It certainly is a legend.
My introductory flying lesson on October 3rd, 1998 took place aboard a Cessna 172R which had just been purchased by the flight school i attended at the time. It had less than 50 hours total time on the airframe and engine, and was still running the manufacturer's recommended break-in oil.
before long, i was signed off to solo in the 172R. I lined up on the runway, at 18 years old (I would turn 19 a few months later) , and thought to myself that these maniacs have just entrusted me to flying this $300,000 airplane all by myself. Shortly after that, a growing list of maniacs (instructors were rushing off to other jobs in a hurry back then) had endorsed for solo in a Grumman Cheetah and Beechcraft sundowner, though ultimately i took my private pilot check ride in the Grumman, not the Cessna.
My first hour of dual instruction as a flight instructor would come in a Cessna 172N, on the morning of my 23rd birthday, just four short years later. The owner of the flight school advanced my pay with a single dollar bill, framed in a 5x7 frame. I still have it here next to my desk.
the first student i ever signed off for solo was in a 172. The first student i ever sent up for a check ride was in a 172.
The 172 and I have a lot of memories together, as she does with many many other pilots out there.
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