Derived metrics
Computed by aircraft.fyi from the core specification — see how we calculate these.
What size is it, really?
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk's wingspan, against things you already know the size of.
The numbers
| Length | 8.28 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 11.00 m |
| Height | 2.72 m |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,157 kg |
| Maximum cruise | 230 km/h |
| Maximum range | 1,185 km |
| Engine | Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 hp |
| Service ceiling | 4,267 m |
| Seats | 4 |
Put the Cessna 172 Skyhawk next to something
Last verified: 2026-07-20 · Spot an error? business@luck.fyi
What makes it different
No aircraft has been built in greater numbers. More than 44,000 Skyhawks have left the factory since the first flight on 12 June 1955, a figure no other aeroplane — military or civil — has approached. The Piper Cherokee family, its closest rival, sits around 32,000.
The design is deliberately unremarkable, and that is the point. A high wing gives good visibility downward and shades the cabin. A fixed tricycle undercarriage removes an entire category of pilot error. The stall arrives gently and with warning, at 40 knots in the landing configuration, which leaves a wide margin for a student who is behind the aeroplane.
Production stopped entirely between 1986 and 1996, when product liability suits made building single-engine aircraft in the United States uneconomic. The General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994 capped that liability and the line restarted in 1997. The aircraft you can buy today is recognisably the one from 1956, now with a glass cockpit.