Buying a Cessna 172?
What would be an approximate cost in USA with glass cockpit against the same in UK
As someone with many hours in a cessna 172, I can tell you that the cheapest way would be to buy a old used one and upgrade it to the same specs as the newer ones. A new one is $250k
A cessna 172 lasts about 10,000 hours on average, and youll probably only use 2000 hours in 20 years, so dont worry about getting a plane with 4-5k hours. There are plenty available with under 3k hours for $30-40k.
One of the advantages of upgrading an older aircraft is that the upgrades are more effective than the components you would get with a new one, such as the engine. The new 172 comes with a 180hp IO-360, and the old 172’s use the 150hp O-320, which makes the plane noticeably easier to handle, and is capable of almost the same performance. The one great advantage of the O-320 is that for a mere $3500, you can get it upgraded to the O-340, which is the same weight, but has 185hp. More power, less weight, obviously better performance. Oh, it has better efficiency because of higher compression also.
In total, about $70k could get you a great glass cockpit 172.
Thats about $600 a month compared to $1900 for the new one.
Cessna 172 Crosswind Landing at Seething UK EGSJ
