Cessna 172 Skyhawk
1955 touring aircraft family by Cessna
Key facts
- Type
- Civil utility aircraft
- National origin
- United States
- Manufacturer
- Cessna , Textron Aviation
- Status
- In production
- Number built
- 44,000+
- Manufactured
- 1956–1986, 1996–present
- First flight
- June 12, 1955
- Developed from
- Cessna 170
- Variant
- Cessna T-41 Mescalero
- Developed into
- Cessna 175 Skylark
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company. First flown in 1955, more 172s have been built than any other aircraft. It was developed from the Cessna 170, which was first manufactured in 1948, but with tricycle landing gear rather than conventional landing gear. The Skyhawk name was originally used for a trim package, but was later applied to all standard-production 172 aircraft, while some upgraded versions were marketed as the Cutlass, Powermatic, and Hawk XP. The aircraft was also produced under license in France by Reims Aviation, which marketed upgraded versions as the Reims Rocket.
Measured by its longevity and popularity, the Cessna 172 is the most successful aircraft in history. Cessna delivered the first production model in 1956, and as of 2015, the company and its partners had built more than 44,000 units. With a break from 1986 to 1996, the aircraft remains in production today.