Cessna 177 Question

Resq5hvy

It was in the land of long ago, when I was not 6’6” tall my sperm donor, dad, took me to the airport to see a Cardinal, Cessna 177RG. It was a big plane, I thought.

So today I was at the shop, not that I visit the shop a lot because data bases are out of date or I was there today because my Arrow broke its alternator belt…..again. Slight misalignment. BFH fixed that. But there was a 177 fixed gear in the shop having the spar stripped of glue. It also has a white prop, very nice white prop. (I am a prop racist, I like white ones.) But back to the “It’s a big plane” thing in my head. Standing in front of it I could see the top side of the wing. The gas caps just like on my aerodynamic Piper Cherokee, sticking up on the wing. At least the Piper lets you know how much ice you have, 4 inches the cap is no longer visible but I found the side windows usually ice over before the cap get covered, so the Piper caps become worthless. Walking up to it the wing root was at my neck. Did I encounter an unknown pigmy Cessna 177 species? Do the RG’s stand taller?

After spending 6 hours in the Arrow going down to Sun N Blister, (I am extremely Caucasian), I questioned my sanity of buying a low wing. It took me a long while to figure out how to step off the wing once we took a nice drive through the back pasture at Winter Haven KGIF, onto that grass. If I had that 177 I don’t think I could have gotten out without falling over.

I always thought 177’s were 210 size, just fewer opportunities to make bad decisions on who to fly across the planet with. Instead of you and 5 people you know with micro bladder you can only take 3 in a C 177. You know, Gear up and I gotta pee. This 177 was shorter than the 172’s. I did look, it has the slotted tail so it is a B model. B for baby?

I am so confuzzled, C 177 are big planes, but I could not walk under even its wing tip. The difference between the pigmy 177 and my Arrow II wing tips is only 2-2.5 feet.

jacobsja

From the memory files (which fade with each passing day)...

Yup. The C17X series is not all that big. More like to adding two more seats to a C15X. Sat in the back of enough 17X's for cross country trips to appreciate that they are compact. And walking around them requires constant spacial awareness for anybody taller than ~5' 5", otherwise can expect scalping from control surfaces or impaling from the pitot.

Hangar neighbor has the strutless C17X (forget which model number), is about 6', and has to crouch to get under the wing.

Stepping up to the C18X series starts to get some additional size.

Resq5hvy

I think it must be the strutless wing on the 177 and the big doors is why I remember it as 210 like. With my limited mobility a 177 would not work…except the big doors and the short fall out of the seat may speed my exit but would do little to help with my gracefulness.

I agree they are more akin to a 150 in height.

I thought they were so big. Another childhood memory down in flames.