Cessna 172 vs 182: Skyhawk and Skylane compared

Legacy and popularity

In continuous production since 1956, the Cessna 172 is the most produced civilian aircraft in history, with more than 44,000 built. Its reputation as a trainer rests on a simple, forgiving airframe and a long safety record.

The Cessna 182 is best understood as the 172's heavier, more powerful sibling. Pilots usually move to it after training on a 172, and its blend of useful load, speed and short-field ability makes it a popular family and cross-country aircraft.

Engine and propeller

Older 172s use the carbureted Lycoming O-320 (150 to 160 hp); the current 172S uses a 180 hp fuel-injected Lycoming IO-360 driving a fixed-pitch propeller.

The 182 carries a 230 hp engine: the Continental O-470 on classic Skylanes, or the Lycoming IO-540 on restart-era aircraft from 1996 onward. Both add a constant-speed (variable-pitch) propeller and cowl flaps to manage the extra power and cooling.

Performance and fuel burn

The 182's extra power shows up as both cruise speed and climb. Expect roughly 145 KTAS in the 182 against the low 120s in a 172S, and a noticeably stronger rate of climb.

That performance costs fuel. A 172S typically burns about 8 to 10 gallons per hour in cruise, while a 182 runs closer to 12 to 15 gallons per hour. All figures are indicative and vary with power setting, altitude and leaning.

Useful load and range

If you carry people and bags over distance, the 182 wins clearly. It offers a useful load in the region of 1,100 lb or more and a large baggage area, against under about 900 lb for the 172, which calls for careful weight and balance with four adults aboard.

On long-range tanks a 182 can approach 900 nautical miles of range; a 172 on long-range tanks manages roughly 600 nautical miles. Treat these as no-reserve maxima and subtract your VFR or IFR reserves.

Cabin and comfort

Both are four-seat cabins built on closely related fuselages, so the difference in width is small; do not expect a dramatic step up in shoulder room. The 182's real comfort advantage is payload margin, letting you fill the seats and still carry fuel and bags rather than trade one against the other.

Operating and maintenance cost

The 172 is the cheaper aircraft to own and fly: lower fuel burn, a fixed-pitch propeller and simpler systems. The 182 trades that for capability, with more fuel, a constant-speed propeller and cowl flaps to maintain.

On US-market figures, a routine annual inspection runs roughly $1,500 to $2,500 for a 172 and $2,000 to $3,500 for a 182, and that is only the starting point: corrective items found during the annual commonly add another $1,000 to $4,000 a year, so a common rule of thumb is to budget 150 to 200 percent of the base inspection fee.

The engine is the largest lifecycle cost. A field overhaul of a 172 engine is currently around $26,000 to $40,000, and a factory-remanufactured unit can exceed $50,000; the 182's larger engine costs correspondingly more. Many owners set aside hourly reserves, for a 172 typically $15 to $25 per flight hour toward the eventual overhaul plus $10 to $25 per hour for other maintenance, with oil and filter changes every 25 to 50 hours at about $150 to $300 each.

These ranges are indicative and drawn from the US market. European ownership is structured differently: VAT, CAMO or Part-M oversight and generally higher shop rates all move the numbers, so treat the figures as orders of magnitude rather than quotes and verify against a local maintenance organisation.

Which one should you buy?

Choose the 172 if you are budget-focused, fly mostly local trips, training or two people up, and want the lowest operating cost.

Choose the 182 if you need a genuine four-seat cross-country and short-field machine, carry family and luggage, and want to arrive faster. In short, the 172 rewards economy and simplicity, the 182 rewards capability.