What is your opinion of the Cessna 172?
October 12, 2008
What are the good and bad things about the cessna 172
Some of the answers given are pretty good some aren't (so far)
The C-172 is a good aircraft, I have many hours in them. They aren't really fast (about 120 mph) so they aren't too good for long cross country flights. But then neither is the Piper Cherokee 140.
If you fill the fuel tanks and put four average people in it on a hot day you may run out of runway before you get in the air. They don't have a great useful load.
For a little more advanced trainer especially for instrument flight instruction they do quite well.
No, they don't have the ground effect for landing like a low wing aircraft, but you don't have to crawl up over the wing to get in either. But I do know quite a few pilots with funny looking scares on their foreheads from finding the trailing edge of a flap with their head.
For a good basic airplane they are very good. Easy to maintain and fly fairly enexpensively.
For more speed, you need at least a C-182 which is a little larger than a C-172. It goes fast enough to be used for longer X-country flights. Tail draggers are also great such as the C-180 or C-185.
Be sure to check all the maintenence records and log books on the aircraft if you are looking to buy one. Be sure all ADs (latest revision) are complied with. Don't go just by the log books..see that they are complied with by S/N, Time, etc. Be sure that all STC's have their proper paper work and log entries. There are also manditory service letters issued by Cessna that although not absolutly required it is a good idea to at least check them out. Have the airplane inspected by a qualified Airframe and Powerplant mechanic that you know and trust. Know everything about that airplane before you buy it you can save yourself lots of headachs. Most C-172's are getting older and although good airplanes they need to be properly maintained. This is true for any airplane.
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9 Responses to “What is your opinion of the Cessna 172?”
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simple, stable, reliable.
no frills, not exciting, old fashioned.
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well ive flown a cessna caravan which is bigger than a 172, from what ive heard when you hit cross winds it gets a little crazy, but i bet ur a much better pilot than i am…..cus im only 15(i got my pilot license in africa)
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Well it depends on what you want to use it for… It is an excellent plane to learn in and have fun taking in the sights with a friend. If you want to fill it with people and head cross country it is not all that practical. Over all lots of fun to play with
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I've logged a few hours in a 172. It's a nice, uncomplicated little four-seat airplane, but you've got to keep a close eye on weight and balance if you want to fill all four seats and the gas tanks too. It's a good, solid instrument trainer that will allow you to build hours without burning a hole in your pocket.
If you want something with a bit more speed and useful load, check out the 182. It's the same size as the 172 but has a bigger engine.
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I've flown the 172 for more than 50 hours total, but I usually fly a Seminole or Archer. And I like those better than the 172. Since 172 is a high-wing plane, it has less ground effect during landing, and it's excellent for sight-seeing. It's easy to fly and the instrument panel is pretty simple. But I'm sure you'll love those low-wing planes after you're tired of the high-wing ones, they're more fun to fly, has more ground effect during landing, but too bad there's not much to see from the plane since the wings are in the way.
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I'm a pilot.
Not a special plane….
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it is simple, but the plane easily burns when it crashes. THe plane also is small, but cheap.
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Some of the answers given are pretty good some aren't (so far)
The C-172 is a good aircraft, I have many hours in them. They aren't really fast (about 120 mph) so they aren't too good for long cross country flights. But then neither is the Piper Cherokee 140.
If you fill the fuel tanks and put four average people in it on a hot day you may run out of runway before you get in the air. They don't have a great useful load.
For a little more advanced trainer especially for instrument flight instruction they do quite well.
No, they don't have the ground effect for landing like a low wing aircraft, but you don't have to crawl up over the wing to get in either. But I do know quite a few pilots with funny looking scares on their foreheads from finding the trailing edge of a flap with their head.
For a good basic airplane they are very good. Easy to maintain and fly fairly enexpensively.
For more speed, you need at least a C-182 which is a little larger than a C-172. It goes fast enough to be used for longer X-country flights. Tail draggers are also great such as the C-180 or C-185.
Be sure to check all the maintenence records and log books on the aircraft if you are looking to buy one. Be sure all ADs (latest revision) are complied with. Don't go just by the log books..see that they are complied with by S/N, Time, etc. Be sure that all STC's have their proper paper work and log entries. There are also manditory service letters issued by Cessna that although not absolutly required it is a good idea to at least check them out. Have the airplane inspected by a qualified Airframe and Powerplant mechanic that you know and trust. Know everything about that airplane before you buy it you can save yourself lots of headachs. Most C-172's are getting older and although good airplanes they need to be properly maintained. This is true for any airplane.
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I am a commercial pilot as well as an Airframe and Powerplant mechanic.
Good dependable plane, perfer it with the high performance engine
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