Cessna 177 Cardinal

The Cessna 177 Cardinal is a light, single-engine, high-wing aircraft that Cessna announced in 1967 and produced from 1968 to 1978, intended to replace the 172 Skyhawk. Its designers gave it a cantilever wing with no lift struts and a laminar flow airfoil, and placed the pilot forward of the wing leading edge for an unobstructed view in turns. That moved the centre of gravity forward, which led to a stabilator and a lighter Lycoming four-cylinder engine in place of the six-cylinder Continental of the 172. The first model with 150 horsepower was judged underpowered, so the 177A followed in 1969. Early aircraft showed pilot-induced oscillation that prompted a priority factory programme to cure it, and resistance from Cessna marketing meant the 172 stayed in production.