Cessna's new LSA: "Skycatcher"

I saw the plane today and sat in it. Looks good so far, but the
"plane" on display was missing a few things (like an engine). Also,
the glass panel displays were mockups. As for first impressions, it is
roomy and wide. I like the strut-aided swing-up doors, although I
found getting in and out rather difficult (had to duck my head down
and manually pull each leg back to clear the door frame. It appears
that the seats are fixed (fore/aft) and the pedal position is
adjustable. There is a cam arrangement underneath the seats that
allows raising or lowering them somewhat. The rudder pedals are on a
"platform" a few inches above the level of the footwells - which seems
a bit unnatural. The "yoke" is something between a control wheel and
joystick - emanates from the panel, but can be either rotated on the
shaft or moved left/right (as well as moved in or out). Didn't get a
chance to question Cessna's sales staff about how it works.

Cessna's electronic tally board showed some 170 orders at about 10:00
AM and 367 when I looked in again about 5:00 PM. Looks as though it is
going to be popular.


David Johnson