Cessna 172 Skyhawk vs Cirrus TRAC10

Side-by-side specs, range, and operating costs.

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Cessna 172 Skyhawk
36 ft × 27 ft 9 ft
1× Piston Fixed Unpressurized
Cirrus TRAC10
34 ft × 24 ft 9 ft
1× Piston Fixed Unpressurized

Flight Profile

Service ceiling, range, and climb rate.

Tap legend to isolate

Arc represents the climb-cruise-descent profile based on published service ceiling and range. Climb rate annotated on ascent. FL180 (18,000 ft) shown for reference.

Mission Performance

Stall, approach, cruise, range, ceiling and climb: best values are at the top.

Mission performance specifications
Specification Cessna 172 SkyhawkCirrus TRAC10
Stall speed 53 kt66 kt
Approach speed 61 kt
Cruise speed 124 kt139 kt
Range 640 nm
Service ceiling 14000 ft14000 ft
Rate of climb 730 fpm
Fuel burn 9.0 gph5.9 gph

Each axis is scaled independently across the compared aircraft and printed in its own units; every vertex sits at the published figure. Higher is better on all axes: Stall, Approach and Fuel Burn are inverted (lower = higher). A missing figure breaks the line at that axis.

Fuel Burn & Range

Range, endurance, and what the fuel costs by the hour.

Cessna 172 Skyhawk Avgas
9.0 gph
Baseline
640 nm range 13.8 nm/gal 53 gal usable $58 fuel/hr 5h 53m endurance
Cessna 172 Skyhawk: 9.0 gph at cruise, 640 nautical mile published range, 5 hour 53 minute endurance, 13.8 nautical miles per gallon.
Cirrus TRAC10 Mogas
5.9 gph
Baseline

Range not published.

23.6 nm/gal 34 gal usable $30 fuel/hr 5h 45m endurance
Cirrus TRAC10: 5.9 gph at cruise, 5 hour 45 minute endurance, 23.6 nautical miles per gallon.
Avgas range each cell = 1 hr of cruise · width scales with speed

Bars show published still-air range. Cells mark cruise-hours to it. Endurance is the full tank at the cruise burn rate; the extra is reserve and economy margin. Estimates only. Always verify against the POH.

Runway Performance

Density altitude adjusted estimates

Outside Air Temp
0°F57°F115°F
Field Elevation
SL4,0008,000 ft
Density Altitude

Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle

Landing ground roll

Base distance DA penalty
Scale: 6,000 ft

FAA 10%/1,000 ft DA rule of thumb (FAA-H-8083-25B). Turboprops and jets are less sensitive in practice. Always verify against the POH.

Estimated Operating Costs

Scale:
$125 /hr
Baseline
Cessna 172 Skyhawk: $125 per flight hour — fuel $58, maintenance and reserve $67.
$55 /hr
Baseline
Cirrus TRAC10: $55 per flight hour — fuel $30, maintenance and reserve $25.
$11,400 /yr Baseline
Cessna 172 Skyhawk: $11,400 per year — insurance $2,500, hangar $6,900, annual inspection $2,000.
$18,228 /yr Baseline
Cirrus TRAC10: $18,228 per year — insurance $10,000, hangar $5,728, annual inspection $2,500.

Estimates only. Costs vary by location, pilot profile, and market conditions. See individual aircraft pages for source notes.

Capability & limits

Each bar stacks your selected occupants against full fuel and the aircraft's useful-load limit (the black line). The open gap between them is spare payload. Add an occupant and the gap closes; once it's gone, fuel has to give.

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Cessna 172 Skyhawk
4 / 4 seats 53 gal / 53 gal fuel 577 lbs wet payload 895 lbs useful 2,550 lbs MTOW
Cirrus TRAC10
3 / 3 seats 34 gal / 34 gal fuel 546 lbs wet payload 750 lbs useful 2,150 lbs MTOW

Occupants at 190 + 30 each. Fuel at 6.7 lb/gal jet-A, 6.0 lb/gal avgas.

Payload-Range Map

Origin: · two fingers to move map

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