Considered as by far the most successful commercial airplanes of all time, the Cessna 172 is actually an important aircraft. The Skyhawk is an a four-seater, high-wing, single-engine airplane with fixed tricyle landing gear. It is powered using a 160HP 4 cylinder Lycoming engine. Easily, the Cessna 172 is most commercially profitable and most widely used aeroplanes to be ever crafted. By the year 08, there already have been
upwards of 43,000 Cessna 172's mass produced. The Skyhawk is widely used for pilot coaching. And simply because it has more seating capacity and it is a faster airplane, it is also suited to tourist flying.
It's really an acknowledged fact that definitely, the Cessna Skyhawk is the most successful mass produced light airplane. Starting 1955 all the way to 1967, the Skyhawk had been powered by a six-cylinder engine referred to as the Continental-O-300 before being powered by four-cylinder Lycoming 0-320.
The early type of the 172 is simply an iteration of the taildagger with an altered tricycle undercarriage and also a very basic installation of ordinary devices. It soared through the air for the first-time in November of 1955. You can easily say that the 172 was an overnight success. It's 1st year, 1956, saw the manufacture of more than 1400 planes.
The basic 172 continued to be in production until replaced by the 172A of early 1960. One of the most striking enhancement in the 172A was the introduction of the swept back tail and rudder. Then in late 1960's, the 172B had been launched flashing a reduced undercarriage and an improvement in the products installed. The label Skyhawk has also been used first for the Deluxe choice.
The 172D of 1963 introduced the lower rear fuselage with wraparound back window. The French also sought some action so the 172F was produced. It was built by Reims Cessna in France and was in production until 1971. Check this out, the US Air Force's T-41A Mescalero main trainer was based on the 172. Additional trivia here, in 1966 Cessna introduced the 172G which has a more pointed spinner. The 172H, on the other hand, is the last 172 to be powered by using a Continental.
Check out These Things Out When Buying A Cessna
Hunt for a lower time engine, it won't only maintain it's cost for a longer time but it surely will give you a bit more satisfaction too.
Airframe Time - The TTAF or total time airframe, in basic terminology, is simply the age of the plane. Do not make the mistake of overlooking this. If you encounter what you believe may be the deal of a lifetime chances are the aircraft has high TTAF. An increased TTAF lowers the worth of an aircraft and will also tell you precisely what and the way the plane had been utilized. Needn't be surprised if you locate an aircraft with a TTAF of more than 12,000! That can in most cases imply one thing, that aircraft was used by a flight school. An airplane utilized in a pilot school will definitely have seen better days. I wouldn't! An excellent TTAF number would be approximately between 3000 and 6000 or lower whenever possible.
Paint and Interior - Aircraft paint job plus interiors will be graded over a scale from 1-10, ten being brand-new, one hardly has seats in it! The only issue with this particular scale would be that the aircraft owners make it up as they go along. For example, one particular owner might rate the interior condition as a 7 while you may think it is just a three. Also, it can be fairly easy to cover deterioration in the interior by masking them up with upholstery. A new paint job as well as reupholstery could easily cost $10,000 to $20,000 so be very careful and pay attention to concealed flaws.
Avionics - When purchasing just about any airplane you have to make sure it is equipped for the type of flying you want to do. It will be more cost effective to acquire a plane with everything you'll need already set up rather than buying the gear later and setting it up. Example: If you wanted to purchase a Garmin 430 for your aircraft it may cost you 12,000 bucks after install, on the other hand that Garmin 430 just adds about 6,000-7,000 us dollars to your plane's value. Unfair? Absolutely not! The point is, getting a plane which has all you need already mounted is really more intelligent than getting a bare one and putting in the things you need afterwards. You are the client. You could be fussy.
Once you find exactly what seems like the ideal airplane for your requirements and preferences, there's still work to be accomplished!
Minutiae, Specifics
Damage History - Remember to check if the plane has a damage history. This really is potentially a deal breaker if you learn out that an aircraft has a damage history. Problems that occurred in more than thirty years past really doesn't count. The more recent damages are what you should be worried of. The first place to search is the NTSB you can type in the airplane's serial or N-number and discover a world of information out, or possibly you won't discover anything. At the same time, do not forget- a clean NTSB report does not imply you ought to go ahead and purchase it right away.
Some things don't get published in the NTSB just like engine fires or if a wingtip by mistake meets the hanger doorway. They're thought of incidents. Don't get worried. You can find specifics about these incidents in the airplane logs.
Engine/Airframe/Propeller Logs - I suggest either sitting down either with an A&P technician or someone well-informed in the aviation area to go over the logbooks together with you. They can disclose an entire new perspective on the plane. You'll find out parts replacement and ask yourself the reason why that particular component was replaced. A little more investigation and you will be able to make contact with the mechanic who repaired the plane and discover a lot more crucial information. You will most probably end up having a far more reasonable offer once you discover everything you should know.
Another question to inquire about is: are the logs complete? Missing logs can indicate that someone hopes to cover up something. Either way incomplete logs dramatically damage resale worth.
Next, don't forget to go through the inspection reports. Were they performed on time? Were there any hang-ups? See if there is a specific issue that's reoccurring in the past 5 years.
Don't be reluctant to pay for a pre-buy assessment. If you are seriously interested in a specific aircraft spend the additional 500-1,000 dollars and have it looked at to get an expert viewpoint. Many small shops now-a-days allows you to do owner assisted pre-buys, really giving you a chance to become familiar with a lot about what may be your next significant purchase.
Hazel Campbell is an author who loves to write about anything and everything about flight and flying. As an aviation enthusiast and writer, she can write anything ranging from the lowly paper airplanes to multi-million dollar luxury jet planes. You can find out more about Cessna 172 for sale at http://www.jetsalescenter.com
By Hazel Campbell
More info: http://www.jetsalescenter.com