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If sales are brisk, and there is sufficient demand, I am sure Cessna will find a way to accomodate some of our requirements.

I don't know about a taildragger conversion/option, but fuel injection, more power, and more payload (with certification) may be worth their while.

Time will tell.

With an empty weight of 830, and probably about 900 with additional beef up, the max gross could be under 1600 and have a larger payload than the 150. With 1600 max gross, the payload would be 700 pounds!

But consensus standards, which is what LSA uses, are far easier, cheaper, and quicker to achieve than an FAA certification.

The second most common cause of 150 fatal accidents (it seems to me using only ancedotal information, flying into IMC is first) is fuel exhaustion. A 30 gallon tank would be my first choice for improvement. Fly till noon, refuel, then fly until evening.

I just got off the horn with TCM asking about if any improvements have been made in the O-200D regarding the leading problems that may help our vintage engines. The guy seemed quite candid. He claims there were no changes to the cylinders except for tapering the barrel fins, so nothing that would affect leading.

The valve guide clearances were changed in ~2000 for a bit more clearance. Those of us with cylinders that haven't been touched since before then should consider having them reamed. That should only add 2-3 hrs to do whenever other engine work is being performed. He suggested that just reaming the valve guides every 2-300 hrs has pretty much solved the problems especially in flight schools. He's aware a lot of schools do use autofuel to reduce cost.

The O-200D engines are to be approved for autogas by TCM although A and B engines are not. He also told me a new design 200 size engine (He gave me a more specific number but I didn't write it down) is in the works but will only be certified for LSA.

Since I had my valve reamed my engine does run smoother. I suspect I've had a tight, lazy valve all along.

There is also the matter of positive and negative G forces. I don't see that in the published specs for the 162

Reg

Well it took Cessna long enough to find the err in their ways

An interesting question was brought up over on the Yahoo Forum. With these multi-function displays, what happens when you loose just one element? Say, Airspeed? VSI? Altitude? or other? Will you have to have the whole unit removed and sent in for repairs? Also, what happens if you have an electrical failure? Is there a backup available?

Just curious!

Bill,

G'day,

No....no backup as such from what I can see......Its all over bar the shouting, of course you should not be IFR anyway so it's visual all the way to the ground and seat of the pants flying until your on the ground

Cheers

Bill has some good questions. That big, fancy MFD looks great at first. But it goes against the old words of wisdom "Don't keep all of your eggs in one basket". I wouldn't fly one without at least having something like a Garmin 296 which has the instrument panel page.

Without knowing for sure, I'd guess that the repair costs for the MFD would eclipse that of rebuilding an analog instrument. Who will repair the MFD? Will you be forced to deal with only the manufacturer? If you land somewhere away from home and lose one function, you could be leaving your plane there for a long time.

On the other side of things, the MFD is probably much lighter.

IMHO the O-200 was the wise choice of engines.

The MFDs are a wonder to look at, but some good questions have been raised here. You can bet Garmin will be the only ones who will be servicing these units, but my question is: For how long? Reviewing the history of various avionics, you know that at some point in time they become "unservicable" once the factory stops "supporting" them.

I'd hate to be the owner who's airplane is grounded for weeks (or longer) because some glitch (major or minor) has made it necessary to remove something and send it in to Garmin. Additionally, the nightmares will really begin once the warranty has expired and you-know-who has to pay the bill.

These wonderfully inovative MFDs could ultimately be the airplane's Achilles heel...especially for the long term owner.

***sigh**** I am of course assuming that all of you guys are driving pre- 1970's vehicles for your daily transportation, that you don't own a computer or microwave (oh..I guess that can't be the case) and that your MTBF on your timex watch is only a few hours right.

Truth is y'all...technology is coming and has been here a long time now. While early products had high failure rates, the further we go with this stuff, the more reliable it becomes.

Why borrow trouble when talking about a VFR aircraft. If it were IFR it would have back up systems.

Oh....and don't tell me you haven't lost your ASI, or even a cable driven speedometer before (sorry officer, my speedo is broken and I was driving by the tach).

Don't stand in the way of technology or it will run over you. Doesn't mean I need it or want it, but I must admit that life with my 296 is sure a lot simpler.