Cessna 172RG Cutlass

craft is in a landing configuration with power reduced or flaps down. Raising the gear after takeoff is not hard to remember, somehow. But pi- lots new to retractables might forget to tap the brakes after liftoff-a rather foreign move for a newcomer. It is done to stop the rotation of the wheels before they move into the wheel wells. As the wheels spin, cen- trifugal force expands the tires. Any mud or ice in the wheel well could cause the wheels to rub as they are retracted. Stopping the motion also helps prevent wheel bearing wear. The cowl flaps are something else to add to the must-remember list. (Us- ing a checklist, of course, is the best way to aid your memory.) Leaving the cowl flap open at cruise can cost five or more knots in airspeed. One control that should be checked carefully on any Cutlass RG (and, it would appear, on any of the Cess- na singles) is the fuel selector. One Pi/ot staff member has flown two in which the selectors were very mushy and imprecise; on one of them the selector actually could be on the left tank while indicating both tanks. We have not determined whether the problem is design- or construc- tion-derived; but there is a great deal of inconsistency from one aircraft to another of the same model. Some are quite positive, with definite detents for each selector position. Others are very mushy; still others are very dif- ficult to move. Cessna has added a number of smaller refinements to the basic 172 airframe and cockpit. A new baggage- door lock replaces the old type, which often failed to operate. An- other improvement is that the sun vi- sor has been hinged all the way across the top-no more need to carry a Phillips screwdriver to keep the old visor in place. The new rounding-out of the gap seal at the leading edge of the elevator gives even better con- trol at low landing speed than is pro- vided in the Skyhawk. The cabin is the same roomy 172 cabin; but we did miss the extra width of the Skylane RG (which allows enough room be- tween the seats for a flight bag, not to mention the extra elbow room). The Cutlass I flew from Wichita, N5297V, had the II and Nav-Pac op- tions, which add $5,695 and $3,425, respectively, to the bare airframe price of $45,895. The II option in- cludes an ARC 300 series nav/com, an automatic direction finder and a transponder; a basic avionics kit of antennas and wiring; an emergency locator transmitter; a rotating beacon; dual flight controls; under-wing cour- tesy lights; navigation light detectors; and heated stall-warning and pitot systems. Nav-Pac adds a second nav / com, a glideslope receiver and a marker beacon receiver. The aircraft has an additional $6,835 in options, including an ARC 300 series autopilot ($3,020), an alti- tude encoder, strobes, instrument panel post lights and a heavy duty battery. Taking off from Wichita on my first cross-country flight in the Cutlass, I used the recommended rotation speed (Vr) of 55 knots. After gear retraction, the aircraft rapidly accelerated to 84 i(JAS (knots indicated airspeed), the CUTLASS RG Added features, subtle refinements give the RG its own identity. recommended best-rate-of-clim b speed (Vy). The Cutlass quickly climbed out at 700 fpm. When the gear came up, I was pre- pared for the hard shove forward on the control wheel that is required when the Skylane RG's gear retracts. Good thing I did not become heavy- handed automatically, for the Cutlass does not react as forcefully to retrac- tion as does the Skylane. Again, its docile reaction is a plus for the un- familiar pilot. (Muscle power is needed, however, to coax the Cutlass into a deliberate stall-but that is true of the Skyhawk too.) Since 5297V had only two hours on the tach, I followed the handbook in- structions when leveling off for the flight east. They call for a minimum of 75 percent power for the first 25 hours or until oil consumption has been stabilized. Initially flying at lower power settings could cause im- proper seating of the rings, so I left the economy-power trials for later. But even at 75 percent, the Cutlass AOPA PILOT • 39 With more power and less drag, the Cutlass can pick up 20 knots over the 172 Skyhawk. 940 ft 1,675 ft 800 fpm 145 kt nOnm 782 n m 830 nm 16,800 ft 625 ft 1.350 ft 54 kt 50 kt 164 kt 140 kt 132 kt 118 kt 145 kt 106 kt 130 kt 100 kt 140 kt 164 kt 67 kt 84 kt It came up with an airplane that seems to be attracting flight schools in search of a cheaper compl.ex trainer; pilots moving up to higher performance aircraft; those moving down to ride out the economic dol- drums; and those looking for good, basic transportation. D Cessna 172RG Cutlass Basic price $45.895 Price as tested (with Nav-Pac) $61,850 Engine Rl'commended THO Propeller Performance Takeoff distance (ground roll) Takeoff over 50 ft Rate of climb (gross wl'ight) Specifications Maximum level speed (SL) Lycoming 0-360-FIA6 Cruise speed 180 hp @ 2.700 rpm 75% power, 8,500 ft 2,000 hr 65% power, 10,000 ft McCauley 2-blade 55% power, 10,000 ft constant speed, 76.S-in. Range, with 45-rnin reserve Wingspan 36 ft @ 75% cruise (9,000 ft) Length 27 ft 5 in @ 65% cruise (10,000 ft) Height 8 ft 9.5 in @ 55% cruise (10,000 ft) Wing area 174 sq ft Service ceiling Wing loading 15.23 Ib/sq ft Landing distance (ground roll) Power loading 14.72 Ib/hp Landing over 50 ft Passengers and crew 4 Vsi (Stall speed clean) Cabin length 9 ft Vso (Stall speed gl'ar and flaps down) Cabin width 3 ft 3.5 in Vne (Never exceed spepd) Cabin height 4 ft Vno (Maximum structural cruising Empty weight 1.558 Ib spped) Empty weight (as tested) 1,660 Ib Va (Maneuvering spl'pd, 2,650 Ib) Useful load (basic aircraft) 1,092 Ib Vfe (Maximum flap-extpnded speed) Useful load (as teslt'd) 990 Ib To 10 degrl'l's flaps Payload with full fm'l (basic aircraft) no Ib 10 to 30 degn'l's flaps Payload with full ful'l (as tested) 618 Ib Vlo (Maximum landing-gl'ar- Gross weight 2,650 Ib operating spl'ed) Maximum ramp weight 2,658 Ib Vie (Maximum landing-gear- Ful'l capacity (standard) 66 gal (62 usable) extended speed) Oil capacity 9 qt Vx (Best angle-of-climb sp,'ed) Baggage capacity 200 Ib Vy (Best ratl'-of-climb spl'ed) Basl'd "n Manufacturer's Figures (All V-speeds indica/I'd airspeed) tractable." "All the way from Virginia on 19.7 gallons?" "Only 7.5 gallons an hour!" The interest is still here. And it is deserved. Cessna took an airplane that has been a solid seller over the years, added more and borrowed fea- tures to enhance its performance. burned only 10 gallons an hour. In the next eight hours eight minutes, it used 86.7 gallons of fuel, an aver- age of 10.6 gph. A Cessna represen- tative had indicated that I could ex- pect about 10 gph, and the book called for between 10.0 and 10.3 at our altitudes. Since I subjected 5297V to my usual headwinds, I won't talk about the to- tal time it took us to get across the country. I will tell you that 97V is faster than the book says it should be. (The Cessna test pilots had told me that they had found the Cutlass speedier than average and had checked it in the air against the speed of a 210. 97V consistently was faster than the book figures claimed.) I started the journey from Wichita at 5,000 feet, 50°F outside, with 2,500 rpm and 23 inches of manifold pres- sure (mp). The aircraft was about 100 pounds below the maximum takeoff weight of 2,650 pounds. Indicated airspeed was 130 knots and true was 143, although the book called for only 136 true. Throughout the trip, 97V picked up seven or eight knots over the perfor- mance figures. Because of the extra horsepower and the picked-up gear, it was getting about 20 knots more than the Skyhawk would have under the same conditions. Later I flew another Cutlass, with a 125-hour, broken-in engine. I climbed to 9,000, then set up at 2,400 rpm and 21 inches mp, 63 percent power, for an economy run. This time, our load was 100 pounds less than 97V's. ATC later shot me up to 11,000, if one could call the Cutlass's couple of hundred feet per minute climb at that high altitude a shot. Cruising at 11,000 at 57 percent power, we averaged 110 knots indi- cated airspeed, 125 true, for the two- hour 40-minute flight. The book called for fuel consumption of be- tween 8.6 gph at 63 percent and 7.8 at 57 percent. We used 7.5 gph. That is close to the book figures for the Skyhawk, which would have been flying about 110 true. At the New York destination, I met some straight-Ieg-l72 pilots who, de- spite the presence of more exotic air- craft on the tiedown line, headed straight for the Cutlass. "Ah, the re-