I learned to fly in a Cessna 172 SP.  Actually, I flew two 172s, but I did a majority of my training in N21693, a 2004 Cessna 172 SP.  The only differences in the two is in the 2001 and you have to set the directional gyro to the compass and the seats are a different color.  Now that we’ve cleared that up, I’d like to jump right into what I hope is a good general overview of a very prolific aircraft.

The 172 as a model has been around since the mid 1950s.  In the more than 50 years since surprisingly few things have changed. The Cessna 172 is arguably one of the most popular training aircraft around and you’d be hard pressed to find an airport that isn’t home to at least one.

Chalk it up to personal bias or whatever you wish, but I think the avionics in the 172 SP are just as good as the glass panels.  In fact, there were a lot of lessons and flgihts that were undertaken without reference to GPS.  I would warn you though that this is coming from someone who has never activated the autopilot and at this point plans to get an instrument rating on round gauges. Everything seems to be in a pretty logical place and the radios, GPS, and MFD are great for cross country flying.  The only thing that’s missing is an ADF so there is no way to use NDBs should you need to. Considering the current state of NDBs, I would hardly consider that a negative.

To transition to the flying characteristics, the 172 SP is easy to fly and as stable as a 2500 pound aircraft can be.  You really have to force it to get in to any trouble.  Even in an uncoordinated stall about the best you’ll get without cramming the rudder to the stop is a subtle wingover.  In fact, the stall is so gentle, you can easily hold the stall and float to the ground with very little effort. I can’t really recommend it, but it is possible. On a recent trip with my dad, the winds were gusting up in the 20 knot range and there was very little trouble controlling the plane. It was a bit of a bumpy ride though.

Now, onto why I think the 172 is one of the best GA aircraft – you can go almost anywhere in a 172 and they are very common. Sure you might have to stop on the way, but you still get there. From smallish backwoods airstrips to large, beastly airports, you can get there in a 172. With almost almost 60 years of production, you can find a decent 172 nearly anywhere and, consequently, you can find parts and people almost anywhere too.

As for me, I’ve decided in the last year that my ideal, go-anywhere, do-anything aircraft is about a ’63 or ’64 Skyhawk with a 180hp engine upgrade and a gross weight increase. Those model years are eligible for the gross weight increase offered by STC and are the last years of the manual flap lever. Why do I care? I want to have a plane that I can fly virtually anywhere with low cost of ownership. When I say virtually anywhere, that means anything from 13,000 feet of asphalt and 1300 feet of grass. The 180hp engine upgrade gives the plane some get-up-and-go, while the manual flaps allow for quick extension in a pinch. The best thing of all, is that a good 172 can be purchased and operated for costs similar to those of popular SUVs. Couple that with exceptionally low maintenance costs (when compared to most other aircraft) and you are looking at a perfect storm of aircraft ownership potential.