Aircraft model
CESSNA 172G
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1966 Skyhawk, functionally the same aeroplane as the 172F with a restyled panel and pointed spinner. It exists to do what every 172 does: carry two people in comfort and four in theory, at about 110 knots, from small airfields, with handling that tolerates a lot of pilot error. Nothing about it is quick or efficient, and nothing about it is demanding.
As a purchase it is a commodity — condition, engine time and avionics decide the price, not the letter. The Continental O-300 remains the honest weakness: less power than the later Lycoming 172s, higher fuel burn per horsepower, and an ageing support base. Against that, you get an aeroplane any instructor can teach in, any shop can annual, and an insurance quote that will not make you flinch. Look hard for corrosion, for repeated damage-history repairs from its training years, and at whether the fuel bladders or tanks have been recently replaced.
Compare with…
Put CESSNA 172G side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA 172G
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental O-300-D |
| Horsepower | 145 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1966 |
| Production end | 1966 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 108 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 520 nm |
| Service ceiling | 13,100 ft |
| Climb rate | 645 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 41 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,525 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,250 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,025 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 791 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,300 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,275 lb |
| Usable fuel | 39 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 8.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $43,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $130,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $30,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $42,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 1,342 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 722 |
| Median year built | 1966.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 34 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 47.091 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 34.632 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 187 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 25.93 |
| Airworthiness directives | 11 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 722 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 722 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 722 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 4.5 of 101 |
| Severity | 5.2 of 102 |
| Access | 8.1 of 103 |
| Support | 8.5 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 8.7 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 35 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 32.28 · 202 models in class.
- Severity: class median 12.5.
- Access: class median 775.
- Support: class median 147.5.
- Liquidity: class median 19.9.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.