But what is the plane's top speed, and how far can it fly? The Cessna 172, also known as the Cessna Skyhawk, has a maximum speed of around 124 ktas or knots true airspeed, which is about 143 mph.

There’s hardly a pilot flying today who hasn’t logged at least a few hours in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk. It’s the world’s best-selling single-engine airplane, with more than 35,000 built since ...