C-FPXK is a 1964 Cessna 172E. It has 4495 hours on the airframe, 478 of which I have flown since I purchased the plane in Nova Scotia in 1996. Like all of the early 172s, up to the "H" model in 1967, it has the six cylinder Continental 0300 engine. In 2005 we did a top overhaul on the engine with six overhauled cylinders, new rod bearings, new pistons and rings, new ignition harness & plugs, two new magnetos, and a spin-on oil filter kit.
The airplane has a factory float kit and during part of its early life it lived on the water but it has been on wheels only since 1983. Avionics include dual 720 channel comm radios, transponder with mode C and a hand held Lowrence Airmap 300 GPS with aviation database and moving map. The gyro instruments were replaced with overhauled units in 2004. Vacuum is provided by a 3" venturi mounted on the fuselage right side as the O300C engine is not equipped with a vacuum pump.
For a good all round fun airplane it's hard to beat a Cessna 172. Easy to fly and economical to operate I've always said the 172 doesn't do anything really great but it does a lot of things pretty well. At 145 hp the engine provides a little bit less punch than the later model planes with the 150 hp Lycoming but in my opinion it more than makes up for it with the smooth running, trouble free Continental. Cessna made quite a few progressive changes to early model 172s before settling on common styling and configuration by the time the "M" model came out. Many people, myself included, believe the 1964E model is Cessna's "sweet spot" because it incorporates the wrap around windows, first introduced with the 1963 model, manual flaps (replaced in 1965 with electric flaps), and U-configuration control system allowing modern instrument panels, and of course that great Continental.
I have flown PXK across Canada from Nova Scotia to Alberta and, in 2001 to the "Big Show" at Oshkosh. It has given me a great deal of enjoyment and very few problems. I look forward to many more years of fun with the plane and plan to continue progressive upgrades and improvements to keep it looking nice and working right for years to come.
Jack Neima