IATA CN1ICAO C172

Cessna 172

Cessna

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The world's most popular single-engine training aircraft.

First flight

1955

Category

Piston light aircraft

Seating

3 passengers + 1 pilot (4 total)

Range

1,289 km

Engines

1 × Lycoming IO-360-L2A flat-four piston engine (180 hp, in current C172S)

Status

In production

The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing, fixed-wing aircraft produced by Cessna. First flown in 1955, it has become the most successful mass-produced light aircraft in history, with more than 44,000 units built as of the mid-2020s. Widely used for flight training, personal travel, and private aviation, the 172 is renowned for its forgiving flight characteristics, reliability, and ease of operation. It is the aircraft in which a majority of pilots worldwide have earned their private pilot certificates. The aircraft has undergone numerous variants and updates over the decades, including the addition of fuel-injected engines, glass cockpit avionics (G1000), and improved airframes. Production resumed in 1996 after a hiatus and continues today under Textron Aviation.

Notable operators

No major commercial airlines operate the Cessna 172; it is primarily used by flight schools such as ATP Flight School, university aviation programs, and private owners worldwide.

Notable facts

›Over 44,000 Cessna 172s have been built, more than any other aircraft in history.
›A Cessna 172 set the world record for flight endurance, staying aloft for 64 days, 22 hours, 19 minutes, and 5 seconds in 1958–1959.
›Production was halted from 1986 to 1996 due to liability concerns but resumed after U.S. tort reform.
›The current production model, the C172S Skyhawk SP, is available with the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit.
›It is the most commonly used aircraft for private pilot training in the United States and many other countries.

Read more on Wikipedia

This profile is provided for general information only. Specifications may be inaccurate or vary by variant/operator — verify with the manufacturer before relying on them.

Encyclopaedia

The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company. First flown in 1955, more 172s have been built than any other aircraft. It was developed from the Cessna 170, which was first manufactured in 1948, but with tricycle landing gear rather than conventional landing gear. The Skyhawk name was originally used for a trim package, but was later applied to all standard-production 172 aircraft; in the 1980s, the 172 was briefly marketed as the Cutlass. The 172 was also produced under license in France by Reims Aviation. The 172 was developed into the more powerful but less successful Cessna 175; after that aircraft's discontinuation, Cessna and Reims used the 175 type certificate to develop the R172 series, which includes several aircraft marketed as 172 variants.

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