LOOP News

12 JUL 06: CESSNA SECRET TO BREAK COVER

WILL Cessna announce details of its 'Next Generation Piston' (NGP) aeroplane at the annual AirVenture at the end of this month?

That's the buzz going round the General Aviation industry as it gears up for the world's biggest light aviation event, held every year at the home airfield of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA.

The new Cessna, dubbed the "Cirrus Killer" because it will be in direct competition with the best-selling Cirrus SR20 and SR22 aircraft, is rumoured to be the first of a completely new range to replace the existing - and dated - 172, 182 and 206.

Rumours of the NGP's construction and features are flying round the Internet. It's said that a prototype is in Cessna's paintshop now, at its HQ in Kansas, being readied for AirVenture. It's said to be a strutless high-wing construction, sticking with Cessna's tradition for its piston aircraft, and of hybrid construction, using both composite and aluminium components.

The first model to be launched is likely to be a replacement for the 182 and a direct rival for the Cirrus SR22, the current best-selling single-engine piston aircraft in the world. A four-seater, it is likely to have more cabin space than the Cirrus, a 180kt cruise and a longer range. Power plants options are a large capacity avgas engine with full electronic control and a single power lever (FADEC), but it's rumoured that Cessna is also looking at diesel possibilities.

If the 182 replacement is first, the new Cessna will also have to be able to cope with grass and bumpy strips, and have short takeoff and landing performance.

The aircraft will be built with a glass cockpit from scratch, with Garmin's G1000 in pole position. Given the pace of development in avionics, we could expect to see some form of 'Highway In The Sky' (HITS) display giving not only a terrain display but also instrument approaches.

According to one rumour, the company has yet to decide on a conventional yoke or side or floor mounted stick. Engineers prefer the stick option because it frees up space behind the panel. A side stick is not only the modern choice but is also makes it much easier to get in and out of the seats.

"Lots of other bells and whistles are also planned," says one informant, thought to be a Cessna dealer, "like dash-mounted CO detectors, multiple air bags, integrated air conditioning with automobile style digital thermostats and the like." The case for an emergency parachute system has also yet to be decided.

Other models in the pipeline are a six-place 206 replacement, and finally, a new four-seat 172.
John Frank, technical support director for the Cessna Pilots Association, says the boss of Cessna, Jack Pelton, told him flat-out that a new airplane was in the works. "Cessna is totally committed to the single engine line," Pelton is quoted as saying. "The company will not let that market wither on the vine. We are working on new products."

W: www.cessna.com

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12 JUL 06: CESSNA SECRET TO BREAK COVER