Aircraft model
CESSNA 175
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Skylark, built 1958-1962 to slot between the 172 and the 182. It is essentially a 172 airframe with a geared Continental GO-300 turning a large slow propeller to extract 175 hp from the same basic engine, giving better climb and about six more knots. Cessna expected it to sell well to owners wanting more than a Skyhawk without the cost of a Skylane.
It failed commercially and the reason is the engine. The GO-300 has a reduction gearbox and is designed to be flown at 3,200 rpm, which sounds alarming to pilots used to conventional engines; owners consistently ran it too slowly, which wrecked the gearbox and cylinders, and it gained a reputation for short and expensive engine life that it has never shaken. Flown correctly it is reliable, but overhauls are costly and shops are scarce. A great many 175s have been converted to conventional Lycoming O-360 or Continental O-470 engines under STC, and those conversions are what most buyers should look for — they turn a cheap problem aeroplane into a useful one, and they command a large premium over an original GO-300 aircraft.
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental GO-300-C (geared) |
| Horsepower | 175 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1958 |
| Production end | 1962 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 116 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 500 nm |
| Service ceiling | 15,900 ft |
| Climb rate | 850 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 46 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,340 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,155 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,011 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 777 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,350 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,339 lb |
| Usable fuel | 39 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 9.8 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $50,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $95,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,200 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $34,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $48,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 1,249 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 537 |
| Median year built | 1958.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 18 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 33.52 per 1,000 active · base 537 active |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 27.93 per 1,000 active · base 537 active |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 89 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 16.57 per 100 active · base 537 active |
| Airworthiness directives | 8 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
Peer scores
A score runs from 0 to 10 within the model's peer class: a position, not a grade, and the six are never added together.
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 5.2 of 10 · class median 28.36 · 202 models in class |
| Severity | 2.7 of 10 · class median 11.65 |
| Access | 5.2 of 10 · class median 767.75 |
| Support | 8.1 of 10 · class median 141.5 |
| Liquidity | 2.3 of 10 · class median 19.57 |