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Cessna Skyhawk

Type-certificate model Cessna 172: the catalog groups its variants under that name.

194 for sale, 78 with a US-dollar asking price. Asking prices, not sales.

What does a Cessna Skyhawk ask?

$149,900 is the median of 78 US-dollar asking prices; the middle half ask $117,300–$210,000.

194 for sale now. Asking prices, not sales.

How far does a Cessna Skyhawk fly?

Across its 39 catalog variants, book ranges run 580–700 nm; the 172R flies furthest, about 5 h 00 min at 140 kt.

Still air, no reserves; catalog confidence medium.

What does a Cessna Skyhawk cost to keep?

It depends on how you fly it and where you keep it, so Sprinkle doesn’t give one figure. Work it out on your own numbers.

Go to the cost calculator →

Asking price by year built

Each dot is one aircraft's asking price; the line is each year's median, the band its low–high. 1979–1981: 40 for sale, 21 priced.

1979–1981$0$200k$400k$600k$800k$1M19561973199020071979: $210,0001979: $125,0001979: $167,0001979: $199,0001979: $165,0001979: $185,0001974: $124,9001974: $172,9001974: $210,0001981: $118,2011981: $99,9001981: $95,0002004: $220,0002004: $350,0001967: $169,0001956: $79,9001956: $99,5001982: $499,0001977: $229,9001977: $137,0001977: $150,0001977: $160,0001977: $165,0001975: $149,9001975: $124,5001975: $90,0001975: $136,6701970: $990,0001966: $990,0001980: $116,9991980: $179,0001980: $109,9001980: $149,9001980: $125,0001980: $154,0001980: $134,9001980: $179,0001980: $125,0001980: $109,9001980: $145,0001980: $149,0001978: $219,0001978: $129,9001978: $169,0001978: $129,5002020: $599,0002020: $599,0001963: $55,0001965: $95,0001964: $149,5001964: $185,0002013: $495,0001968: $107,5001968: $115,0002000: $314,9001969: $119,5001969: $135,5001969: $74,4381969: $99,0002008: $414,9002008: $434,9001976: $120,0001976: $139,9002002: $329,5001960: $89,0001960: $59,9001960: $60,0002001: $309,9001961: $69,0001984: $199,0001962: $99,5001962: $169,0001983: $96,0001997: $299,0002007: $345,0001999: $189,9002018: $459,0001998: $365,000
The figures by year
YearFor salePricedMedian askLow–high
195632—$79,900–$99,500
195910——
196043—$59,900–$89,000
196121—$69,000–$69,000
196222—$99,500–$169,000
196311—$55,000–$55,000
196432—$149,500–$185,000
196531—$95,000–$95,000
196631—$990,000–$990,000
196741—$169,000–$169,000
196832—$107,500–$115,000
196954—$74,438–$135,500
197031—$990,000–$990,000
197120——
197210——
197320——
197463—$124,900–$210,000
1975114—$90,000–$149,900
197642—$120,000–$139,900
1977165$160,000$137,000–$229,900
197874—$129,500–$219,000
1979146$176,000$125,000–$210,000
19801812$139,950$109,900–$179,000
198183—$95,000–$118,201
198231—$499,000–$499,000
198321—$96,000–$96,000
198421—$199,000–$199,000
198620——
199721—$299,000–$299,000
199821—$365,000–$365,000
199941—$189,900–$189,900
200011—$314,900–$314,900
200151—$309,900–$309,900
200241—$329,500–$329,500
200462—$220,000–$350,000
200640——
200721—$345,000–$345,000
200832—$414,900–$434,900
200910——
201110——
201210——
201311—$495,000–$495,000
201831—$459,000–$459,000
201930——
202042—$599,000–$599,000
202110——
202240——
202330——
202410——
202510——

Medians from 5 priced aircraft up. Asks outside 0.6–1.6× their year's median are left out.

Recently listed

View all 194 for sale →

Range by variant

Book ranges from the catalog: still air, full fuel, no reserves, at the confidence shown. Plan with your own numbers.

  • 172R
    700 nm · 140 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • 172RG
    700 nm · 140 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • 172
    580 nm · 114 kt cruise · high confidence
  • 172A
    580 nm · 114 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • 172B
    580 nm · 114 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • 172C
    580 nm · 114 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • 172D
    580 nm · 114 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • 172E
    580 nm · 114 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • 172F (USAF T-41A)
    580 nm · 114 kt cruise · high confidence
  • 172G
    580 nm · 114 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • 172I
    580 nm · 114 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • 172K
    580 nm · 114 kt cruise · medium confidence

The Cessna Skyhawk in brief

The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat high-wing single with fixed gear. It is the standard trainer at many flight schools and a common first aircraft.

Owners value its gentle handling, ease of maintenance and the wide availability of parts and mechanics.

194 Cessna Skyhawk listings are for sale across the sites Sprinkle reads as of Nov 12, 2026, built 1956–2025.

The middle half were built 1975–2000.

How the Cessna Skyhawk performs

The Skyhawk is a modest performer: unhurried cruise and limited load with full fuel and four aboard. Later models carry fuel-injected engines and Garmin G1000 avionics; many older ones have engine and avionics upgrades.

By the catalog, the fastest variant cruises at 140 knots.

The longest book range across its variants is 700 nautical miles: still air, no reserves.

It seats up to 4 passengers.

Buying a Cessna Skyhawk

Skyhawks from different decades ask very different prices, and many have flown as trainers. Compare by build years first, then by engine time and how the aircraft has been used.

The middle half of US-dollar asks run $117,300–$210,000, around a median of $149,900, from 78 priced listings. Asking prices, not sales.

The middle half of those that publish airframe time show 2,600–6,394 hours, from 117 listings.

Before an offer, check

  • Seat rails and seat stops, under Cessna’s seat rail airworthiness directive.
  • The firewall and nose gear, where training use and hard landings show.
  • Corrosion in the wing attach points, the doorposts and the tail.
  • A pre-buy inspection by a mechanic who knows the type, chosen by you, not the seller.
  • Complete logbooks for the airframe, engines and propellers, with any gaps explained.
  • Damage history and any repairs, against the logbooks and the registry record.
  • Engine time against the overhaul interval, and the shop that did the last overhaul.

Written by Sprinkle’s editors, reviewed Oct 29, 2026. Figures from the listings Sprinkle reads, read Nov 12, 2026. A market read from asking prices, not an appraisal.

About the Cessna Skyhawk

Manufacturer
Cessna, United States
Category
Piston airplane
Variants in the catalog
44: 172, 172A, 172B, 172C, 172D, 172E, 172F (USAF T-41A), 172G…
Passengers, at most
4
700 nm
Cruise speed, fastest
140 kt
17,000 ft
1,200 kg (2,646 lb)
FAA

From Sprinkle's aircraft catalog. Figures are the highest across the model's variants.

The Cessna Skyhawk fleet

Registered fleet
29,935
Median age
51 years
Registration changes, past 12 months
848
Most built in the
1970s

From the national aircraft registers Sprinkle reads. Read Nov 12, 2026.

Cessna Skyhawk type certificates

172 FAA 3A12
approved Nov 4, 1955 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective November 1, 1949, as amended by 3-1 through 3-12. · MTOW 998 kg · 4 passengers · Continental O-300-A or O-300-B, 145 hp · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
172A FAA 3A12
approved Jul 16, 1959 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective November 1, 1949, as amended by 3-1 through 3-12. In addition, effective S/N 17271035 and on, FAR 23.1559 effective March 1, 1978. FAR 36 dated December 1, 1969, plus Amendments 36-1 through 36-12. In addition, effective S/N 17276260 and on, FAR 23.1545(a), Amendment 23-23 dated December 1, 1978. · MTOW 998 kg · 4 passengers · Continental O-300-C or O-300-D, 145 hp · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
172B FAA 3A12
approved Jun 14, 1960 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective November 1, 1949, as amended by 3-1 through 3-12. In addition, effective S/N 17271035 and on, FAR 23.1559 effective March 1, 1978. FAR 36 dated December 1, 1969, plus Amendments 36-1 through 36-12. In addition, effective S/N 17276260 and on, FAR 23.1545(a), Amendment 23-23 dated December 1, 1978. · MTOW 998 kg · 4 passengers · Continental O-300-C or O-300-D, 145 hp · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
172C FAA 3A12
approved Jul 18, 1961 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective November 1, 1949, as amended by 3-1 through 3-12. In addition, effective S/N 17271035 and on, FAR 23.1559 effective March 1, 1978. FAR 36 dated December 1, 1969, plus Amendments 36-1 through 36-12. In addition, effective S/N 17276260 and on, FAR 23.1545(a), Amendment 23-23 dated December 1, 1978. · MTOW 1,021 kg · 4 passengers · Continental O-300-C or O-300-D, 145 hp · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
172D FAA 3A12
approved Jun 19, 1962 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective November 1, 1949, as amended by 3-1 through 3-12. In addition, effective S/N 17271035 and on, FAR 23.1559 effective March 1, 1978. FAR 36 dated December 1, 1969, plus Amendments 36-1 through 36-12. In addition, effective S/N 17276260 and on, FAR 23.1545(a), Amendment 23-23 dated December 1, 1978. · MTOW 1,043 kg · 4 passengers · Continental O-300-C or O-300-D, 145 hp · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
P172D FAA 3A17
approved Jun 25, 1962 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations dated May 15, 1956. · MTOW 1,134 kg · 4 passengers · Continental GO-300E · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
172E FAA 3A12
approved Jun 27, 1963 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective November 1, 1949, as amended by 3-1 through 3-12. In addition, effective S/N 17271035 and on, FAR 23.1559 effective March 1, 1978. FAR 36 dated December 1, 1969, plus Amendments 36-1 through 36-12. In addition, effective S/N 17276260 and on, FAR 23.1545(a), Amendment 23-23 dated December 1, 1978. · MTOW 1,043 kg · 4 passengers · Continental O-300-C or O-300-D, 145 hp · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
172F FAA 3A12
approved Apr 21, 1964 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective November 1, 1949, as amended by 3-1 through 3-12. In addition, effective S/N 17271035 and on, FAR 23.1559 effective March 1, 1978. FAR 36 dated December 1, 1969, plus Amendments 36-1 through 36-12. In addition, effective S/N 17276260 and on, FAR 23.1545(a), Amendment 23-23 dated December 1, 1978. · MTOW 1,043 kg · 4 passengers · Continental O-300-C or O-300-D, 145 hp · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
R172E FAA 3A17
approved Apr 21, 1964 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations dated May 15, 1956. · MTOW 1,134 kg · 4 passengers · Continental IO-360-D or IO-360-DB · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
172G FAA 3A12
approved Jun 15, 1965 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective November 1, 1949, as amended by 3-1 through 3-12. In addition, effective S/N 17271035 and on, FAR 23.1559 effective March 1, 1978. FAR 36 dated December 1, 1969, plus Amendments 36-1 through 36-12. In addition, effective S/N 17276260 and on, FAR 23.1545(a), Amendment 23-23 dated December 1, 1978. · MTOW 1,043 kg · 4 passengers · Continental O-300-C or O-300-D, 145 hp · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
F172G FAA A4EU
approved Dec 21, 1965 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations dated May 15, 1956; CAR 10; CAR 3; FAR 23.1559; FAR 36 · MTOW 1,043 kg · 3 passengers · Rolls Royce Continental O-300-D · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
172H FAA 3A12
approved Jun 7, 1966 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective November 1, 1949, as amended by 3-1 through 3-12. In addition, effective S/N 17271035 and on, FAR 23.1559 effective March 1, 1978. FAR 36 dated December 1, 1969, plus Amendments 36-1 through 36-12. In addition, effective S/N 17276260 and on, FAR 23.1545(a), Amendment 23-23 dated December 1, 1978. · MTOW 1,043 kg · 4 passengers · Continental O-300-C or O-300-D, 145 hp · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)

From the regulators' type-certificate data sheets. Figures shown only where the reading is high-confidence.

Cessna Skyhawk manuals and documents

The 16 most useful of 283 documents in Sprinkle’s library for this model. PDFs open from Sprinkle’s own files.

What one would cost to fly

Put in your own figures; the totals update as you type.

Flying
Overhaul cost over hours to overhaul
Fixed
Databases, subscriptions, cleaning
Buying
The median of 78 US-dollar asking prices for this model: replace it with your offer.
Borrowed: $120,000
A year at these figures
$36,949
A month
$3,079
A flight hour, all in
$369
Flying (fuel and reserve)
$10,300
Fixed
$13,300
Loan
$13,349

Fields marked Typical hold a rule-of-thumb figure for a piston airplane: an assumption, not Sprinkle's data. Replace them with your own.

Not a quote: Sprinkle doesn't hold insurance, hangar or maintenance costs. Asking prices, not sales.

From the listings Sprinkle reads for this model. Read Nov 12, 2026.