Why Is The Cessna 172 So Successful?

for aviation enthusiasts worldwide cessna is a household name the cessna aircraft company now owned by textron aviation is one of the largest general and business aviation manufacturers worldwide the manufacturer is known for producing well-known aircraft types such as the 208 grand caravan the citation family and of course the 172 skyhawk the 172 is a single piston engine high wing trainer aircraft that seats four people including the pilot and after taken to the skies for the first time in 1955 the skyhawk quickly became the most produced aircraft in history with over 44 000 individual airframes being produced in its 65-year history the 172s variant continues to be produced by cessna's parent company textron ensuring its continued success into the future the 172 was based on the original cessna 170 aircraft which featured a conventional tail dragger landing gear and featured many of the same characteristics as the first produced 172. the aircraft has evolved with the increase in technology throughout its history with 21 variants of the aircraft being produced the 172m was the most produced model of the skyhawk with 7306 being built in its four years on the production line the m model introduced the newly designed camber lift wing design and had the option for increased avionics in the form of a second communication stack an adf a transponder and even some variants of the m model also had an optional addition for larger range shield tanks cessna also expanded on the versatility of the skyhawk introducing models like the 172 rg which included retractable landing gear and a constant speed propeller although this particular adaptation wasn't successful with only 177 of the type being built the 172 is one of the most common trainer aircraft and holds its ground against its competition trainer aircraft including the cessna 150 and 152 the piper cherokee archer and warrior and now more modern aircraft including the diamond da20 and the da40 along with the cirrus sr20 and sr-22 in fact more pilots over the years have earned their wings in a 172 than any other aircraft in the world so what makes the 172 so successful and why does it continue to be produced today well the 172 has some of the best all-around performance required for the usage as a trainer and a general aviation used aircraft with relatively low maintenance and ownership costs the 172 is the perfect aircraft for flight schools and first-time aircraft owners the aircraft can also be adapted to fit the needs of the owner including aftermarket avionics autopilot engine monitoring systems and refreshed interior to make the aircraft more suited to individual usage these aspects are what cessna took advantage of when designing adapting and marketing the aircraft so let's take a look into some of the performance specs for the 172. the 172's max crew speed is 125 knots with a stall speed of 42 indicated knots in a clean configuration it's got a usable fuel of 38 or 48 gallons in the typical m model which equates to a range of about 435 nautical miles in the standard m model the max gross weight of the aircraft is 2 300 pounds and the aircraft has a takeoff and landing performance of 865 feet and 520 feet respectively for the ground roll now keep in mind those statistics are for a fully loaded airplane at sea level overall the performance of the 172 is well rounded for most conditions of flight including strong takeoff and landing performance a decent usable load and a cruise speed which can get you to and from your destination on average about two times faster than a car the 172 can also operate in the utility category which allows for the completion of maneuvers specifically related to obtaining a new license without exerting unnecessary stress on the airframe one of the other advantages of the 172 that has made it so successful in the market is the cost of the aircraft depending on the age condition and specs of the aircraft a used 172m can go from anywhere from fifty thousand dollars to 150 000 canadian dollars on average making the old but sturdy aircraft type suitable for all kinds of general aviation flying but if you're not into the used aircraft a brand new 172 sp featuring the garmin g1000 suite and top performance specs of any 172 available on the market can set you back anywhere from two hundred thousand to four hundred thousand canadian dollars when compared to the cost of other new aircraft such as the diamond da20 which go for over six hundred thousand canadian dollars this is a much more affordable cost for flight schools looking to add to their fleet or pilots looking to get into aircraft ownership overall the 172 has demonstrated success in the aviation market and holds the title for the most produced and most successful aircraft in aviation history let me know in the comments if you've had the opportunity to fly 172 whether you shared any awesome moments like your first solo or completing your license on the aircraft type or if you haven't had the opportunity to fly the 172 what your favorite trainer aircraft that you have flown in is i look forward to seeing your stories in the comments and of course until next time happy flying you

Channel: Downwind Aviation

Views: 16,822

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Id: 6DYyjB12SVE

Length: 5min 41sec (341 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 16 2021