Cessna 175

Overview

The Cessna 175 was built between 1958 and 1962 as a more powerful sibling to the 172, sharing the same airframe but carrying a 175 HP geared Continental GO-300 in place of the 172’s 145 HP O-300. Cessna positioned it between the 172 and the 182, and from 1959 marketed it as the Skylark, with a deluxe trim adding a stepped firewall and a larger instrument panel. The geared engine gave the 175 a useful edge in climb and cruise over the contemporaneous 172, but it also gave the type a reputation that has outlived the evidence for it.

These specifications reflect the final 175C (1962) trim: a 2,450 lb gross weight, roughly 1,040 lb useful load, and the GO-300-E turning a constant-speed propeller. Earlier 175, 175A, and 175B models carried a 2,350 lb gross weight, slightly lower useful-load and climb figures, and ground-adjustable or fixed-pitch propellers. All share the airframe, the four-seat cabin, and the geared GO-300.

Key Features for GA Buyers

The 175 offers four seats, 175 HP, and better climb and load-carrying than the same-era 172, at a price that today sits among the most affordable ways into a four-seat Cessna. At 2,450 lb gross with around 1,040 lb of useful load, it carries a more practical cabin load than the 172 of its era, and the geared engine turns a large, slow-spinning propeller that climbs well off shorter strips.

It is also straightforward to own. The airframe is the familiar 172 structure, so airframe parts, mechanics, and type knowledge are widely available even where GO-300-specific engine parts are not. Its low clean stall speed keeps it within the sport-pilot privileges opened up under MOSAIC, and its fixed tricycle gear asks for no endorsement beyond the private certificate.

Trade-offs

The defining consideration is the GO-300 itself. Its published time between overhaul is 1,200 hours, well short of the 1,800 hours of the ungeared O-300 and the 2,000 hours of a modern Lycoming, and its geared accessory case makes an overhaul more expensive than a comparable O-300. The engine’s poor reputation, however, was earned largely by operating technique rather than design. Pilots transitioning from the 172 instinctively throttled back to a familiar cruise RPM, lugging an engine designed to run near 3,200 RPM, and inattention to engine cooling compounded the wear. Flown by the book, the GO-300 is considerably more durable than its reputation suggests.

Two practical consequences follow. GO-300 parts are scarce, and many 175s have been re-engined over the years with a 180 HP Lycoming O-360 conversion that raises TBO to 2,000 hours and resolves the parts problem, so a buyer should establish early whether a given airframe is original or converted. Performance, while better than the same-era 172, is modest by modern standards: roughly 122 KTAS in cruise and a 17,800 ft service ceiling.

See Also

• Cessna 172 Skyhawk – the same-airframe sibling with an ungeared engine: simpler and better supported, but slower and lower on useful load. Compare
• Cessna 182 Skylane – the natural step-up Cessna positioned just above the 175: more power, more load, and a constant-speed prop without the geared-engine compromise. Compare
• Cessna 170 – the tailwheel forebear of the family: a similar four-seat mission, no geared engine, and a taildragger endorsement to earn. Compare