Posted on 11/28/2007 9:27:15 AM PST by Freeport
Cessna has become the latest airframe manufacturer to tap into China's growing aircraft production expertise, with the US airframer picking AVIC I subsidiary Shenyang Aircraft to assemble its new Model 162 SkyCatcher light sport aircraft (LSA).
Under the terms of the agreement, Shenyang will be responsible for aircraft assembly and Cessna will provide on-site personnel to oversee manufacturing, quality assurance and technical design. Cessna will design the aircraft and handle American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) compliance work, and be responsible for sales, distribution, customer service and warranty administration.
(Excerpt) Read more at flightglobal.com ...
I still have mine!
Wing failure during an accelerated stall or high G turn, or strong thermal would worry me. :)
“Free trade”: sell your sovereignty, kill your manufacturing base and become a third world nation all in one easy scam.
Yup.
Aircraft manufactures get it in the neck, when it’s mostly the pilot who’s screwed up.
So the family sues, and wins because juries are swayed by tears & not facts. I’ve participated in more than a few crash investigations and have seen the results; aircraft performs flawlessly, pilot screws up, get s killed, family sues, manufacture pays...
Until the buyer's check clears.
I’ll stick to my credo: “BUY AMERICAN”.
Unfortunately, IT’S NOT.
And it applies to MUCH of the US Manufacturing that has gone overseas...
The SkyCatcher’s price is $109500(rising to 111,5000 after the 1st 1,000)
It was origianlly envisioned as LESS than $100K aircraft, but they couldn’t get it there...
“It was origianlly envisioned as LESS than $100K aircraft, but they couldn’t get it there.”
So about 70k of that is reserved for litigation?
Remind me..
Which party is it that supports those platforms again?
You have that right. It’s the conspiracy between the Lawyers, Greenies, and the DemocRATS. Unions are to stupid to see it, as they are killing themselves.
Well just another reason to buy Cirrus.
Still not getting it I see... Go look at the OTHER manufactures of light aircraft... Notice wher they build their craft? Places like Oshkosh, Wichita, Hutchinson, Deluth, etc... Ya know... In the USA?
There is zero reason thta it couldn’t be done here competitively... Except for Cessna’s overhead... See labor costs.
“There are quite a few aircraft manufactures on these shores designing and building aircraft for the new sport class and they seem to be able to compete just fine...”
I’d like to see a comparison of the impact labor costs have vs. the government regulation costs. If you can dump your toxic chemicals in the back it certainly cheaper to manufacture.
I've seen structural failures on Chinese motorcycles. Defective welds (bubbles; but sometimes pretty on the outside), and outright stressed member failings due to inferior alloys. Sure, Cessna will present one or two copies for FAR approval with state of the art metals from their space program. The rest will be made from ground up Chinese motorcycles.
This tidbit from MEyers Aircraft, a kit builder....
The FAA has added layer upon layer to the certification requirements contained in FAR Part 23. This was done because of the increase in complexity and performance through the years brought about by turbine powered aircraft.
Unfortunately, these same regulations also apply to both entry level and high performance piston aircraft such as the Meyers 200D. I
n recent years the FAA has relaxed some of the certification criteria for very basic, entry level training aircraft. These relaxed rules do not apply to an aircraft in the Meyers 200D’s category.
Due to these complex requirements, there has not been a new type certification in the U.S. of a practical, high performance, retractable gear, piston aircraft in many years.
It is estimated that to certify a high performance light aircraft (similar to the Meyers 200D) and get it into production would cost over twenty million dollars.
(For a detailed cost analysis utilizing the DAPCA IV model, Click Here.) To amortize this initial certification expense and provide a reasonable return on investment, the retail price would be far too high for the marketplace. Over-regulation has basically stifled aircraft development by making it impossible to get a reasonable return on investment.
Right now the insurance and the $5.00/gal AvGas are the main issues.
Had things turned out differently, Wong Wei could have had a comfy job as a Skycatcher test pilot.
15 years ago, a group wanted to build a 4 place and sell it for under $50K. They even went so far as to lease a factory in Witchita.
(Wish I could remember who it was)
That went out the window when they found out product liability coverage would be over 50K PER AIRFRAME!
I believe they ended up selling it as a kit...
So if you fly somewhere in it, do you feel a need to fly again in an hour?
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