Cessna 152 Pilot’s Guide

Doors: to ensure a securely closed door, open the window, and pull firmly on the frame. Seat Belts: adjust and tighten the seat belts with the door open, then verify every part of the seat belt is inside the cabin prior to closing the doors. Cockpit Management The cockpit is not large, so a good understanding of cockpit management and control placement is important prior to flight. Pilot Equipment. Be aware of all equipment in the cockpit. Whatever was brought into the cockpit for flight MUST also exit the cockpit after flight. This includes pens, water bottles, headsets, etc. Even a missing pen has the potential to jam critical flight control systems! Cessna 152 Pilot’s Guide Version 1.0 8 Glareshield. Be careful not to place objects on top of the glareshield. Objects will slide and scratch the plexiglass windshield! Sun Visors. The sun visors found in the Cessna aircraft are EASY to break! Please move them carefully when repositioning to ensure they are not bent against the aircraft interior. Parking Brake. The aircraft parking brake should always remain OFF, as pictured. The aircraft chocks will provide security to ensure the aircraft remains in its parking spot. If the parking brake is left on and the aircraft is towed, it will damage the brakes and could cause a fire. Environmental Controls. The aircraft is equipped with fresh air vents and cabin heat controls. The upper fresh air vents can be rotated to direct airflow as desired. The Cabin Air and Cabin Heat controls can be pulled ON as far as desired to obtain more or less flow as desired. Volume and Mic Control. Setting the volume appropriately can be a confusing process, but a few minutes will make a flight much more enjoyable! In the Cessna 152 there are several places volume can be adjusted. Intercom. The intercom controls the volume and mic sensitivity of the occupants’ headsets. It is important to adjust volume and mic sensitivity (also known as ‘squelch’) prior to flight. Different aviation headsets will require different settings in the same aircraft, due to differences in headset mics and speakers. It can be helpful to change to a separate, non-active frequency while making intercom adjustments, so there is not extra radio chatter in the background. Cessna 152 Pilot’s Guide Version 1.0 9 Adjust the intercom volume to a comfortable level. Some intercoms have individual volume controls for the pilot and passengers, while others are a single volume control for all occupants. Adjust the squelch (mic sensitivity) so that the mic activates when you and your passengers speak at a normal level. A light, continuous background static may indicate that the mic setting is too sensitive and is not turning off between sentences. As with volume controls, there may be separate squelch controls for the pilot and passengers. Radios. The second volume setting is that of the individual Comm and Nav radios. Each radio’s volume is individually adjustable, for maximum flexibility. Test and set radio volumes before communication begins with ATC! The previous pilot may have needed much more volume than your ears want to hear! Cessna 152 Pilot’s Guide Version 1.0 10 The Nav radios are also volume-adjustable, but must be selected on the audio panel before they can be received in the headset. Headsets. The final volume control is found on the headset. Not all headsets are equipped with volume control, but if the headset is equipped, it will control the overall volume of all communications (both intercom and radios) coming into the user’s headset. Some headsets, as pictured at left, allow the volume to be controlled individually in either ear. Ground Handling and Parking Parking and moving the aircraft can be a challenge on a busy ramp. Always taxi at no more than a walking pace when near other aircraft and objects. If in doubt, STOP THE AIRCRAFT AND GET HELP. ALWAYS ENSURE THE KEYS ARE NOT IN THE IGNITION AND THE BATTERY MASTER IS OFF BEFORE MOVING THE AIRCRAFT BY HAND. Moving Forward. When moving the aircraft forward, it is acceptable to pull at the base of the propeller or push on the wing struts. If someone is pushing on the wing struts, ensure he/she is pushing as close to the fuselage as possible, to minimize turning tendency. Cessna 152 Pilot’s Guide Version 1.0 11 Moving Backward. When moving the aircraft backward, push on the wing struts or the base of the propeller blades. DO NOT PUSH ON THE PROPELLER SPINNER. As necessary, it is possible to reposition the aircraft by pressing down on the structure of the horizontal stabilizer as shown. Winter Operations While winter can provide some wonderful flying conditions, it does come with its own set of challenges. One of the primary concerns involves starting a cold engine. To mitigate this, the aircraft should be pre-heated, using the provided engine blanket and engine block heater. Engine Blanket. The engine blankets come in various styles. When installing the engine blanket, drape it over the cowling first. Attach the Velcro from the spinner down, then attach the folds as illustrated to secure the blanket. Cessna 152 Pilot’s Guide Version 1.0 12 CAUTION: Be sure the blanket folds behind the nose wheel are secured ABOVE the scissor link, as illustrated in the picture at right. If the nosewheel interferes with the blanket, it could rip the blanket! TANIS Heater Plug-In. Inflight aircraft are equipped with block heaters to pre- heat the engine oil and cylinders. The plug-in is located in the oil door. Be sure to verify the extension cord LED is illuminated, otherwise there is no power going to the engine heater! Thank you for taking the time to learn how to better use the Cessna 152! We hope this guide has been helpful as you learn how to better operate this aircraft. If there are any topics you would like to see covered in future revisions of this user guide, please let us know. We are always interested to hear how we can better educate and teach pilots. Cessna 152 Pilot’s Guide Version 1.0 13 Record of Revisions Version Description Author Date 1.0 First publication B. Porch 1/21/20