Cessna 172 Skyhawk Facts and FAQ.
History of the Cessna 172 Skyhawk.
Cessna 172 Skyhawk had her first flight on June 12, 1955. Since then the company and its partners have built more than 44,000 units.
Until today the Cessna 172 Skyhawk is considered to be the most successful aircraft in history.
Fortunately, this aircraft is being manufactured today and is known to be one of the best civil utility aircraft.
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk has several variants. One of the mentionable variants is the T-41 Mescalero.
The T-41 Mescalero is the military version of this aircraft. It is used for air force training as well as for surveillance.
Apart from that this aircraft is the most common aircraft used for civil pilot training today.
Flight training institutes rely on this aircraft so much because of its excellent safety records.
Student pilots prefer to fly this aircraft due to the fact it is easily maneuverable and less complicated controls.
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is being widely used today around the globe regardless of charter flights, civil flight training or defense surveillance.
Does Cessna 172 have autopilot?
Not all Cessna 172 aircraft have autopilot but certainly can be installed to any of the Cessna 172.
Autopilot for airplanes was introduced as early as 1912 when the airplanes started to have long flights.
The reason most pilots used to get exhausted after having a long manual flight, the idea of automatic control of the aircraft was developed.
As you can see the Cessna 172 Skyhawk aircraft was built after many decades of autopilot invention; certainly, the manufacturer had the idea of installing autopilot in the type of aircraft.
However, most Cessna 172 being used today for flight training does not have the features of autopilot.
Why would student pilots even need autopilot?
Student pilots need to learn how to control an airplane manually.
Certainly, the autopilot can be installed in any Cessna 172 Skyhawk but entry-level pilots will not be allowed to use that.
Cessna 172 cruise speed & range.
Different variants of Cessna 172 has different cruise speed and different range.
But there is not much difference in the cruise speed and the range.
All Cessna 172 aircraft have a range somewhere around 1,185 km. If you convert the range in nautical miles than it is 640 km.
Now I must there is no specific cruise speed of an aircraft. The cruise speed of an aircraft may change depending on the pilot and several factors.
Commonly any aircraft type has maneuvering speed for different load factors. And they have a maximum structural cruising speed.
The maximum structural cruising speed of a Cessna 172N Skyhawk is 160 Knots.
For more speed refer to the table below.
| Never Exceed Speed | 160 Knots |
| Maximum Structural Cruising Speed | 128 Knots |
| Maneuvering Speed at 2300 lbs. | 97 Knots |
| Maneuvering Speed at 1950 lbs. | 89 Knots |
| Maneuvering Speed at 1600 lbs. | 80 Knots |
| MAX. Flap Extended Speed | 85 Knots |
How much does a Cessna 172 weight?
A modern Cessna 172R Skyhawk has a standard empty weight of 1600 lbs.
For more detailed weight information about Cessna 172 Skyhawks refer to the table below.
| Weights & Capacities: | Cessna 172F (Skyhawk) | Cessna 172N (Skyhawk) | Cessna 172R (Skyhawk) |
| Takeoff Weight Normal Category. | 2300 lbs. (1043 kgs) | 2300 lbs. (1043 kgs) | 2450 lbs. (1111 kgs) |
| Landing Weight Normal Category. | 2300 lbs. (1043 kgs) | 2300 lbs. (1043 kgs) | 2450 lbs. (1111 kgs) |
| Takeoff Weight Utility Category. | 2000 lbs. (907 kgs) | 2000 lbs. (907 kgs) | 2100 lbs. (953 kgs) |
| Landing weight Utility Category. | 2000 lbs. (907 kgs) | 2000 lbs. (907 kgs) | 2100 lbs. (953 kgs) |
| Standard Empty Weight. | 1260 lbs. (572 kgs) | 1379 lbs. (626 kgs) | 1600 lbs. (726 kgs) |
| MAX. Useful Load Normal Category. | 1040 lbs. (472 kgs) | 921 lbs. (418 kgs) | 857 lbs. (389 kgs) |
| MAX. Useful Load Utility Category. | 740 lbs. (336 kgs) | 621 lbs. (282 kgs) | 507 lbs. (230 kgs) |
| Baggage Capacity. | 120 lbs. (54 kgs) | 120 lbs. (54 kgs) | 120 lbs. (54 kgs) |
| Oil Capacity. | 8 quarts. | 7 quarts. | 8 quarts. |
Cessna 172 Interior.
Pictures coming soon…..
