Editing Cessna 172 (section)

==Design and development==
[[File:Cessna172Skyhawk1957model01.jpg|thumb|Early Cessna 172s, like this 1957 model, had a "[[fastback]]" rear cabin with no rear window and featured a "square" fin design.]]The Cessna 172 started as a tricycle landing gear variant of the [[taildragger]] [[Cessna 170]], with a basic level of standard equipment. In January 1955, Cessna flew an improved variant of the Cessna 170, a [[Continental O-300|Continental O-300-A]]-powered Cessna 170C with larger elevators and a more angular tailfin.<ref name="simpson">{{cite journal |last=Simpson |first= Rod |date=June 2009 |title=Cessna 172 – Simply, the World's Most Successful Light Aircraft? |journal=Air-Britain Aviation World |publisher=[[Air-Britain]] |volume=61 |issue=120 |pages=158–163 |issn=1742-996X}}</ref> Although the variant was tested and certified, Cessna decided to modify it with a tricycle landing gear, and the modified Cessna 170C flew again on June 12, 1955.<ref name="simpson" /> To reduce the time and cost of certification, the type was added to the Cessna 170 [[type certificate]] as the Model 172.<ref name="simpson" /> Later, the 172 was given its own type certificate.<ref name="3A12">{{cite web |last=[[Federal Aviation Administration]] |date=February 2006 |title=Type Certificate Data Sheet No. 3A12 |url=https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/814B2FB4DC1615008625871E005ED037.0001 |access-date=2024-06-09}}</ref><ref name="A799">{{cite web |last=[[Federal Aviation Administration]] |date=November 2004 |title=Type Certificate Data Sheet No. A-799 |url=http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgMakeModel.nsf/0/51dcd703defaa00486257243006811e2/$FILE/A-799.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608055100/http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgMakeModel.nsf/0/51dcd703defaa00486257243006811e2/$FILE/A-799.pdf |archive-date=2011-06-08 |access-date=2010-02-21}}</ref> The 172 became an overnight sales success, and over 1,400 were built in 1956, its first full year of production.<ref>Clark, Anders (1 January 2015). "[https://disciplesofflight.com/cessna-172-skyhawk/ Cessna 172 Skyhawk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814142814/https://disciplesofflight.com/cessna-172-skyhawk/ |date=2015-08-14 }}". Disciples of Flight. Retrieved 12 August 2015</ref>

Early 172s were similar in appearance to the 170s, with the same straight aft fuselage and tall landing gear legs, although the 172 had a straight tailfin while the 170 had a rounded fin and rudder. In 1960, the 172A incorporated revised landing gear and the swept-back tailfin, which is still in use today.

The final aesthetic development, found in the 1963 172D and all later 172 models, was a lowered rear deck allowing an aft window. Cessna advertised this added rear visibility as "[[Cessna#Marketing initiatives|Omni-Vision]]".<ref name="Clarke" />

Production halted in the mid-1980s, but resumed in 1996 with the 160&nbsp;hp (120&nbsp;kW) Cessna 172R Skyhawk. Cessna supplemented this in 1998 with the 180&nbsp;hp (135&nbsp;kW) Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP.{{Citation needed|date=June 2012}}

===Modifications===
The Cessna 172 may be modified via a wide array of [[supplemental type certificate]]s (STCs), including increased engine power and higher gross weights. Available STC engine modifications increase power from {{convert|180|to|210|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}}, add [[constant-speed propeller]]s, or allow the use of [[Avgas#Automotive gasoline|automobile gasoline]]. Other modifications include additional fuel tank capacity in the [[wing tip]]s, added baggage compartment tanks, added [[wheel pants]] to reduce drag, or enhanced landing and takeoff performance and safety with a [[STOL]] kit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aopa.org/pilot/btn172/btn9407.html |title=Airframe Additions |access-date=2010-04-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526153149/http://www.aopa.org/pilot/btn172/btn9407.html |archive-date=2008-05-26 }} ''AOPA Pilot'', May/July 1994</ref> The 172 has also been equipped with the {{convert|180|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} [[fuel injected]] [[Superior Air Parts Vantage]] engine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Superior Skyhawk SV|url=http://www.superiorairparts.com/vantage-engine/skyhawk-sv/|author=[[Superior Air Parts]]|work=superiorairparts.com|access-date=17 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518085207/http://www.superiorairparts.com/vantage-engine/skyhawk-sv/|archive-date=18 May 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>