On June 12, 1955 the test pilot cranked over the 145 horsepower Continental O-300 air-cooled six cylinder engine of the prototype Cessna Skyhawk, preflighted, check the control surfaces, and then pointed the nose skyward. Although this high-wing, single-engine piston aircraft would cause a shift in the general aviation arena, the first flight was largely uneventful.
Based off of the successful Cessna 170 taildragger, the tricycle geared four place 172 would start production in 1955 as a 1956 model, and would go on to become one of the most popular general aviation aircraft in history. More than 45,000 Skyhawks have been delivered to customers around the world, with 1,100 being delivered the first year alone. Many student pilots took their first flight in a 172 variant including myself; good ol’ X-Ray Tango was a trainer than had suffered the heavy hands and hard landings of pilots without complaint.
The 172 and other Cessna models are the mainstay of the Civil Air Patrol, and these beautiful aircraft can be found everywhere throughout the world.
Constant improvement to the airplane over time has refined the breed. Today the latest deliveries from Textron Aviation/Cessna are showing up with bigger engines and avionics innovations that were unthinkable when that first flight took place 65 years ago. I recently flew in a beautiful example that was equipped with a flight deck that featured the Garmin G1000 NXi, wireless connectivity, and a host of improved technology that leads to an incredibly enjoyable pilot experience.
Happy Birthday little Skyhawk. I look forward to my next flight!
About the Cessna Skyhawk
The Cessna Skyhawk platform is the world standard for pilot training and is renowned for offering the best combination of modern features, including the leading Garmin G1000 NXi avionics system with wireless connectivity, a standard angle-of-attack display system, and proven dependability.
The Cessna Skyhawk is the ultimate training aircraft and the most popular single-engine aircraft ever built. With forgiving flight characteristics, great visibility, a sophisticated glass cockpit outfitted with G1000 avionics, slow landing speed and a forgiving stall – the Cessna Skyhawk is a flight training favorite ideally suited for student pilots. Find out more about the Skyhawk HERE.
About the Civil Air Patrol
The Civil Air Patrol has one of the world’s largest fleets of single-engine, piston-powered aircraft–550 in total. More than 500 are Cessna aircraft, used by CAP to save lives, provide disaster relief and emergency services, perform aerial photography reconnaissance, and assist with military training. You can find out more about the Civil Air Patrol HERE.
This year, Textron Aviation was awarded a contract by the U.S. Civil Air Patrol for 17 Cessna piston engine aircraft, and among the aircraft to be delivered are 11 Skyhawk 172s.