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Description
Cessna introduced a retractable landing gear version of the 172 in 1980 and named it the Cutlass 172RG.
The Cutlass featured a variable pitch, constant-speed propeller and a more powerful Lycoming O-360-F1A6 engine of 180 horsepower (130 kW). The 172RG sold for about US$19,000 more than the standard 172 of the same year and produced an optimal cruise speed of 140 knots (260 km/h), compared to 122 knots (226 km/h) for the contemporary 160 horsepower (120 kW) version.
The 172RG did not find wide acceptance in the personal aircraft market because of higher additional initial and operating costs accompanied by mediocre cruising speed, but was adopted by many flight schools since it met the specific requirements for "complex aircraft" experience necessary to obtain a Commercial Pilot certificate (the role for which it was intended), at relatively low cost. Between 1980 and 1984 1177 RGs were built, with a small number following before production ceased in 1985.
While numbered and marketed as a 172, the 172RG was actually certified on the Cessna 175 type certificate.
Requis
FSX
