CTSW First Impression

[ToddS]

I liked it!

 

I flew 996CT out of KEMT El Monte, CA. I trained in the 162 and this was my first flight in a different plane. The CT felt very light compared to the Cessna, from preflight to landing. I will say that the Skycatcher is a more solidly built plane and it feels that way. The major pluses for the CT was performance and comfort.I can't believe how this plane climbs with full fuel and two passengers. Wonderful!! I did mostly an intro lesson (slow fligt, turns, patterns) to get a feel for the plane, but we also cruised a bit with -6 flaps and it really made a nice performance increase. Overall, I can't believe how "sporty and nimble" the CTSW feels. Very nice! I can see how someone can have a lot of fun in this plane. Getting in and sitting in the CT was a joy. Much easier than the 162. The CTSW just seemed to 'fit' me very well. Very pleasantly surprised about this. For the most part, I liked where all the controls were. The stick is in a perfect position. In the Skycatcher, I have to reach a bit for the "stick" and have no support for my forearm. Same with the throttle. In the CT, it was a great to have my arm on my left thigh while I held the stick. The controls were placed well, though a bit tight. Engaging the parking brake with that small reflective switch caused my knuckle to move the throttle forward slightly. Even after knowing this and being careful, I did it again. LOL Electronic flaps were awesome compared to the manual stick in the 162. More rudder is needed in the CT to stay coordinated, but it felt very natural.

 

Landings were pretty much a breeze, except for the sight picture. All we did was cut the throttle at the numbers on downwind and went to 15 flaps. This gave us 3000 rpm. Point the nose down for 500 ft/min and 70 kts and we brought that into the runway with no changes. Easy! (relatively) Plane settled well, and behaved well in ground effect, better than the Cessna, much better actually. Understand though, it was a very calm day. The sight picture was a bit weird to me. In the 162, when you point the nose at something, like the numbers, that's where it's going to go, and you're sure of it. In the CT, it wasn't that clear. Coming down on short final, I 'felt' I was on the center line, and it seemed the plane was yawed slightly to the right if anything, where I'd think to add a slight touch of left rudder, and the CFI was calling for (the usual) right rudder. I said right there to him, "Really?" Doesn't look that way to me. And we talked about the sight picture. On the last landing, I actually moved my head to the center of the cockpit to get a better view, and it did look better/straighter. So obviously, it takes a few flights to get used to this, as I've seen mention several times about the CT.

 

Overall, nice plane and I liked it. I'm considering buying one and will fly it a few more times until I make the decision. Unfortunately, I lost a good guy who wanted to partner up on it (wife said no, what a *****) which will make it a little more difficult for me, but still doable.

[Jim]

Nice writeup. I've found that a black dot or mark on the windscreen to indicate runway alignment is very useful.

[Mick]

You're right - Great plane. On sight picture, I have added a strip of tape to the top of the mushroom to line me up with the runway (check this while taxing)

and it is a big help. I came from C172 and lack of nose cowl was a real problem.

[mocfly]

One thing I found that helpe was to keep the centerline o the runway between your feet. That was the breakthrough that helped keep me lined up

[Jim Meade]

The farther out you look, the farther down the runway, the less problem you have with the sight picture lining up naturally. The plane I bought had the dots for lining things up and I removed them. I didn't use them. Look WAY...WAY...WAY down the runway and see if that doesn't help lining up.

[coppercity]

If you keep the centerline between your feet and the centerline parallel to the ridge that runs down the top of the instrument panel you will be straight. The gps antennas mounted on the center of the instrument panel will look well right of center when seated in the left seat, and well left when seated in the right seat.

[CT4ME]

Common thing and you'll get over it quickly. With such a wide cockpit, you're setting quite a ways off-center. Moving your head to the center position was a good idea. For a real shock, try it from the right seat - it's just the opposite! I've found that most folks start off tilted maybe 20 degrees (or more) to the left, or right if your flying from the right seat. It probably accounts for at least some of the incidents where beginners have left the runway on landing. I know of one rookie :blush: who had a runway light go between the nose wheel and the left outside wheel. :unsure:

I subscribe to the "dots" method, but eventually the "line between your feet" seems natural.

Tim

[ToddS]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I know it's just a matter of getting used to. I saw this video showing the lines on both the right and left sides of the windscreen in a CTLS:

 

 

Nice video btw. This month I have a few xC's scheduled in the SkyCatcher and then I'm going to work on my airspace endorsement in the CTSW and get checked out in it, and most importantly, decide if I love it enough to buy one. All good times to look forward to!

 

Appreciate all the help!

 

Todd

[Desconhecido]

I started out a couple months ago in a Cessna 162 and am currently training in a Remos GX. Considering buying either a CTSW or CTLS and will probably take some dual in a CTLS in the near future. Don't think that there are any flight schools with CTSWs within driving distance of Houston, but there is at least one CTLS in Georgetown, TX.

 

About that Skycatcher: I'm not going to bash the airplane and I'm sure that there are some folks who prefer the all metal/ Continental 200 approach to a LSA, but for my money, the composite plane with the Rotax is a nicer plane to fly. I know that I'm talking about a Remos and not a CTSW/CTLS (there aren't any at Flight schools in the Houston areas, as far as I know). One thing is that flying the 162 on a hot summer afternoon in Texas is a very jarring experience -- literally. I'm guessing that the CTLS/CTSW will be more like the Remos than the Skycatcher in that regard. The CFI that I had with the Cessna really hated the mechanical flap actuation and with the plane that we flew there appeared to be something odd about the actuation. The CFI had difficulty manipulating the flaps from the right seat but I didn't from the left. My suspicion is that there is something about the mechanism which favors pull to the left. The other big deal about the 162 is the weight. It's supposed to be something like 835# empty, but that doesn't include things like engine oil. The one we flew was 867# and it didn't have a BRS and only had the minimum avionics. The CTSW and CTLS are probably 100# lighter.

 

So, again, I'm sure the C162 is a fine airplane and will fill a need for all those Cessna oriented flight schools, but my preference is for the Remos over the Skycatcher and I suspect that the CTSW/CTLS planes are even better than the Remos. But then, I haven't had the opportunity to try the FDs yet.

[Gmoore7]

Hey guys and gals.

I have now had my 2007 CTSW for right at 60 days and of course I still love it. I have finally settled down on the landings which are always a challenge here in South texas due to the winds. They are usually over 10 plus knots and at my airport (KTFP) they are generaly 30 to 90 degrees off the runway.

I have flown mostly Cessna and Piper retracts, but I gotta tell you this is a great plane to fly.

 

There is an LSA flight school in Houston at West Houston Airport (WIS I think) that has Tecnam aircraft and they are okay, but not near the quality of FDCT. I found them hard to adapt to compared to FD.

 

By the way for you new owners like me when you talk to ATC and they keep asking you what type of LSA aircraft you are tell them that it is listed in their computer as FDCT.

 

One more thing for those considering other planes. You will not a better forum for support than this one. I am still very impressed of how the certified A/P mechanics give their advice freely and without reservation. I hope to join one of the Flyins as they look like a lot of fun with a lot of real nice people.