Bang for the buck with a Cessna 172 Skyhawk
You could call the Cessna Skyhawk “America’s airplane,” although it’s debatable, especially if your favorite airplane isn’t a Skyhawk. If you are talking about the 1940s, then the Piper Cub claims the title as the Model T of its era. Even with a fancy glass cockpit, the Skyhawk is still the same basic airplane as the first model in the 1950s—but with a much higher price. For this series we tend to stay at $50,000 as a “budget” buy, and that means you’ll be flying a 1980s 172 if you are talking about Vref value, or a late 1970s 172 if you are talking about asking prices.
THE REAL WORLD
Brian Schanche, owner of Adventure Seaplanes at Lino Lakes, Minnesota, in the summer and Lake Wales, Florida, in the winter, owns several Cessna 172s that operate mostly on floats but sometimes on wheels as well. He estimates the per-hour operating cost, including everything, to be in the range of $80 to $90. The abuse a seaplane takes sometimes results in cracked fuel tanks, but if the 172 was a trainer, then there may have been hard landings that can cause the same problem.
There is very little to criticize about a Skyhawk, given its reliability. Schanche’s mechanic says you need to watch out for damaged nose gear and if you find it, take a look at the firewall and engine mount brackets. He averages seven to eight gallons per hour of fuel burn. He suggests sticking with the 160-horsepower or higher Skyhawks. If you do buy a 150-horsepower 172, Schanche noted that Ram Aircraft of Waco, Texas, has a supplemental type certificate to turn it into a 160-horsepower 172.
When asked if a 172 is a little slow, he noted you are going to pay a lot more to go faster in, for example, a retractable-gear Cessna 172 Cutlass or Cessna 182. His best advice? Have a good mechanic and keep up on maintenance. “Bang for the buck, it’s the best airplane out there,” he said.
Email [email protected]
Whom to contact
Cessna Pilots Association, 3409 Corsair Circle, Santa Maria, California, 93455; 805-934-0493; www.cessna.org; Email through the contact page of the website.
Vref value
Vref suggests a base price for the Cessna 172 of $19,000 for the 1956 model, $29,000 for a 1967 model, $37,000 for a 1977 model, $49,000 for a 1986 model, and $86,000 for a 1997 model. A new Cessna 172 with a Garmin G1000 avionics suite is $364,000.
Recent advertised prices
Listed in Trade-A-Plane at the time this was written were 196 Cessna 172 airplanes for sale. There were seven 1956 models ranging from $18,500 to $32,800, eight 1967 models ranging from $21,000 to $52,500, 10 1977 models ranging from $50,000 to $85,000, and several 1985 models with no mention of price except for one at $69,000.
Insurance costs
AOPA Insurance Services estimates an average-cost Skyhawk flown by a low-time pilot at $850 to $1,000 per year to insure for models valued at $37,000 to $49,000.
How many in the fleet?
AIRPAC PlaneBase shows an FAA-registered fleet of 18,364 Cessna Skyhawk aircraft, some overseas.
Financing
AOPA Finance estimates $222 per month for a $30,000 loan at 6.5 percent with 15 percent down. A $50,000 loan requires 15 percent down with a 15-year term at 6.5 percent with payments of $370 per month.
Airworthiness directives
Minor stuff, but failing seat-locking mechanisms and wear on camshafts in the Lycoming O-320-H2AD engines in 1977 to 1980 models gave owners fits.
Biggest plus
Easy and forgiving to fly.
Biggest minus
A little slow for long trips.
Things to watch out for
Corrosion, damaged flap tracks, and high airframe hours. (It may have been a trainer.)
What else to consider
Piper Archer, Grumman Tiger
