Home » Aircraft » Pilot Reports » Cessna

Cessna

The Ageless Skylane

“Age and experience trump youth and enthusiasm every time.” Well, almost every time.

As I look down—and up—at the Andes Mountains ahead, I can’t help feeling some comfort that I’m flying one of the oldest, toughest airplanes above the planet. Santiago, Chile, is in the Skylane’s rear window as I climb higher above the famous Pan-American Highway, reaching for 13,000 feet to clear the tall ridgeline into Argentina.