Aircraft model
CESSNA R172K
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Hawk XP, built 1977-1981: a 172 airframe with a 195 hp fuel-injected Continental and a constant-speed propeller. Cessna built it to fill the gap between the Skyhawk and the Skylane, and for a floatplane and short-strip customer who wanted more climb than a 150 hp 172 could give. It climbs and carries far better than a standard Skyhawk and cruises about 10 knots faster.
It sells at a discount to what the performance suggests, for two reasons. The Continental IO-360-K is not the common Lycoming IO-360 and has a shorter 1,500-hour recommended overhaul life plus a reputation for being fussy, and the aeroplane burns noticeably more fuel than a 172 for a modest speed gain — a 182 does the job better for not much more money. Note that at 195 hp it falls just under the 200 hp threshold, so no high-performance endorsement is required despite the constant-speed propeller, which makes it an easy step up for a fresh private pilot. Good ones on floats or with the 230 hp Lycoming conversion command real money.
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental IO-360-K/KB |
| Horsepower | 195 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1977 |
| Production end | 1981 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 131 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 620 nm |
| Service ceiling | 17,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 870 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 42 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,360 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,270 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,019 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 725 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,550 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,531 lb |
| Usable fuel | 49 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 10.9 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $100,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $165,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,500 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $38,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $52,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 1,181 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 653 |
| Median year built | 1977.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 18 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 27.57 per 1,000 active · base 653 active |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 21.44 per 1,000 active · base 653 active |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 161 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 24.66 per 100 active · base 653 active |
| Airworthiness directives | 6 |
| 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 | 7.1 of 10 · class median 28.36 · 202 models in class |
| Severity | 2.7 of 10 · class median 11.65 |
| Access | 5.5 of 10 · class median 767.75 |
| Support | 8.4 of 10 · class median 141.5 |
| Liquidity | 8.2 of 10 · class median 19.57 |