Hey there group, Does anyone here have experience with the 172 R 180HP conversion? I may have an opportunity to buy the 2002 172R I'm currently training in. I think it will be a good, docile airplane to finish my training with and get some safe, surprise free (as possible) experience post-checkride. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't mind having an extra 20 HP, although this plane does run very strong compared to the other 172s I've been in. Most poeple who have flown it have said that it's a real sweetie. My other question is resale. Has anyone here traded up from a 172 to something hotter after your skills improved? Did you lose your @$$? My (perhaps misguided) philosophy is that the 172 is an extremely popular aircraft, so it shouldn't be too difficult to sell when I'm ready to part with it. Yes? No? As it is now, I think it has around 660 hours, NAV II w/ GPS, IFR certified, leather, and I know it has been very well maintained by the operator who owns it, who is a good friend of my family. No damage history, just a few less than graceful landings courtesy of yours truly I'm 100% prepared to eat maintenence and fuel costs, and I know owning an airplane is never really a financially sound idea. My concern is will I be able to dump it if I need to, or will I end up with (shudder) two airplanes? Might not be so bad... Finally, anyone know what removing the back seats does to weight and balance?
