Cessna — General Aviation
Explore the 172 Skyhawk's range on the map →The Cessna 172 Skyhawk can fly up to 800 nautical miles (1,482 km) as a ferry flight with no payload. With a full load of passengers and cargo, the range drops to approximately 640 nm (1,185 km). At its cruise speed of 122 kt, that's about 6h 33m of non-stop flying at ferry weight, or 5h 15m fully loaded.
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk has been in continuous production since 1956, making it the most produced aircraft in history with over 45,000 examples built. This is the aircraft where most of the world's pilots learn to fly - its forgiving handling characteristics, simple systems, and predictable performance make it the universal trainer. Flight schools on six continents use 172s as their primary aircraft, and many professional pilots with thousands of hours of airline experience have a logbook that starts with their first solo in a 172.
The 172's range of roughly 800 nautical miles (in the standard 172S with 53-gallon usable fuel) is sufficient for cross-country flying between regional airports but impractical for serious distance. Where it excels is the combination of affordability, availability, and simplicity: a wet-lease rate at a flight school is a fraction of what any turbine aircraft costs, and the Lycoming IO-360 piston engine is so well-documented that experienced mechanics are available at virtually every general aviation airport in the United States. This ubiquity is itself commercially valuable - you can break a 172 in rural Montana and find someone nearby who can fix it.
The current G1000-equipped 172S represents a significant avionics upgrade over earlier generations while maintaining the same fundamental handling. Garmin's glass cockpit suite - two large displays replacing the steam gauges of earlier versions - has made primary flight training both easier and more relevant for pilots transitioning to modern commercial cockpits. The 172 may be the least exotic aircraft on this list, but it has shaped more aviation careers than any aircraft ever built.
