Is the Skyhawk the best plane ever?
If you take a look at our fleet of aircraft at Jeff Air Pilot Services, you’ll notice common make and model info among the group: Cessna 172.
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk isn’t just our plane of choice at Jeff Air — it’s arguably the best aircraft ever for private pilots and especially those who are beginning their adventures in aviation at a flight training center.
With more than 44,000 Skyhawks leaving Cessna’s factory since 1956, the 172 is easily the most produced aircraft and its popularity among flight instructors, flight schools and training programs is a major reason why. While the Cessna 172 has undergone some design tweaks and technology upgrades, the majority of the aircraft is the same today when it was first built more than 60 years ago.
You’d be hard pressed to find a pilot working in the industry today who hasn’t logged ample hours in the cockpit of a Cessna 172 Skyhawk — simply because it’s consistently been viewed as the easiest airplane in which to learn to fly.
The Cessna 172 includes a collection of features and forgiving characteristics that make it ideally suited for flight school students. The most important of which is the Skyhawk’s high-wing design.
With the wings placed above the fuselage instead of underneath it, Cessna 172 pilots are given far better visibility of the world around them without wings blocking any of their view. This makes the entire experience in a Skyhawk easier for students learning their way around the aircraft, the skies and runways alike. Additionally, wings above also allow for a larger door and easier access to and from the cockpit.
Perhaps more important than the 172’s ease of flying, and what really makes it such a popular flight school aircraft, is its ease of landing. The Skyhawk features a “tricycle” style of landing gear first made popular by World War II bombers. With one front nosewheel, the plane’s center of gravity sits in front of the main wheels. If a student pilot — one not quite yet an expert at landing — comes in somewhat crooked, the weight and center of gravity of the 172 will naturally pull the airplane straight. With conventional landing gear, where center of gravity is behind the main wheels, a plane can be pushed even more crooked upon an imperfect landing.
Engineered with the perfect balance of stability and speed yet not overly sensitive, the Cessna 172 is easy for beginners and flight school students to control. In fact, if ever caught in an inadvertent stall or spin, the plane’s built-in aerodynamic stability takes effect upon releasing the controls and brings the aircraft back straight and level.
Whether you’re looking to launch a career in aviation, have a dream to obtain your personal pilot’s license or simply want to cross an item off your bucket list, the Cessna 172 is the perfect aircraft with which to take flight. It’s become the most popular plane in the world for a reason and we’d be happy to show you more about what makes the Cessna 172 Skyhawk so great. Reach out to the Jeff Air Pilot Services crew today and we’ll get your avionic adventures started in one of our trusty Cessna 172 Skyhawks.