Golden oldie with a sunroof :)
http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/6411/dscn1443n.jpg

I tried to research which Skyhawks had sunroofs and failed to find out anything. It may have just been an option after some point in the late 70s up to stoppage of production in 1986. You sure don't see many pf them, and I could not even find a picture of one to post. It was a set of dual, fixed, smoke color plexiglass panels above the pilot and copilot. It probably did not get sold very often or they would do it now. The current Skyhawks have a large console above the front seats which would be hard to do away with. But it was a neat option.

A lot of the skydiver modified Cessnas have a swing up door with a lower window in it. Very nice feature, it really enhances the flight experience and allows for better ground observation.

Cubdriver,

From my time as an instructor at ERAU, every C172 I flew there had the sky-light or sunroof. In fact, I can remember the SOP for clearing turns requiring pilots to check below, infront, and ABOVE.

I left there in 2007 and even the new G1000 airplanes that were coming on line had sky lights.

pfactor.

It would make sense if most or all of the skylight 172s went to ERAU, if using them is specified in their ops manual. I have been bouncing around GA for the last 8 years and have yet to see a single one in person. Here's one:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/l...photos/172.jpg

Looks like a flight school-only option.

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Cessna -ERAU- Repair Update

(5/13/05, Aero-News) Work Continues on Hail Damaged Planes, We have a couple more details on the hail-damaged Cessnas at Embry-Riddle. A Cessna spokesperson was able to find out for us that Cessna shipped all of its inventory of skylights to Embry-Riddle, as soon as they received the call for help. That very evening the 2nd shift team at Cessna's Pawnee facility in Wichita set up and manufactured the rest of the required skylights overnight. "All parts were shipped to them [ERAU] within 48 hours," our Cessna contact says. All's well that ends well, although it's not quite over yet for the maintainers. Each 172 requires eight man-hours to repair the skylights -- more if the control surfaces also need attention.

And then, there was the eagle-eyed Aero-News reader who wrote in to ask us how come the skylights on the 172s were broken, when the late-model 172s he flies have no skylights at all? Our readers are like having tens of thousands of expert editors, so we immediately started checking our facts. And sure enough, most of the late-model 172s we could find had no skylights, and we couldn't fins either a picture or a listing for that option anywhere on Cessna's website. But -- the Riddle planes definitely have skylights, and they have some other details that differentiate them from the usual 172SP. Instead of the leather that new 172 customers have come to expect, the university's hard-working trainers have cloth interiors, and the console is "missing." Those specific changes were specified by ERAU managers, and we guessed that the skylights were, too.

Sure enough, our Cessna contact confirmed that a fleet or flight school buyer can get skylights if they want. (Wonder if anyone at ERAU is regretting this right now?) It's not a generally available option, and Cessna doesn't advertise or price-list it. If you want skylights in a new-style 172, your choices are to go the STC route, or try to snag one of the flight-school specials on the secondary market when the initial lease is up. And if you ever see a 172R or 172SP with skylights, you'll know a little detail about its probable past! Who knew that a story that fell from the sky, disguised as a gnarly hailstorm, would end with us learning about some of the non-standard Cessna options that are available to fleet buyers (or lessees)? Never a dull day at Aero-News...

Cubdriver,

Very cool article. I suppose that I took for granted our "special feature"! I have not flown a 172 in years, but I do know that I've never flown one outside of Riddle that had skylights.

2005 was I believe the first year Riddle started to acquire G1000 equipped 172's. That hail storm and the tornado on xmas day 2006 certainly accelerated our rate of receiving new planes. Cessna sent engineers out to the school to inspect the aircraft after the hail storm and approved them for flight. It was a bit disconcerting getting into an aluminum can that looked as though it was attacked by a ball-peen hammer!

I apologize for the total thread-jack here!

Looks like fun, though I'm cringing at the cost per hour to operate. I suspect that it ain't cheap.

Looks like fun, though I'm cringing at the cost per hour to operate. I suspect that it ain't cheap.

About $200 U.S an hour and well worth it .:)

A 10 year old 172R gets about $150 an hour here in the US. Gas is what really drove the cost up. When I go into flying eight years ago I paid $52 an hour wet for a nice 152. AvGas was something like $2.50 a gallon. The other thing is, and you can see this in the thread I started on Cessna prices, is the same basic airplane has tripled in selling price since it was introduced in the 50s.