152--->172

[MAKG1]

When I was training and the single 152 was broken, I took a 172. I never went back. My shins and left shoulder were much happier in the 172. I'm not that big, but I can't fit in a 152 without opening the window or leaning all the time (and it took much longer than you might think to figure out why the **** I was always flying in a slip in a 152, and not in a 172 or 182).

 

[Dan Thomas]

Stick forces like that also lead one to consider the structural integrity of the control yoke.

I recall a day when I was instructing, and a 182 pilot parked his airplane on our ramp after a landing. He shut down and got out of his airplane with an ashen look on his face, and one-half of the yoke in his hand.

Two things there: There are a series of inspections called the Continuing Airorthiness Program that Cessna has for their airplanes. Stuff that mostly isn't on their inspection sheets and certainly isn't in the generic inspection stuff in the regulations. One of those CAP items is a check for a cracked control wheel. Many of them were plastic and would do exactly what you describe.

Second thing: There's a Service Bulletin that demands an inspection of the control column tube in the 140/150/152/170/172/175/180/185 (182s and 210s have a different setup). That tube is a thinwalled steel affair that rocks back and forth ahead of the instrument panel and works the elevator controls, and it can get water in it and cause the bottom end to rot out and fail. A VERY bad thing that should have an AD on it. One airplane had that tube fail in a strong wind just sitting outside with the control lock in.

There are many such SBs or CAPs than can save your life, but since they're not legally mandatory they often get ignored. Good thing the situations they address are rare.

There is another weakness that any owner or pilot of a 172 should be aware: Do Not raise the nosewheel to turn the airplane by pushing down on the horizontal stabilizer. That overstresses the forward stab spar and causes it to crack radially from the lightening hole in its center. Besides being dangerous, it's expensive to fix. I one ferried a 172 that turned out to have that spar completely broken through; only thing holding it was the skin. A recovery from a spin could have failed it. That airplane had a shocking number of lethal defects, including no nuts on the lower wing strut bolts. And it had just had an "annual." Yup, some tightwad owner and a careless mechanic.

Made me very cautious about what I flew after that.

Dan

 

[Dan Thomas]

There is certainly an AD out for 172s older than 1997. But have you ever experienced that?

I train all my passengers in the Cessna Butt Wiggle and give them a warning that, if it happens, let it slide and don't grab anything in front. But it has never happened.

The biggest civil aviation lawsuit in history came about when the seat lock failed in a 185 on floats, on takeoff. It crashed and killed the owner, and his estate sued for for $450 million, IIRC, and won. I think Textron is probably still appealing that nearly 20 years later.

AD 2011-10-09 supersedes the older ADs on all those seat and rail parts, and I still find stuff shot to pieces. What part of "inspect" don't some guys get?

Dan