If ever we needed more proof that yesterday’s conventional wisdom is today’s grim reality, the Cessna Skycatcher may be Exhibit A. Five years ago, it was destined to sweep its way to the top of the light sport aircraft market, mowing down most of the competition in a relentless drive to market dominance. Today, the Skycatcher is just another dead-end GA product, leaving owners, if not stranded, definitely baffled.
In a move that stunned reporters at the NBAA show in Las Vegas last fall, Cessna CEO Scott Ernest abruptly announced that the Skycatcher program had no future and with some 200-plus aircraft in the field, dealers and Cessna Pilot Centers have been told nothing to suggest Cessna doesn’t mean what Ernest said.