The Bird

Like every driver and their affection for a first car, the same can easily be said of a pilot and their first plane. For me, the first (and only, at the moment) plane I have flown thus far has been the venerable, mass-produced Cessna 172 Skyhawk.

With over 43,000 constructed since production started in 1956, it's safe to say that the 172 is a mainstay in the general aviation (GA) world. Loved by pilots across the globe, the 172's relative simplicity, four-seat capacity, and respectable performance make it popular whether you're a student or a seasoned pilot.

With a four or six cylinder engine ranging anywhere from 145 hp to 180 hp depending on the model, it can cruise up to 140 MPH and fly approximately 700-750 miles on a single tank of gas.

Personally, my time in the 172 has been great - the high-wing design allows for unobstructed views of the ground, allowing for great photography chances but also prohibits you of viewing anything in the air above you. It's relatively low stalling speed ( ~40 knots/45 MPH) also enables it to land on some short grass or paved runways, allowing you to get in and out of some unfurnished airports with ease.

The cockpit itself is about as simple as it gets for a small single engine plane. There are your standard engine/oil gauges, the standard "six-pack" (artificial horizon, altimeter, directional gyro (compass), vertical speed indicator, turn coordinator, and airspeed indicator), radio stack with different COMM and NAV frequencies and the transponder (basically allows your plane to be seen by air traffic control), along with the non-mandatory VOR (navigation aid) receivers and a very basic GPS and autopilot.

While it may not sound that simple on the surface, it only takes a flight or two to get used to the layout of the cockpit.

The view from the left seat of a Cessna 172

Full view of the panel - large orange/black stack in the middle houses the radios

On the outer portion of each yoke (control wheel), there is a push-to-talk button that, when pressed and held down, enables you to speak to controllers without having your hand leave the controls. Thankfully, most, if not all, planes have this feature, making aviating and communicating at the same time a breeze, especially for student pilots.

I planned on having this be a short informational post, but in my next post, I'd like to answer any questions that any of you may have so far on anything having to do with flying. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments box below or shoot me an email (jkrecek3@gmail.com) and I'd love to answer them.

Flaps up!