Cessna 172 Skyhawk Die-Cast Model - LE

This Cessna 172 was inspired by a Skyhawk owned and operated by the Southeastern Minnesota Flying Club’s Cessna 172M, N4480R. Originally test-flown in 1955 and still in production today, more Skyhawks have been built than any other aircraft. This 1:72 scale Die-Cast replica is our Limited Edition Model for 2024 and features detailed printed graphics, realistic landing gear, see see-through cockpit, and a rotating propeller. The included display stand lets you customize the flight configuration. Measures about 4”l with a wingspan of 6”. Officially licensed by Cessna.

The Southeastern Minnesota Flying Club celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2023, joining a handful of flying clubs in the state to achieve that milestone. The Club credits its longevity to its ability to adapt and evolve as the composition of its membership, and the missions’ members want to fly, change.

The history of the Club’s fleet tells the story well. Based at the Rochester International Airport (KRST), the Southeastern Minnesota Flying Club has owned 22 aircraft, ranging from a Piper J-3 Cub to a Cirrus SR22 GTS. Cessnas account for more than half of the planes the Club has owned: a 170, four 152s, four 172s, and three 182s. But most current members will point to N4480R, the Cessna that most recently joined the fleet, as their favorite, inside and out.

N4480R, a C-172M, rolled off Cessna’s assembly line in 1974, and the Southeastern Minnesota Flying Club is its second owner. The Club purchased the Skyhawk in April of 2013 when, despite being 39 years old, the plane had a clean damage history and only 1,950 total hours. Although N4480R’s exterior was original, the previous owner had invested in numerous interior modifications and upgrades. Anchoring those improvements was a full interior renovation by AIR MOD of Batavia, Ohio. The result was a comfortable and attractive interior with sculpted seats, plush carpeting, new side panels, improved ventilation, and bubble windows. Hard-mounted instrument panels were installed and fitted with an IFR-capable Garmin radio stack, digital fuel, and engine gauges, an engine data monitor, a digital voice recorder, a secondary electric attitude indicator, and much more. When it was time to overhaul N4480R’s engine, the Club opted for a RAM Aircraft 160 horsepower conversion. In recent years, the Club upgraded the primary AI to a Garmin G5. 

By 2018, N4480R was past due for new exterior paint. The Club membership considered several alternatives before voting for a flowing design of Medium Concord Blue Metallic over white with Cumulus Gray Metallic swooshes. Rose Aircraft Services in Mena, Ark., painted N4480R and applied a PERMAGARD coating. The Club keeps N4480R looking sharp through annual exterior touchups and PERMAGARD maintenance performed by Afterglow Aircraft Solutions in Tulsa. Great Planes Aviation in Rochester and Deters Aviation in nearby Preston, Minn., keep N4480R in tip-top mechanical condition.

The Southeastern Minnesota Flying Club’s membership takes pride in flying N4480R and using it to share the thrill of personal aviation with others. During the last decade, Club members have flown it an average of more than 270 hours annually, typically in the Upper Midwest, but occasionally elsewhere in the continental United States. Each summer, it makes multiple trips from Rochester to Oshkosh when members attend EAA Airventure.

Limited Edition Model features detailed printed graphics, realistic landing gear, see-through cockpit, and a rotating propeller.

Features:

• detailed printed graphics
• realistic landing gear
• see through cockpit
• a rotating propeller
• Included display stand lets you customize the flight configuration
• Measures about 4”l with a wingspan of 6”.