Cessna 206 Stationair

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Cessna. Model: 206. Nickname: Stationair
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Single Engine Land
> Engine Description: single piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/4/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 63
> Number of Times Flown: 34
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: Cessna 205

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 8
> Date First Flown: 11/19/1981
> Location First Flown: NAS Moffett Field, CA (KNUQ)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Navy Moffett Flying Club

Recollections: The 206 Stationair is the “pickup truck” of the Cessna line.  Depending on the particular year (the newer ones were typically heavier) you can put 5 or 6 adults in it and still have decent range.  My first experience with the 206 was a checkout in one at the Navy Flying Club when I was flying P-3’s at NAS Moffett.  We took the airplane on several trips, including a camping trip with two other couples with the intention of going to Catalina Island.  We didn’t make it due to weather, and spent the weekend in the rain at a different airport.  

I later flew the 206 on Production audits at Cessna, as a Night Vision Device (NVIS) training in Boise, ID and as a rental airplane in Seattle.  The 206 has noticeably more power (it’s a great step up for someone who learns in the 172; requires quite a bit of right rudder), and flies heavier (but still honestly) than its lighter brothers.  The biggest thing to remember is on landing, you really have to wait for and pull the nose up noticeably in the landing flare, or else you’ll touchdown nosegear first, which puts strain on the engine firewall.  Wait for it, pull it up and keep pulling higher than you’d ever think.