This 1974 Cessna 172M Skyhawk Is a Winged Family Car and an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

1974 Cessna 172M Skyhawk [Courtesy: Jon Spaulding]

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1974 Cessna 172M Skyhawk.

Pilots shopping for their first aircraft after receiving their private pilot certificate often overlook the Cessna 172 even if they trained in one as students.

Often they are in a hurry to “step up” to a complex, high-performance airplane and start traveling long distances at greater speeds than the Cessna can muster.

For many, though, simply flying as pilot in command is a significant promotion. It can take a long time to adjust to flying regularly without an instructor on board, and having a familiar aircraft can be a big advantage.

There are also those pilots who consider the 172 a classic and among the best aircraft ever designed. For them, the choice of a 172 as a personal airplane makes sense because they love most of its traits and features, from its forgiving handling and reliability to the fabulous original factory paint schemes and interiors one can find on the market.

If you learned to fly in a 172, there is a good chance that you feel a particular affection toward that model. While demand has driven prices up lately, the 172 overall remains an economical aircraft to own and operate.

This 1974 172M has 2,524 hours on the airframe, 813 hours on its 150 hp Lycoming O-320 E2D engine since overhaul, and 2,524 hours on the propeller since new. The aircraft carries 38 gallons of usable fuel and has a useful load of 853.8 pounds.

The IFR panel includes a garmin GMA 340 audio panel, Garmin GNS 530W GPS/Nav/Comm with localizer and glideslope, Garmin SL 30 Nav/Comm, GTX 327 transponder, S-Tec 20 autopilot with GPSS, GDL 88 receiver with ADS-B In and Out, and Electronics International engine analyzer.

Additional equipment includes wheel pants, engine monitor alarm, Brackett air filter, dual shoulder harnesses, Hobbs meter, and arb ice detector.

Pilots who enjoyed training in Cessna 172s and might consider one for long-term use as a personal aircraft for travel or building time should consider this 1974 Skyhawk, which is available for $119,900 on AircraftForSale.

If you're interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use their airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.