A vote for a Cessna 172

When you mention the Cessna 172 to most people, the first thing that comes into their mind is “boring”! The Cessna 172 Skyhawk l

C-172SP

ineage can be traced back to the 1950′s with the high wing, strut braced wing with a mix of the old Cessna 195 with the big radial engine…they all have the high wing as the basic architecture of the airplane. Compared to the Cirrus SR20, many homebuilt airplanes, and the Diamond DA-40, the airplane doesn’t have the same “look at this airplane” feel to it, but with updates, it still is a terrific airplane to own.

Throughout my years prior to flight training, I had flown the Grumman Trainer, Traveler, Cheetah, Tiger, and a Mooney 201, and  a Cessna. I will never forget the first experience, it was a Yellow 1969 Cessna 150 that was not kept in the same condition at the two Cessna 152′s that the flying club owned. So with about 11 hours total flight time in my logbook I, I flew in the “one fitty” for the first time, and was impressed by its performance compared to the Grumman T-Cat. The airplane was in the New Jersey area, and in the cool of winter weather, I couldn’t believe the the short take-off roll and climb from the 100 horsepower Continental engine. It was loud inside however, much louder than the Grumman, and I think back to those days when we NEVER wore a headset, not even earplugs…guess we got smarter.

Eventually I received my private pilots license in June 1971 in the same Cessna 150 that I first flew. The airplane was very basic, I don’t believe it had a transponder, just a nav/com for radios, nothing more. I remember how excited I was to get checked out in the Cessna 172 Skyhawk…it was like I graduated from something, and was never going back to the “trainer”. The day after my check-ride, I did the typical 1 hour checkout into the Cessna 172, and really thought this airplane was the real deal…big, seats, luggage, dual nav/com + transponder and ADF, BIG TIME! Although it was heavier on the flight controls, it flew just like the Cessna 150/152′s that I had been flying, so the transition was simple.

My first airplane ride given, was to my cousin in the Cessna 152, and I was a little surprised by how light and easy the airplane was compared to the Cessna 172. A few weeks later, I gave another ride in the Cessna 152, because I needed to practice landings again, and didn’t feel the extra expense of the 172 was necessary. It had been another week or so, but I finally had a trip planned in the Cessna 172 on a first date in the Skyhawk with someone I had met a few weeks prior. If she had only known how little experience at flying I had at the time, I am not sure if she would have ever climbed in the airplane. It was a hazy summer afternoon, not the most ideal day for flying, but the Skyhawk performed perfectly, and we had a great first flight together. Even returning at night after a long day, the Skyhawk was forgiving and a lot more stable than the Cessna 152, it was the beginning of my great appreciation for the airplane.

Over the years I had flown several different Skyhawks, including my instrument rating in a mid-1980′s Skyhawk. It wasn’t until I was  instrument certified, that I became more appreciative of the flight characteristics and the instrument platform for flying IFR, and the way the airplane would still make a not so skilled pilot look good. Sure, they are a little low on the useful load, but typically you can carry 3 people and some luggage with full fuel…and you will always be in the center of gravity envelope. I have flown Skyhawks out of several short airfields, including grass strips that you would never consider taking anything other than a tail-dragger airplane in and out of.

On one occasion, I took a Skyhawk with one  passenger on a 2,000 mile cross country in 4 days, and you experienced what a limited performance airplane actually can do. We were at gross with full fuel, and in Macon Georgia on a warm day, she isn’t going to get you to altitude as quickly as you would like, but the airplane eventually made it. The downside to an airplane with a cruising speed of about 110 knots, is that throw in a 25 to 30 knot headwind…and you don’t even want to think about the pain that brings!

But what Skyhawks do so well, is that they have very honest flight characteristics, are very economical to own and fly, and have a great safety record. Most people probably have had their first small airplane ride in a Skyhawk, with the great downward visibility and airy feel to the airplane, I think most people walk away thinking they are great airplanes…and they are, the Skyhawk is the worlds most popular airplane. When you mention a general aviation airplane, I think the Skyhawk is what everyone pictures in their mind, not a Cherokee, or a Beechcraft, but a Cessna Skyhawk.

I have heard stories of people taking 4 adults and fishing gear hundreds of miles to fishing camps in Canada, and how much over gross they must have been, the Skyhawk managed to fly safely and return for another day. I myself managed to do the over gross weight, but it really wasn’t my fault…really! I was flying to Lakeland Sun n’ Fun for a overnight stay, that included all the camping gear and “things” you have to bring with you. I had invited my good friend and his friend along, as they were going to split the expenses. At the last minute, my brother decided to come along, so I figured we were about 70 lbs over…with the limited fuel load I had requested, which was 25 gallons. Somehow the word didn’t get around abut the 25 gallons and I had discovered I had the full 50 gallons fuel. De-fueling was a 3 day process???, so I decided with long runways, the old Hawk would be able to pull through. It did, it flew “normal”, but I could tell the extra weight really affected the performance of the airplane.

I remember Richard Collins was flying a Skylane or something of the sort, and had decided to purchase a Cessna 172 to be his personal airplane for business and his job as editor for Flying Magazine. He wanted to demonstrate that even a simple fixed gear airplane could be utilized in travel, and he flew the airplane for several years. Richard Collins had always been my favorite contributor to Flying Magazine, and I will always remember photos of the airplane as he flew in weather systems and provided photos from the pilot seat…it felt as I was there in the airplane with him, what a great writer.

After several years of flying the Cessna P210 he purchased as a replacement to the Skyhawk, he talked about those days of airplane ownership. I remember he wrote about a journal he kept with regard to the trips, mainly weather and the ground speed. He mentioned in the column several entries in the 150 knot ground speed, most of the “standard deviations” +/- 3 on each side of the bell shaped curve, were in that 105 knot mean average. He also talked about several entries with 85 knots ground speed, but anything slower than that was too painful to record, especially the ones in the 70 some knot column! I could relate completely, and that is my bad thing I can say about the airplane, and that is with a headwind, it simply wasn’t as much fun to fly the Skyhawk around.

They still build Skyhawks, and they still have that familiarity that has always been the trademark of the airplane. Fuel injection, Garmin G1000 panel, nothing but leather seats, the airplane has evolved into the modern airplane that continues to satisfy. I will never forget taking a small business owner up for some instrument approach practice in one of our club’s 1975 172 Skyhawks. He was what we would call “eccentric”, as each time he talked about buying this jet or that jet, he was a Barron owner, and had a T-34 and A36TC at one time. We took off and were getting vectors for the ILS 7, and the airplane made him look so good, scan good, interpretation good, flying GOOD! He looked at me, looked around at the interior of the airplane, and seriously thought this is really the only airplane a person really needs! I guess that may be why they still make them.

Joe Marszal, nubbs01@gmail.com