Find aircraft background, systems descriptions and manuals for the aircraft you are researching. Each note keeps its source and version context close by.
Cessna 172 Skyhawk · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
Cessna 172 SP · Laminar Research · X-Plane 12
Laminar's manual documents the C172's primary controls, trim console, instruments and autopilot. Its illustrated cockpit guide and configuration checks describe the bundled aircraft. They do not establish the maintenance systems or custom avionics offered by independent C172 developers.
Archived simulator manual; installed package revision not observed · PDF pp.7-8,45; center console and preflight
Cessna 172 SP · Laminar Research · X-Plane 11
Laminar's manual documents the C172's primary controls, trim console, instruments and autopilot. Its illustrated cockpit guide and configuration checks describe the bundled aircraft. They do not establish the maintenance systems or custom avionics offered by independent C172 developers.
Archived simulator manual; installed package revision not observed · PDF pp.7-8,45; center console and preflight
Cessna 172 Skyhawk · Airfoillabs · Airfoillabs · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
Airfoillabs describes per-cylinder engine simulation, a custom electrical system and persistent wear in its C172 NG. The published features include tyres, brakes and structural damage, alongside an interactive walkaround and preserved aircraft state. The result is a different product scope from simply selecting a conventional or glass instrument panel; those are developer-described capabilities, not an independent fidelity rating.
C172 NG Digital 1.6.2; XP12 · Flight model; electrical; engine/fuel/gear; versions
Cessna 172 Skyhawk · Airfoillabs · Airfoillabs · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
C172 NG Digital includes separate X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12 aircraft. C172 NG Analog is an X-Plane 12 product. The separate Digital PRO listing changes the professional-use licence and is not another aircraft model.
Official developer / designated-store reference · checked 2026-09-14
The Skyhawk developed from the tailwheel Cessna 170, adopting tricycle landing gear. The first 172 flew in 1955. Its combination of a practical cabin, fixed undercarriage and straightforward layout helped make it a familiar aircraft for personal flying and instruction.
The 172's long history includes different engines, panels and equipment. That variety is especially visible in simulation: a conventional-instrument aircraft, a G1000-equipped version and an add-on with persistent maintenance systems offer different experiences despite sharing the same basic silhouette.
Aircraft / family
AOPA Pilot, May 1992: a retrospective on the real Skyhawk.
Isabel Goyer · 12 March 2018. Continental CD-155-powered factory JT-A, N688CS. Byline as currently published.
Budd Davisson, with owner Jim Landers · Undated hosted article about Jim Landers’s 1957 Cessna 172. Historical owner and writer observations; not current operating advice.
Peggy Herrera, interviewed by Bill Cox · 24 March 2009. Herrera’s training in a 2008 G1000-equipped Skyhawk, interviewed within Cox’s 172S review.
Cessna 185F · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
Microsoft’s Famous Flyer 11 announcement identifies the Cessna 185F for both Microsoft Flight Simulator and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. At that announcement, it was offered free to MSFS 2024 owners and sold separately in the earlier simulator’s Marketplace. The announcement establishes that release arrangement; present entitlement and installation are shown by the in-sim Marketplace.
Official Famous Flyer 11 announcement · gathered 10 September 2026; historical offer
185F Skywagon · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
Microsoft explicitly offers the 185F in both simulator generations. The March 2025 release distinguishes a paid MSFS 2020 Marketplace aircraft from the free aircraft offered to MSFS 2024 owners.
2025-03-25 · release and package scope
New aircraft, useful sources and improvements to AirframeDB. Occasional updates, when there’s something to share.
