You know the holidays are approaching fast when Sporty’s Pilot Shop releases its annual Christmas ornament.
The Cessna 172, the most widely-flown, high-wing aircraft in the training environment, is Sporty’s choice for the 2025 holiday decoration. The Skyhawk, as it is also known, is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2025.
About the Ornament
The limited-edition crystal ornament measures approximately 3 inches high by 2 inches wide by 0.5 inches deep. Each one is custom-etched to commemorate Christmas 2025 and comes with a red ribbon to make it easy to hang and a keepsake box, ready for gifting or display.
While all of Sporty’s ornaments become prized among collectors, the 2025 edition is likely to enjoy a wider audience, as it is difficult to find a pilot who hasn’t logged some time in the Cessna 172.
The aircraft was introduced to the aviation world in 1955 and continues to be produced with more than 45,000 having rolled out of the factory.
![Gift box for the 2025 Christmas ornament, featuring a Cessna 172 [Courtesy: Sporty’s]](https://flyingmag1.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/10/Sportys_2025_Christmas_ornament_box.jpg?width=1024&height=935)
However, the airplane’s design has evolved over the years. The first models had Johnson bar manual flaps and square tails. Electric flaps and the so-called “shark fin” tail would appear years later. The instrument panel went from a scattershot round dial to the organized six-pack and eventually the G1000.
The useful load of the aircraft also was increased over the decades, engines were swapped out, and it made the transition from carburetor equipped to fuel injected.
The Skyhawk proved rugged and reliable, and some might even say “student proof,” as over the decades it has taken the proverbial beating from generations of pilots. You probably know someone who has fond memories of their time in a Cessna Skyhawk.
The Sporty’s 2025 Christmas ornament is available for just $19.95 on the Sporty’s website.