What is the maximum cruise altitude for the Cessna 172 Skyhawk?

Question

Is there any altitude at which airplanes of those dimensions aren't allowed to/can't climb?

Answer 1

It's like the old question of 'How long is a piece of rope?' - It depends on the rope.

There are so many variations of 172's.  It depends on a variety of factors - weight and balance, type of prop, outside air temperature, etc.  You'd want to look at the POH for that plane.  I am only familiar with the 172N and 172P, and specific ones at that.

I've gone to about 10,000 msl.  It did okay, but for me, I'll stay in the 7,000 to 9,000 range if I am going on a long trip.  Otherwise, it's really not worth it to me to fly higher than about 5,000 or 6,000 feet, due to the time it takes to get there, fuel burn, etc.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

10,000 ft. Unless you have oxygen onboard that's as high as you'd like to go.

Answer 3

Nope. They are allowed to climb as high as they can. For a 172, with only the pilot aboard, about 14,000 ft is the practical limit on a good day.

Answer 4

Depends on how light it is.  Try it alone with a low fuel load on a cold day.