Cessna Cardinal
Type-certificate model Cessna 177: the catalog groups its variants under that name.
40 for sale, 25 with a US-dollar asking price. Asking prices, not sales.
What does a Cessna Cardinal ask?
$129,000 is the median of 25 US-dollar asking prices; the middle half ask $109,900–$144,500.
40 for sale now. Asking prices, not sales.
How far does a Cessna Cardinal fly?
Across its 5 catalog variants, book ranges run 480–600 nm; the 177 flies furthest, about 4 h 10 min at 144 kt.
Still air, no reserves; catalog confidence medium.
What does a Cessna Cardinal 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. 1975–1977: 14 for sale, 10 priced.
The figures by year
| Year | For sale | Priced | Median ask | Low–high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 2 | 1 | — | $57,500–$57,500 |
| 1968 | 3 | 2 | — | $68,800–$79,500 |
| 1969 | 1 | 1 | — | $129,900–$129,900 |
| 1970 | 2 | 2 | — | $118,000–$135,500 |
| 1971 | 3 | 1 | — | $149,500–$149,500 |
| 1973 | 6 | 2 | — | $115,000–$119,000 |
| 1974 | 4 | 4 | — | $109,900–$189,500 |
| 1975 | 3 | 2 | — | $99,500–$144,500 |
| 1976 | 8 | 7 | $129,000 | $105,000–$139,000 |
| 1977 | 3 | 1 | — | $166,061–$166,061 |
| 1978 | 3 | 1 | — | $176,000–$176,000 |
| 1979 | 1 | 1 | — | $106,558–$106,558 |
Medians from 5 priced aircraft up. Asks outside 0.6–1.6× their year's median are left out.
Recently listed
View all 40 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.
- 177600 nm · 144 kt cruise · medium confidence
- 177A600 nm · 130 kt cruise · medium confidence
- 177B600 nm · 130 kt cruise · medium confidence
- 177RG600 nm · 144 kt cruise · medium confidence
- F177RG480 nm · 144 kt cruise · medium confidence
The Cessna Cardinal in brief
40 Cessna Cardinal listings are for sale across the sites Sprinkle reads as of Nov 12, 2026, built 1967–1979.
The middle half were built 1971–1976.
How the Cessna Cardinal performs
By the catalog, the fastest variant cruises at 144 knots.
The longest book range across its variants is 600 nautical miles: still air, no reserves.
It seats up to 4 passengers.
Buying a Cessna Cardinal
The middle half of US-dollar asks run $109,900–$144,500, around a median of $129,000, from 25 priced listings. Asking prices, not sales.
The middle half of those that publish airframe time show 2,503–4,321 hours, from 31 listings.
Before an offer, check
- 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.
- Airworthiness directives and service bulletins: which apply, and how each was closed.
Figures from the listings Sprinkle reads, read Nov 12, 2026. A market read from asking prices, not an appraisal.
About the Cessna Cardinal
- Manufacturer
- Cessna, United States
- Category
- Piston airplane
- Variants in the catalog
- 5: 177, 177A, 177B, 177RG, F177RG
- Passengers, at most
- 4
- The farthest the maker says the aircraft can fly on full fuel, in still air with standard reserves. Real trips with passengers and wind come up shorter.
- 600 nm
- Cruise speed, fastest
- 144 kt
- The highest altitude at which the aircraft can still climb at 100 feet per minute. Most trips cruise well below it.
- 17,000 ft
- The heaviest the aircraft is certified to weigh at takeoff, with people, bags and fuel on board.
- 1,200 kg (2,646 lb)
- The aviation authority’s approval of an aircraft design, such as the FAA’s or EASA’s. Each model flies under one.
- FAA
From Sprinkle's aircraft catalog. Figures are the highest across the model's variants.
The Cessna Cardinal fleet
- Registered fleet
- 2,627
- Median age
- 53 years
- Registration changes, past 12 months
- 87
- Most built in the
- 1970s
From the national aircraft registers Sprinkle reads. Read Nov 12, 2026.
Cessna Cardinal type certificates
- 177 FAA A13CE
- approved Feb 16, 1967 · MTOW 1,066 kg · 4 passengers · Lycoming O-320-E2D · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
- 177A FAA A13CE
- approved Jun 22, 1968 · MTOW 1,134 kg · 4 passengers · Lycoming O-360-A2F · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
- 177B FAA A13CE
- approved Jul 28, 1969 · Part 23 of the Federal Aviation Regulations effective February 1, 1965, as amended by 23-1, 23-2 and 23-3. · MTOW 1,134 kg · 4 passengers · Lycoming O-360-A1F6 or O-360-A1F6D · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
- 177RG FAA A20CE
- approved Aug 11, 1970 · Part 23 of the Federal Aviation Regulations effective February 1, 1965, as amended by 23-1 through 23-6. · MTOW 1,270 kg · 3 passengers · Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 or IO-360-A1B6D, 200 hp, 2700 rpm · 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 Cardinal manuals and documents
- Owner's Manual (PDF, opens in a new tab)Pilot’s Operating Handbook · 1993 · 52 pages
- Cessna 1976 Cardinal RG Pilot's Operating Handbook (PDF, opens in a new tab)Pilot’s Operating Handbook · 1980 · 238 pages
- Pilot’s Operating Handbook Cardinal (PDF, opens in a new tab)Pilot’s Operating Handbook · 1977
- 1975 Cessna 177 And Cardinal Owner’s Manual (PDF, opens in a new tab)Pilot’s Operating Handbook · 1975 · 118 pages
- 1973 177B Poh - Cessna (PDF, opens in a new tab)Pilot’s Operating Handbook · 1973
- Cessna 177 C177RG Cardinal 1971 Owners Manual (PDF, opens in a new tab)Pilot’s Operating Handbook · 1971
- Owner S Manual Model 177AND Cardinal (PDF, opens in a new tab)Pilot’s Operating Handbook · 1968 · 63 pages
- Cessna 177 Pilot's Operating Handbook (PDF, opens in a new tab)Pilot’s Operating Handbook · 128 pages
- Pilot's Operating Handbook (PDF, opens in a new tab)Pilot’s Operating Handbook · 84 pages
- INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONTINUED AIRWORTHINESS FOR HARTZELL PROPELLER HC-C2YR-1BFP / F7894 ON TEXTRON / CESSNA 177RG and F177RG AIRCRAFT STC SA04200CH (PDF, opens in a new tab)Airplane Flight Manual · 2017 · 3 pages
- Service Bulletin TAT SB09-02 (PDF, opens in a new tab)Airplane Flight Manual · 2010 · 2 pages
- Cardinal RG Series 1971 Thru 1975 Service Manual (PDF, opens in a new tab)Airplane Flight Manual · 1971 · 407 pages
- Airplane Flight Manual (PDF, opens in a new tab)Airplane Flight Manual · 94 pages
- Cessna 177 Prebuy Evaluation Checklist – Scope and Detail (PDF, opens in a new tab)Checklist · 2024 · 5 pages
- Checklist (PDF, opens in a new tab)Checklist · 2018 · 1 pages
- Checklists Marked With The Thick Vertical Line On The Left Should Be Memorized (PDF, opens in a new tab)Checklist · 2016 · 2 pages
The 16 most useful of 64 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.
- A month
- $2,923
- A flight hour, all in
- $351
- Flying (fuel and reserve)
- $10,300
- Fixed
- $13,300
- Loan
- $11,480
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.