Manufacturer: Cessna Aircraft Company
Type: Civil Utility Aicraft

The Cessna 172 is a four-seat, general aviation airplane used primarily for flight training, touring, and personal flying. Introduced in 1955, the Cessna 172 is perhaps the most successful mass produced light aircraft in history.
There were about 43,000 of this airplane built worldwide and they are still in production as of 2007.

Early Cessna 172 design was a relatively simple tricycle landing gear upgrade from the taildragger Cessna 170. Today, there many differences that can be noted between the very first 172 and today's version, but there are also few important similarities. The wing has the same NACA 2412 airfoil that Cessna has been using since production of its 170. The plane also continues to use the same flat-plate ailerons that 152s and 172s are known for steady handling. Later 172 versions incorporated revised landing gear, a lowered rear deck that allowed an aft window (this rear visibility was coined "Omni-Vision"), a sweptback tail, upgrades in engines and avionics and the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit.

 

General characteristics

 

Crew: 1
Capacity: 3 passengers
Length: 27 ft 2 in (8.28 m)
Wingspan: 36 ft 1 in (11.0 m)
Height: 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m)
Airfoil: NACA 2412 (modified)
Empty weight: 1,620 lb (736 kg)
Useful load: 830 lb (376 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 2,450 lb (1,113 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Lycoming IO-360-L2A flat-4 engine, 160 hp 
                 (120 kW) at 2,400 rpm
* Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0319

Never exceed speed: 163 knots (187 mph, 302 km/h)
Maximum speed: 123 knots (141 mph, 228 km/h) at sea 

                          level
Range: 687 nm (790 mi, 1,272 km) at 60% power at

           10,000 ft (3,040 m)
Service ceiling: 13,500 ft (4,116 m)
Rate of climb: 720 ft/min (3.7 m/s)
Cruise Speed 124 knots 230 km/h
Fuel Capacity 56 gallons 212 liters
Maximum Gross Weight: 2,550 pounds (1,157 kilograms)