Cessna 162 Skycatcher

Cessna announced the 162 Skycatcher in 2007 as a clean-sheet LSA design aimed at the rapidly growing light-sport market. The airplane was designed in conjunction with Shenyang Aircraft Industry in China and assembled in Shenyang, which made the Skycatcher one of the first US-certified aircraft assembled in China. First customer deliveries were 2010, three years after announcement. The original price was supposed to be $109,000 base. By delivery time the price had climbed to roughly $150,000, partly due to manufacturing cost overruns and partly due to currency and tariff changes.

Sales never matched projections. Cessna had targeted 1,000 aircraft per year. Actual production peaked at less than 100 per year. Cessna delivered about 275 Skycatchers total before suspending production in 2013. The remaining production examples shipped through 2014. Cessna formally exited the LSA market and ended Skycatcher support obligations beyond standard product-support commitments shortly after.

The fleet that exists today is primarily in private ownership and some flight school service. Cessna (now Textron) continues to provide parts support through standard product-support channels, but the priority is meaningfully lower than for current production aircraft. Parts lead times for some components run 6 to 12 weeks. Some specialty parts have limited availability. The Skycatcher is functional and flyable but its long-term support trajectory is uncertain in a way that doesn't apply to the current Cessna piston lineup.

The Cessna 162 Skycatcher cruises at about 110 KTAS at 75% power, burning 5.5 gph of 100LL or auto fuel (the O-200-D is approved for both). At long-range cruise, the airplane drops to 100 KTAS on 4.8 gph. Performance is comparable to a Cessna 150 with slightly better cruise and modestly better climb. The airplane is competent but not extraordinary in its category.

Useful load is the Skycatcher's structural limit as an LSA. The 1,320 lb MTOW limit (defined by LSA category) caps total weight, which means useful load is about 490 pounds. Full fuel (24 gallons usable) leaves about 350 pounds for two people and minimal bags. Two adults of typical weight plus an overnight bag fit. Two larger adults or any meaningful luggage requires careful weight management. Range with reserves is about 400 nm at long-range cruise.

The Continental O-200-D is the Skycatcher's engine. It's a lighter-weight variant of the O-200-A used in the Cessna 150, optimized for the LSA weight limits. Continental's published TBO is 2,000 hours per Continental Service Information Letter SIL 98-9E. The O-200-D is approved for both 100LL and unleaded auto fuel at appropriate octane ratings, which gives operators flexibility in fuel sourcing.

Field overhauls at Gann Aviation or other reputable shops run $30,000 to $38,000 in 2026 prices. The O-200-D family shares overhaul shop expertise with the Cessna 150's O-200-A. Continental parts availability for the O-200 line remains reasonable due to the active 150 fleet.

Real-world reliability on the small Skycatcher fleet has been generally good. The O-200-D engine is the proven part of the airplane. Issues that surface on used Skycatchers tend to be airframe and avionics specific rather than engine-related.

Plan on $100 to $145 per flight hour at 75 hours a year of utilization, all-in. The Skycatcher is roughly comparable to a Cessna 150 on operating economics but with somewhat higher acquisition cost. Fuel and oil run about $32 to $42 per hour at 5.5 gph and $5.50 to $7 for 100LL (or less for approved unleaded auto fuel). Engine overhaul reserve is $15 to $19 per hour based on a $30,000 to $38,000 overhaul amortized across the 2,000-hour TBO. Airframe maintenance reserve is $10 to $18 per hour.

Annual fixed costs (hangar, insurance, annual inspection) add another $35 to $60 per hour at 75 hours a year of utilization. LSA operators benefit from being able to perform their own light-sport repairman maintenance after a 16-hour course (LSRM-A or LSRM-M certificate). That can reduce annual maintenance cost meaningfully for owners willing to invest the training time.

Acquisition cost in mid-2026: Standard Skycatchers trade $65,000 to $95,000 in flyable condition. Examples with low hours and current avionics run up to $110,000. Aircraft with high hours, older Garmin G300 software, or parts-availability concerns trade at the low end of the range. The market has been thin enough that pricing has wider variance than for higher-volume aircraft.

Parts support is the structural concern with the Skycatcher. Textron continues to support the airplane through standard product-support channels, but the priority is lower than for current production aircraft. Common items remain available. Less-common parts have longer lead times. Some specialty parts (specific Garmin G300 components, certain airframe items unique to the Skycatcher) have limited availability and have driven some owners to ground their airplanes pending parts.