I understand what Cessna has done and I applaud them for it. I think the publicized idea that Cessna will want new owners to upgrade to more sophisticated aircraft is ironic since true LSA pilots would not have such an option...this is their (pardon) terminal aircraft. Perhaps Cessna's marketers were aiming more at the younger crowd at the flight schools (the majority of their orders at OSH were flight schools) than the old geezers who question their medical viability.
I believe Cessna is using the LSA specs as a way of recreating the 150 in an "affordable" form. It's been said in the past that building a 150 today would cost almost as much as a 172. Considering the bulk of the expense is in the engine and avionics, I can believe that.
Yet there's obviously a need for a new 150 - look how many 152s have high hours as the flight schools hold onto 'em forever.
The new Cessna 162 gives flight schools the new trainer they've been clamoring for, and it gives Cessna a great way to build brand loyalty. Now a new pilot's first experience in a Cessna won't be a 20-30 year-old 150/152, but rather a shiny new 162. And everyone remembers their first plane.
Speaking of brand loyalty - I've been snowmobiling for about 20 years and have seen many people introduced to the sport. Almost without fail, people buy a sled from the same brand that they first rode. If their first ride was on an Arctic-Cat, then they bought a 'Cat. If it was a Ski-Doo (even if everyone else was riding Cats), then they bought a Ski-Doo. That primacy of learning is very powerful.
Granted, airplanes are bit different, but when your first few, formative, stressful hours are in a Cessna, that brand gets imprinted on your brain. When it comes time to buy a plane (always a stressful process), it's more comforting to pick a brand you're already familiar with.
Yes, Cessna is calling the 162 an LSA, but that's not what it's for....
