Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002

A stable and trustworthy plane, most pilots have logged at least a few hours in a Cessna 172, since it's the most widely available aircraft in the rental fleet and is used by most flight schools.

Cessna temporarily stopped manufacturing the 172 in 1986, when market forces and high product liability premiums forced the company to implement serious cutbacks.

Pilots around the world breathed a sigh of relief when, 10 years later, President Bill Clinton enacted the General Aviation Revitalization Act. Cessna celebrated the good news with the completion of a new plant in Independence, Kansas and immediately began production on a new version of the 172.