Cessna 172 Flight From California To Hawaii Sparks Social Media Buzz

Amelia Walsh

Thursday, August 08, 2024 at 10:36 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

A Cessna 172 (N176TA) went viral for completing an 18-hour, 2,425-mile ferry flight from California to Hawaii, a journey more than three times its standard range.
The impressive feat, involving a 2018 Cessna 172 Skyhawk SP, garnered widespread praise and astonishment on social media.
Pilot Tom Lopes successfully made the challenging trip, a repeat of a similar flight he completed two years prior.
Lopes' strategy for the extended range involved fitting the entire interior of the aircraft with additional fuel cells.

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A Cessna 172 has gone viral on social media this week as it completed a ferry flight from California to Hawaii.

According to FlightAware, the aircraft, N176TA, departed Merced Regional Airport (KMCE) in California on Tuesday and flew some 2,425 miles before landing in Honolulu, Hawaii, 18 hours later. The flight was more than three times the range of the 2018 Cessna 172 Skyhawk SP, making it an impressive feat.

FlightAware showed the aircraft flying most of the journey at 5,975 feet with a peak altitude of 8,000 feet. The aircraft was cruising at 130 knots with a peak of 155 knots toward the end of the flight.

According to an article from The Autopian, which reported on the flight, the ferry pilot, Tom Lopes, made the exact same trip two years prior. Lopes explained his strategy in a YouTube video, noting that every inch of the aircraft’s interior was fitted with a fuel cell.

The trip sparked both praise and astonishment from aviation enthusiasts tracking it on social media.