin width of only 40 inches (only for the front seats), its cozy, to put it mildly (cramped to put it more forcefully). A scan of FAA accident records for a typical six-year period disclosed some 57 accidents. Some trends came as no surprise to those who know the airplane. Other maintenance Not to let enthusiasm carry too far, there are other items on the Cutlass that will cost an owner money. We found several matters that are almost guaranteed to become a problem for a Cutlass owner.
The Cessna 172 has seen a steady decrease in useful loadout over the years due to increases in empty weight. On the 172R, however, when comparing empty weights, these are, respectively, 1,260 1,379 lbs. However, as far as baggage capacity goes, all three models are limited by the luggage storage’s restrictions of up to 120 lbs. This plane has a similar interior design with either four or six seats, but a twin-engine design allows for more power and speed.
Note that even if you can stretch the plane to fly five-plus hours per leg, do consider whether you can handle being cooped up for that long without a break. You may prefer to fly faster with fuel stops that will double as an opportunity to get out and stretch—and use a toilet. If you’re going a really long distance, it may burn so much fuel that you won’t make it! Learn all about planes and pilots, and even how to fly, with SkyTough.
In some instances, even the most conscientious, tender loving care wont save these parts. One rather informal survey found the Cutlass and the 172 among the worst of a half-dozen similar aircraft. Unfortunately, a bigger engine did not merit better soundproofing to go with it. ComfortWhen it comes to comfort, the Cutlass is no bargain.
Furthermore, I often fly around at gross weights less than 1900 lbs. What will be the impact on airspeed and fuel consumption with the higher horsepower engine at reduced gross weights? In this post, I show how to make cruise performance charts for any weight or altitude, and how to estimate the performance of the modified aircraft with the 180 hp engine. Shown in Figure 4 is just such a table, constructed for a gross weight of 1900 lbs, and for an installed engine power of 180 hp. I have omitted the RPM data, and used the same percent powers as appeared in the original table (12.5% greater power than in the original table). If you compare the airspeeds in the chart in Figure 4 to those in Figure 1, you will see the airspeeds are 8 knots or so higher at 8,000 ft at high power settings.
The 1980 Cutlass RG is unequivocally the best airplane for the dollar that I have ever owned or flown. I fly mainly alone, or with my wife and a weeks worth of baggage, or less. MAP and 2300 RPM, I cruise at about 120 knots and consume eight gallons per hour of fuel.
Cessna certainly had their ducks in a row when they built the Cutlass RG. The factory-installed autopilot with tracker has performed flawlessly and required no work. The panel has room for all of the avionics that you can afford, or the Cutlass can lift. Trim is the usual tacky Cessna plastic that breaks if a shadow crosses it.
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