Question on if the C-177 is a good plane?

The wife is insisting on a 4 seater, high wing airplane for me to purchase. I ain't rich, so an older 172 type trike will have to be the one. I recently looked at 177s, and we both fell in love with the look, and the price. However, who's ever HEARD of a 177? I know there are about 1.234 million 172 and 182s out there, and that is the most popular 4-seat Cessna. But is the 177 just as good as the 172? Is there any inherent "stay FAR away from that one, boy" issues I should look for?

[Hi Riff, I'm one of the principals in Cardinal Flyers, the type club for Cardinals pilots and owners. Cessna has built about 50.000 172's; Cessna built between 4118 and 4295 Cardinals of all descriptions (177, 177A, 177B, and 177RG). But... the oldest Cardinal was built in 1967; the oldest 172 ~1955, so attrition may have impacted the fleets slightly differently. The Cardinal is well known to those who love them, whether owners or those hoping to be owners.]


Where else can I ask this, among Cessna owners (though, I would think they would be bias?) I saw one Cessna 177 website, but were asking to pay, just to get any information about the plane. EEP! No thanks.

[Well, no, not accurate... at www.cardinalflyers.com there is quite a bit of shopping data on the different years and models, as well as prepurchase info, outside the paywall. But, of course, if $34 to get ALL the info is too much, well... you may not be ready for aircraft ownership. :) Paul]


It would be really tough for me to buy one with a dual magneto, especially if a long-term owner that ends up overhauling or replacing the engine at some point.

[I guess I don't understand the sentiment about overhaul. If it concerns you, at overhaul you can convert to two separate mags. Certainly, there are legitimate concerns about the dual (two-in-one-housing) magneto, but diligent maintenance works, as supported by the NTSB record... take care of them, and they'll keep working. But now there's an option to add electronic ignition for one set of plugs, and leave the dual mag for the other, increasing isolation between the redundant ignition sources.]


The 1968 with regular pistons (150 horse engine) can run on regular 87 octane ethanol-free mogas.

[And the 177A and 177B *engines* are approved for unleaded premium; no one has bothered getting the airframe STC yet, though.]


The initial 1968 model accounted for over 35% of all Cardinals built.

[Well, 28%, but close enough. Paul]


If door stewards in the Cardinals were made by the same guy at factory as the ones in our 182...well they're pretty fragile.

[Door Steward is the brand name of an aftermarket door closer made in Oregon; they're STC'd for the Cardinal and other aircraft. I haven't heard of one failing yet. Paul]


Some AD work regarding the elevator was required?

[There's no elevator, the Cardinals have stabilators. There's a service bulletin that suggests inspecting the brackets for cracks, but this is thought to be from poor fabrication practice, in other words not an ongoing "I don't have cracks now, but maybe they'll develop?!" concern.]


The RG is a nice option if you want extra speed but make sure you get a later year model because the earlier years are known for gear trouble. Most of the trouble comes from the electric motors.

[Hmmm. I doesn't matter what year Cardinal RG, there's only one electric motor, and it runs the hydraulic pump that powers the gear up and down. That motor has not been a particular source of concern.]


In the later hydraulic gear, if the electric pump fails, you can easily (no exaggeration here) pump down the gear with the emergency gear extension handle between the seats.

[All Cardinal RGs are the same in that respect; if there's a hydraulic pump problem, you hand-pump the gear down. However, we recommend that folks install a gear-pump-running light in ready view of the pilot. If the system develops a leak, and the pump starts running to keep up, you could pump most of the fluid overboard. The hand pump can still be used to lower the gear, but it's a lot easier to do if you catch it early before the fluid is lost.]


But economy is where the 177 shines. Pull her back in cruise and see 7-8 gph. But of course you won't make the book TAS numbers. For that, you need to bump the rpm to 2,500, IIRC. Which drinks more gas but you'll see the promised 145KTAS.

[There's also the aftermarket turbo Cardinal, which maintains sea level power to 20,000' allowing 170 knot cruise on 10 GPH.]


If you buy and RG and the wear / age parts on the hydraulic gear system haven't been replaced in the last X years per the manufacturer's recommendation, seriously consider having a good Cardinal mechanic replace them. I know, I know, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but it's a lot cheaper to have good seals and valves than a repair AFTER that stuff fails and you lose hydraulic pressure and can't pump it down, either.

[The good news is that four hoses and a handful of o-rings every five to ten years is pretty inexpensive preventative maintenance.]


Best place to educate yourself on this type is http://www.cardinalflyers.com/home/_home.php

[Concur! :) Paul]


The doors are huge, makes it easy to enter and exit, but the big doors are also prone to getting blown beyond their hinge limit, and ripping out their door post.

[Never heard of a ripped door post. What can happen is that either fuselage or door skins get wrinkled, and the door hinges can be broken. All fixable, but best to avoid in the first place. If you don't have the Door Steward closers to protect the doors, take care to park into the wind.]


The center wing carry thru is a huge aluminum casting, and is prone to inter-granular corrosion.

[No, it is not. This has happened to a few airplanes in 50 years, we can count them on the fingers of one hand. Of course, it's good to always do a thorough prepurchase inspection, but a 0.001 incident rate is not "prone" by any rational measure.


The RG [is] a real money maker with the proximity switches Cessna used.

[These switches can be renewed for less than $10 in parts, and there's three of them. They're not really a problem if you have a trained mechanic, but if you're worried, replace them every five years when you replace the gear hoses.


Few components in common with other legacy Cessnas.

[As far as the normal wear and tear items, they're pretty much common with all Cessnas, or even all light piston twins. There's no Achilles heal of parts availability. Cessna continues to support the fleet, and the Cardinal community has been successful at identifying workarounds and alternative supply for things that Cessna wants too much money for.]


You have to push the plane by yourself, no struts, no place to help

[The assist handles in the tail became an option in the 1970 mode year; they can be retrofitted from salvage, or via an STC owned by BAS (the seat belt folks) that uses all new parts.]


If you want a 4 seat Cessna that will do everything better than a 177 find a 175 that has been converted a 180 horse Lycoming 0360. at half the cost.

[I like the Skylark. But the Cardinal has more room, better visibility, sexier looks, and cruises faster. What else is contained in "everything"?]


I can’t imagine recommending anyone fly this model airframe with the 150 or 180 HP versions.

[The 180 HP Cardinal actually gets off the ground a bit faster than the 200 HP; I flew my 180 HP Cardinal for 15 years; it met the mission fabulously. No, it's not a fill the seats and fill the tanks airplane, but airplanes that are lack flexibility!]


Heavy on maintenance with the RG systems.

[Folks say that; I've only had my RG 21 years now... maybe the heavy maintenance is yet to come? The key, as with many aircraft, is to have someone who understands the systems. We've done a pretty good job of identifying those folks.]

I almost bought a 177 until I found out the windows don't open!

[You've been misinformed... they open just fine, as forward pointing vents, and there are aftermarket mods to allow you to hang most of your body out the window if you need to.]

Lack of the wing strut means you need a ladder to check the fuel. Can be problematic at some cross-country airports, but not insurmountable.

[There's a nifty little step stool that folds up to not take any space... and if you're over 6' you may not even need that.]
 
As Tom says, that aluminum spar carrythrough casting is prone to corrosion, and it's expensive to fix. A good prebuy would include checking it out, but it requires that the headliner be removed. Time and money that really needs to be spent to avoid finding later on that it's almost a writeoff.

I did some of my initial flight training in a '68 177. Found it underpowered. Full throttle on takeoff and left it close to that for the rest of the flight. Cessna discovered that really early on and halfway through '69 the 180-hp 177B was produced. Cessna used up all those 150-hp Lycs by switching the '68 and following 172s to them. But the 177's underpowered reputation had been established and sales slowed up.

Similar: In 1996 when the restart 172R was produced, they used the 160-hp version of the IO-360, and soon found that it, too, was underpowered due to the increased weight, and re-propped and re-tached it to 180 hp.

Those early 177s also had a habit of stalling the stabilator and hammering the nose on the runway in the flare. Cessna redesigned the stabilator with slots to keep it flying.

But comfortable and easy to get in and out. Probably the easiest entry/exit airplane I can remember. The wing is at a head-bashing height, lower than the other Cessna high-wingers.

The Door Steward has a flimsy doorpost bracket that flexes and cracks. It should have been a machined part to make it rigid.
 
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There are triangular windows that do open and will direct a ton of air into the cabin as soon as you start the engine. They can also be opened in flight up to 120 kts which keeps things cooler than most light singles and its asking a lot for my 68' to exceed 120 so I just open them and leave em :).

I'm glad your experience with the triangle vent windows is better than average. Parts for those suckers are expensive and they aren't very solid. Our group had a firm rule that they could only be open during ground operations, must be closed while in flight.

Someone broke that rule. He got off with a hand slap and $400 repair bill. We're just lucky he self reported.
 
Mine opens... :D
I'm glad your experience with the triangle vent windows is better than average. Parts for those suckers are expensive and they aren't very solid. Our group had a firm rule that they could only be open during ground operations, must be closed while in flight.

Someone broke that rule. He got off with a hand slap and $400 repair bill. We're just lucky he self reported.
Yeah, those things - I wouldn't fly with them open. I've had two repairs from them breaking on the ground.The photo window? No problems at all!
 
Clearly you guys are flying around with jacked up windows and are too cheap to fix them. Our 1968 177 has 1800 TT and the windows work fine on the ground and it flight. Simply loosen the window by cranking it in the open direction then push the window open into the slipstream using a finger. Once the wind holds it open I can continue cranking it open without fear of it slamming open and breaking something.

Even the Piper pilot that borrowed the 177 didn't break my windows. He never flown a 177 in his life and did fine.
 
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I did some of my initial flight training in a '68 177. Found it underpowered. Full throttle on takeoff and left it close to that for the rest of the flight. Cessna discovered that really early on and halfway through '69 the 180-hp 177B was produced. Cessna used up all those 150-hp Lycs by switching the '68 and following 172s to them. But the 177's underpowered reputation had been established and sales slowed up.

I think the 68s were delivered new with a prop that was too coarse pitch, in conjunction with the thin wing, really wasn't a good combination. Our prop was tweaked a bit when we bought it. I've had it to Denver area a few times full of fuel, 460 pounds of people, 40 pounds of junk, it did fine.
 
I hope this is a good place to post this, there didn't seem to be another topic board to post.

So. The wife is insisting on a 4 seater, high wing airplane for me to purchase. I ain't rich, so an older 172 type trike will have to be the one. I recently looked at 177s, and we both fell in love with the look, and the price.
However, who's ever HEARD of a 177? I know there are about 1.234 million 172 and 182s out there, and that is the most popular 4-seat Cessna. But is the 177 just as good as the 172? Is there any inherent "stay FAR away from that one, boy" issues I should look for?

Where else can I ask this, among Cessna owners (though, I would think they would be bias?).....I saw one Cessna 177 website, but were asking to pay, just to get any information about the plane. EEP! No thanks.


I have a C177B (fixed gear) 1976 model year, and love the plane. It's a nice compromise, although it's certainly not a speed demon. Faster than most 172s, wider, easy to get in and out of, and I love the view out the sides and front.

There are several things you do want to look for when considering buying one. Check out Cardinal Flyer's online. It is a repository for a lot of information specific to the C177, and has a lot of information for would-be purchaser. Guy Maher, one of the posters here, is affiliated and is a source of a lot of information. Keith, also affiliated with Cardinal Flyer's online, sometimes posts here too. I personally retained Keith to fly down and take a look at my plane before I bought it to help asses it and determine whether it appeared to be a good a specimen. He also instructs you about Cardinal specific information while he does it. http://www.cardinalflyers.com/spon/keithinspect.php Worth every penny. (He lives at an airpark in Chicago, and flew his own plane to meet me in Indianapolis.) Depending on where you live, that may be an option. If Keith is too far, someone else might be able to.
 
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Clearly you guys are flying around with jacked up windows and are too cheap to fix them. Our 1968 177 has 1800 TT and the windows work fine on the ground and it flight. Simply loosen the window by cranking it in the open direction then push the window open into the slipstream using a finger. Once the wind holds it open I can continue cranking it open without fear of it slamming open and breaking something.

Even the Piper pilot that borrowed the 177 didn't break my windows. He never flown a 177 in his life and did fine.
Uh, no. I think I've spent $800-1000 on one window alone and never flown it above 100 kts...
 
The visibility with the wing farther back is very useful, however the W&B suffers a bit with full fuel and two adults in the front.

It is true that they are nose heavy, due to the wing placement further back than in a 172. I would not, however, agree with the opinion that the W & B "suffers." It is true that when my CFII (who is larger) and I are flying with no one in the back, and not hauling luggage, and with full tanks, we are at the very front of the envelope. Some (depending on which version, the particular plane, and the particular load) may feel the need to add some weight in the back as a ballast under similar loading conditions. Maybe you just always leave the bag with extra oil, tie down ropes, etc. in the back all the time. Not a problem at all. But, when you want to put someone in the back, and luggage, you are virtually never going to run into a problem with too far aft CG. It was great when I loaded up my wife and toddler (son sitting in his full size car seat) both in the back seat for a multi-day trip. Loaded all the way to max gross, with no balance issues whatsoever. So, in my experience, the balance issue is more of a feature than a bug.

The upside of the wing placement farther back and the extra beefy wing spar is that you get added visibility to the front and sides, and wide swinging doors (which I would agree are 95% fantastic, and 5% curse).
 
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The upside of the wing placement farther back and the extra beefy wing spar is that you get added visibility to the front and sides, and wide swinging doors (which I would agree are 95% fantastic, and 5% curse).
[/QUOTE]

Absolutely, just like anything, its breakable. Two things I do mentally every time I fly,

  • Before I turn the key or push the start button, I ask myself "where is that damn towbar!"
  • Parking a Cardinal, I park into the wind when able, and before passengers deplane I yell at them "hold onto the door when you're getting out!"
So far so good in my 16 years of flying.
 
There are no CG issues with fixed gear cardinals unless heavily modified. CG thing is normal for RG folks. Neither are a big deal.

The 177B is heavier in pitch than a 177 without the constant speed prop but not a big deal.
 
We've owned our 1976 177B FG Cardinal for 2 years now and have flown it 350 hours so far. Before that we owned a 1976 Cessna 172M Skyhawk for 3 years and 380 hours (and rented 152's, 172's, 182's, & Cherokee 140/160/180's for 10 years before that). I really wanted to move up to a 182 but I couldn't find one within our budget with more than minimal (ancient) equipment or major problems in it's history. I did a lot of research on the Cardinal, it's history, and the differences in the various models & years and concluded that it would fit our mission perfectly. I briefly considered the 177RG but a quick check on insurance rates killed that idea.

We've been very happy with our choice for all of the positive reasons already mentioned in this thread and haven't experienced any of major problems mentioned here. Despite the similar appearance, a 177 is NOT a 172. Almost everything about it, including the way it flies, is different. That doesn't mean its difficult to transition to from a 172, but you do have to learn it's unique characteristics.

I prefer the 1976-1978 models but even the early models that are considered "underpowered" have appeal to their owners. For owners that don't need the extra speed, they can enjoy the bigger cabin and sleeker look of the 177 with the fuel economy and simpler maintenance of a 172.
 
I'm glad your experience with the triangle vent windows is better than average. Parts for those suckers are expensive and they aren't very solid. Our group had a firm rule that they could only be open during ground operations, must be closed while in flight.

Someone broke that rule. He got off with a hand slap and $400 repair bill. We're just lucky he self reported.
I don't open them fully in flight, I close them down to about an inch or a little less as part of my pre takeoff checklist and that configuration provides plenty of ventilation even in 100 degree heat once you get rolling. I suppose I can see how having them all the way open in flight could lead to damage but that isn't necessary.
 
Downsides:
- Lack of the wing strut means you need a ladder to check the fuel. Can be problematic at some cross-country airports, but not insurmountable.
A $6 12" tall folding step stool from Vamazon will take care of it. It takes up barely any space in the cargo compartment (or under the back seat) and weighs less than 2 lbs. :)
 
Lack of the wing strut means you need a ladder to check the fuel. Can be problematic at some cross-country airports, but not insurmountable.

[There's a nifty little step stool that folds up to not take any space... and if you're over 6' you may not even need that.]
Ah, you beat me to it. :) Yes, a nice step stool will take care of it.
And I too have a 6ft+ buddy who simply checks the fuel without even stepping on his toes. :)
 
It is true that when my CFII (who is larger) and I are flying with no one in the back, and not hauling luggage, and with full tanks, we are at the very front of the envelope.
Interesting. Lucky you. 2-bladed prop, by any chance?
Our W&B with 2 guys and full fuel would put us fwd of the envelope. 20 lbs in the back cargo was sufficient to get us back within envelope.
So I wonder if it's the 3-bladed prop that put the nose "over the top".
 
Downsides:
- Lack of the wing strut means you need a ladder to check the fuel. Can be problematic at some cross-country airports, but not insurmountable.

The 172 we had before the 177 didn't have the optional fuel steps so that's not necessarily an issue unique to the 177 :)
 
Clearly you guys are flying around with jacked up windows and are too cheap to fix them.

Oh yeah, that's clear. <-- to no one but you

No one ever mentions the weakness and replacement part costs of those windows?

Just like no idiots install those damn door guards to protect against the door getting caught in the wind. What a worthless waste of cash that is right?

Here's the rub.

The idiot that got us to invest in the stupid door guards is the idiot that flew with the window open and screwed it up.

Don't ya love it?
 
Oh yeah, that's clear. <-- to no one but you

No one ever mentions the weakness and replacement part costs of those windows?

Just like no idiots install those damn door guards to protect against the door getting caught in the wind. What a worthless waste of cash that is right?

Here's the rub.

The idiot that got us to invest in the stupid door guards is the idiot that flew with the window open and screwed it up.

Don't ya love it?

Lol! I must be an anomaly, I don't have those door struts and don't have broken windows despite flying with them open. The OEM door stop was actually busted on this airplane, the track was cracked, the spring broke and rod missing, I fixed that about 10 years and still holding up well.

I need to post a video of my working windows.
 
Hi all, This is a very interesting thread. I'm 6'3" (and long-waisted). I wonder if anyone about my height has sat in a C-177 and had any issues with headroom. Otherwise, it seems it would fit me, and my mission very well. I really like the turbo-normalized engine's 170 knots on 10 GPH.
 
Hi all, This is a very interesting thread. I'm 6'3" (and long-waisted). I wonder if anyone about my height has sat in a C-177 and had any issues with headroom. Otherwise, it seems it would fit me, and my mission very well. I really like the turbo-normalized engine's 170 knots on 10 GPH.


Headroom will be dependent entirely on whether or not the 177/B/RG has height adjustable seat.
 
Headroom will be dependent entirely on whether or not the 177/B/RG has height adjustable seat.
And the typical height adjustable Cessna seat has quit a bit of range.
 
Long post

I’m 6’ 4” and 250lbs. My Cardinal RG is very comfortable to fly in. We can get to either coast from Houston in an 8 hour day and my wife and I are comfortable enough in the Cardinal to fly that long in one day. She has a very bad back (7 surgeries) and couldn’t spend more than 3 hours a day in the 172 we had before. I attribute most of that difference to the fully adjustable front seats in our RG.

There is a placard near the window saying not to open it above some speed over 100 so I’ve always had it closed while in flight. The roof and floor vents actually work well so I haven’t been tempted to try to open the window in flight, even in Houston. The RG climbs well so I just fly high when it’s hot.

I’ve never had an issue with my doors but do pay attention to how I park the plane and go open the door for the passenger if I have to park the wrong way with heavy winds. The AngleFlight patients I’ve flown all commented on how easy it is to get into the Cardinal vs. the other planes they’ve flown in.

I’ve had the plane 4 years now and have put over 600 hours on it. So far I have no gear related expenses other than replacing tires. I have an IA that knows Cardinal’s and we make extensive use of the information that’s available on the CFO site.

We do plan on replacing the hoses and other items that CFO recommends replacing every 5 years at our next annual so I’m expecting to pay $2,000 for next year’s annual instead of the usual $800 to $1000 that the others have run.

I average around 130 hours a year so the gear costs me about $1.50 to $3 an hour in preventative maintenance depending on how much of the price of the gear swing at each annual I factor in to the cost of the annuals. I do owner assisted annuals and have access to the jacks but I paid an average of $600 to $800 a year for the annuals on my VFR 172.

That means I’m paying about $200 a year more for the annual on the 177 RG. The big differences between my 177RG and the 172 are the retractable gear and the vacuum system (my 172 had ventures). Some years we seem to spend more time on the vacuum system and some years more on the gear swing.

The only ‘surprise’ so far was a vacuum pump failure at just under 500 hours on the pump. We had planned on replacing it, or getting it rebuilt, at the next annual. It quit 2 months early. The new Tempest pump I bought has wear indicators that might make it easier to spot signs of premature wear.

I fly for AngleFlight at times and frequently carry two passengers, along with their and my luggage. With me, 400lbs. of passengers, and 130 lbs of baggage, tools, etc. I can carry 4 hours of fuel and be well within weight and balance limits.

I’m big enough that I can’t carry 3 other full sized people with the full 60 gallons of fuel my plane holds but my wife andI have flown with several other couples and 3 1/2 hours of fuel. I generally don’t fly over 2-3 hour legs with passengers other than my wife anyway so that works. That gets us to Dallas, South Padre Island, or New Orleans non-stop with IFR reserves. We can get to Nashville, Kansas City, or El Paso non-stop by ourselves or with one fuel stop with passengers.

I fly at 165 MPH between 9 and 10 GPH between 6,000’ and 9,000’ flying ROP. I haven’t installed an engine monitor so I don’t do it but you can save more fuel flying LOP. The fuel burn does go down above 9,000’ but I tend to need O2 above 10,000 to stay comfortable so I tend to stay at 9,000 or below unless weather dictates a higher altitude.

My wife, plus two weeks worth of luggage, and I have been to 14,500’ a few times for weather and we were still climbing at 400 fpm to 500 fpm at 110 mph. Best climb speed is around 97 at that altitude so I probably could have climbed faster but didn’t need to try it. The plane is rated to 17,000 and my guess is that mine would make it. I’ve just never had a reason to find out. If I slow to 172 speeds my fuel burn is in the 6 to 7 GPH range.

A Cardinal RG is not a 182 or 210 so if you need to frequently carry heavy loads long distances it may not be the plane for you. It fits my mission very well.

Gary
 
Long post

I’m 6’ 4” and 250lbs. My Cardinal RG is very comfortable to fly in. We can get to either coast from Houston in an 8 hour day and my wife and I are comfortable enough in the Cardinal to fly that long in one day. She has a very bad back (7 surgeries) and couldn’t spend more than 3 hours a day in the 172 we had before. I attribute most of that difference to the fully adjustable front seats in our RG.

There is a placard near the window saying not to open it above some speed over 100 so I’ve always had it closed while in flight. The roof and floor vents actually work well so I haven’t been tempted to try to open the window in flight, even in Houston. The RG climbs well so I just fly high when it’s hot.

I’ve never had an issue with my doors but do pay attention to how I park the plane and go open the door for the passenger if I have to park the wrong way with heavy winds. The AngleFlight patients I’ve flown all commented on how easy it is to get into the Cardinal vs. the other planes they’ve flown in.

I’ve had the plane 4 years now and have put over 600 hours on it. So far I have no gear related expenses other than replacing tires. I have an IA that knows Cardinal’s and we make extensive use of the information that’s available on the CFO site.

We do plan on replacing the hoses and other items that CFO recommends replacing every 5 years at our next annual so I’m expecting to pay $2,000 for next year’s annual instead of the usual $800 to $1000 that the others have run.

I average around 130 hours a year so the gear costs me about $1.50 to $3 an hour in preventative maintenance depending on how much of the price of the gear swing at each annual I factor in to the cost of the annuals. I do owner assisted annuals and have access to the jacks but I paid an average of $600 to $800 a year for the annuals on my VFR 172.

That means I’m paying about $200 a year more for the annual on the 177 RG. The big differences between my 177RG and the 172 are the retractable gear and the vacuum system (my 172 had ventures). Some years we seem to spend more time on the vacuum system and some years more on the gear swing.

The only ‘surprise’ so far was a vacuum pump failure at just under 500 hours on the pump. We had planned on replacing it, or getting it rebuilt, at the next annual. It quit 2 months early. The new Tempest pump I bought has wear indicators that might make it easier to spot signs of premature wear.

I fly for AngleFlight at times and frequently carry two passengers, along with their and my luggage. With me, 400lbs. of passengers, and 130 lbs of baggage, tools, etc. I can carry 4 hours of fuel and be well within weight and balance limits.

I’m big enough that I can’t carry 3 other full sized people with the full 60 gallons of fuel my plane holds but my wife andI have flown with several other couples and 3 1/2 hours of fuel. I generally don’t fly over 2-3 hour legs with passengers other than my wife anyway so that works. That gets us to Dallas, South Padre Island, or New Orleans non-stop with IFR reserves. We can get to Nashville, Kansas City, or El Paso non-stop by ourselves or with one fuel stop with passengers.

I fly at 165 MPH between 9 and 10 GPH between 6,000’ and 9,000’ flying ROP. I haven’t installed an engine monitor so I don’t do it but you can save more fuel flying LOP. The fuel burn does go down above 9,000’ but I tend to need O2 above 10,000 to stay comfortable so I tend to stay at 9,000 or below unless weather dictates a higher altitude.

My wife, plus two weeks worth of luggage, and I have been to 14,500’ a few times for weather and we were still climbing at 400 fpm to 500 fpm at 110 mph. Best climb speed is around 97 at that altitude so I probably could have climbed faster but didn’t need to try it. The plane is rated to 17,000 and my guess is that mine would make it. I’ve just never had a reason to find out. If I slow to 172 speeds my fuel burn is in the 6 to 7 GPH range.

A Cardinal RG is not a 182 or 210 so if you need to frequently carry heavy loads long distances it may not be the plane for you. It fits my mission very well.

Gary
Thanks for the great PiRep. I stumbled onto the Cardinal several years ago and plan on having one as my second plane purchase. The first I plan to be GlaStar or similar. Gotta get that PPL SEL first, though!
 
The initial 1968 model accounted for over 35% of all Cardinals built.

[Well, 28%, but close enough. Paul]
The 1968 model year production run was 1164 units, which amounted to 42% of all fixed-gear Cardinals ever built from 1968 through 1978 (2748 units total). If you add in the retractable 177RGs (1416 units) then the '68s were 28% of the fleet.

After that banner year of 1968, Cessna never again built more than 207 fixed-gear Cardinals in any one model year.
 
Hi all, This is a very interesting thread. I'm 6'3" (and long-waisted). I wonder if anyone about my height has sat in a C-177 and had any issues with headroom. Otherwise, it seems it would fit me, and my mission very well. I really like the turbo-normalized engine's 170 knots on 10 GPH.
I'm 6'3" with a fairly long torso and have no problem being comfortable even with a seat that isn't height adjustable. I routinely fly with a 6'5" friend and he has no problems either.
 
I'm 6'3" with a fairly long torso and have no problem being comfortable even with a seat that isn't height adjustable. I routinely fly with a 6'5" friend and he has no problems either.

What engine do you have in yours?
 
We've had a 1967 C177 for going on 3 years, it averages about 150hrs per year. We've thoroughly enjoyed it. It is economical at 8-9gals/hr at 110knots. Super roomy cockpit with front seat upper visibility rivaling most low wings. The panel is a full scale on the pilots side making it great for IFR work. Plenty of room for radios. Controls are light, handling is snappy. Pitch trim, flaps, throttle, mixture are all within a 6-8 inch radius. Cross wind capability is okay (you will run out of rudder at around 25knot x-wind). The flaps are huge and can provide a real steep decent if needed.

I know people love to parrot the landing qualities, but honestly anyone who never learned the 172 "yank 'n stall" habit shouldn't have a problem.

Annuals are predictable. There isn't really anything complex about these planes. The cabin does have a habit of leaking when getting the wings wet. Water seems to intrude at the base of the windshield. Our is kept in a hangar, so it isn't a major concern for us. I've never had a problem with the vent windows, which provide plenty of airflow.

I'm lighter (140), but I don't find it under powered with the RamAir STC (basically eliminates the ability to run 87 Octane that is rarely available anyway).
 
What engine do you have in yours?
Ours is a 68' model with the original O-320. A previous owner added a powerflow which helps but I can easily see why Cessna switched to O-360s for the second year when i'm loaded at or near gross.

She's a very pleasant handling, comfortable bird, and I love to fly her. The only real drawback is that she's not fast, but that's not a big problem unless you are doing frequent long cross countries.
 
Ours is a 68' model with the original O-320. A previous owner added a powerflow which helps but I can easily see why Cessna switched to O-360s for the second year when i'm loaded at or near gross.

She's a very pleasant handling, comfortable bird, and I love to fly her. The only real drawback is that she's not fast, but that's not a big problem unless you are doing frequent long cross countries.

Yours is pretty much what I have then. I rarely fly with more than 2 adults. I flew a 5 hour leg once at about 7k feet msl and landed and still had about 14 gallons of gas left. That's pretty much 7 hours of fuel without any reserve, (these airplanes hold a LOT OF GAS, I love it)
 
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