V-speeds, cruise performance, fuel, and weights, digitized from the POH for planning and study.
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Cessna 172R Skyhawk preflight numbers at a glance: max gross weight 2450 lb, 53 gal usable fuel, cruise up to about 119 KTAS (POH figure at 8000 ft, standard day). All figures below come from the FlightDecide curated aircraft library, digitized from the published POH/AFM. Use them for planning and study, and confirm against the POH for your specific serial number before flight.
| Engine | Lycoming IO-360-L2A (160 HP) |
| Propeller | McCauley 1C235/LFA7570 |
| Max gross weight | 2450 lb |
| Empty weight (typical) | 1639 lb |
| Usable fuel | 53 gal |
Knots indicated (KIAS) unless the POH states otherwise. Speeds vary by model year and serial; the placarded speeds and your POH govern.
| Speed | Value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| VS0 | 47 kt | Stall, landing configuration |
| VS1 | 51 kt | Stall, clean configuration |
| VX | 60 kt | Best angle of climb |
| VY | 79 kt | Best rate of climb |
| VFE | 110 kt | Max flaps extended |
| VNO | 129 kt | Max structural cruising |
| VNE | 163 kt | Never exceed |
| Best glide | 65 kt | Best glide speed |
Transcribed from the POH cruise tables. True airspeed and fuel flow depend on altitude, power setting, temperature, and leaning technique.
| Pressure alt (ft) | RPM | % power | TAS (kt) | Fuel (GPH) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2100 | 65 | 106 | 7.5 |
| 2000 | 2250 | 74 | 114 | 8.5 |
| 4000 | 2100 | 62 | 105 | 7.1 |
| 4000 | 2250 | 75 | 114 | 8.6 |
| 6000 | 2200 | 67 | 111 | 7.7 |
| 6000 | 2300 | 75 | 117 | 8.6 |
| 8000 | 2200 | 64 | 110 | 7.3 |
| 8000 | 2350 | 76 | 119 | 8.7 |
Per the POH cruise table, up to about 119 KTAS at 8000 ft on a standard day, burning roughly 8.7 GPH at that setting. Typical everyday cruise settings run slower and leaner; see the table above.
53 gallons usable. At a high-cruise burn of 8.7 GPH that is roughly 6.1 hours to dry tanks. Plan with reserves, never to zero.
VNE (never exceed) is 163 kt and VNO (max structural cruising) is 129 kt. Full V-speed table above; verify against the POH for your serial.
Check today's wind against your personal crosswind maximum.
See what heat and elevation do to these takeoff and climb numbers.
Fold these numbers into a structured preflight decision.
FlightDecide ships this aircraft as a built-in profile: it computes your fuel, weight and balance, and takeoff/landing performance for the actual conditions, scores 8 risk categories against your personal minimums, and explains the result in plain language.
Get FlightDecide on the App StoreReference data for planning and study: approximate, and not a substitute for the FAA-approved AFM/POH for your specific aircraft, an official weather briefing, or your judgment as pilot in command (14 CFR 91.3). Source: Cessna Model 172R Pilot's Operating Handbook, Section 5 Performance, Figure 5-8 Cruise Performance. Onboarded via FD-215 ingestion pipeline 2026-07-01. Data synced from the FlightDecide aircraft library on 2026-07-17.