#CESSNA 172 COCKPIT MEASUREMENTS HOW TO#
#CESSNA 172 COCKPIT MEASUREMENTS PLUS#

The gear was made fairly short to lower the center of gravity and minimize porpoising and ground upset. The airplane’s main and nosegear that emerged from these deliberations formed the foundation for what became Cessna’s standard fixed-gear design. MAJOR REWORK This panel is a 172K model sporting round gauges, a Garmin radio stack and a broken Narco ADF. This was uncharted territory for Cessna and had been non-issues for familiar tail-dragging designs.

#CESSNA 172 COCKPIT MEASUREMENTS HOW TO#

Other questions arose related to centering the nosewheel in flight and figuring out how to keep the wheel from shimmying like crazy on landing and takeoff. Further, the firewall had to carry both the engine’s weight and the nosegear attach point, which Cessna engineers knew would take a terrific beating at the hands of ham-fisted pilots.

#CESSNA 172 COCKPIT MEASUREMENTS PLUS#

There were worries about controllability versus stability, ground handling concerns plus fear of propeller strikes, yaw or directional stability and the need to ensure enough elevator power to overcome the high thrust line, which tended to press down the nosegear, aggravating the prop strike problem. The prototype’s first flight occurred in June of 1955 and although it was successful, a list of concerns surfaced. The R&D effort that became the 172 was conducted at an isolated farm strip well away from Cessna’s main operations in Wichita. In fact, if the behind-closed-doors tri-design wasn’t stashed away for future use, the 172 as we know it today may never have come to market. Nonetheless, some at Cessna saw that there was a place for a tri-gear airplane and they began to develop one, albeit without the official blessing of the company’s management. But not everyone saw it that way, least of all the established movers and shakers at Cessna. The tricycle gear promised to simplify training and it was thought to be the design of the future. Then as now, mastering a conventional gear airplane without an excursion into runway edge ditches was a difficult challenge. Piper’s Tri-Pacer, the first trike to sell in serious volume, was a hit because it was easier to land and taxi, which is what budding pilots wanted. Obed Wells, Cessna’s project engineer on the 170, was concerned that the 170C had a rear fuselage that was too weak and shouldn’t be used as a tailwheel airplane. What was going to be the 170C ended up with a nosewheel on it. The 172, of course, is a true tricycle gear airplane. We covered the 140/120 market in the July 2021 issue of Aviation Consumer. The 170A was a fabric-wing machine that suffered from poor roll response since its ailerons were carried over from the smaller Cessna 140. Actually, it was the tail-dragging model 170A that planted the 172 seed back in 1949. Perhaps one of the most recognizable and most produced general aviation aircraft, the 172 legacy started in 1956. According to the latest Summer 2021 Aircraft Bluebook, that number has jumped to well over $50,000, and selling prices of well-maintained and generously modified Skyhawks of that vintage can easily fetch close to if not north of $100,000. How affordable? When we last looked at the used Skyhawk market five years ago in Aviation Consumer’s Used Aircraft Guide, a decent 1976 172N had a typical retail price of $38,000. These desirable traits only scratch the surface.īut, it used to be that you could get a decent used 172 for what we considered to be an affordable investment. There isn’t a mechanic around that can’t wrench one, parts are plentiful, it carries a reasonable load and it’s stone simple to fly. Without question, after all these years the venerable Cessna 172 Skyhawk still delivers enormous practical value. A nicely kept Skyhawk like the 1973 M model in the lead photo can sell for north of $65,000, while late-model birds are in the $300,000-plus range.

Cessna 172 cockpit measurements