The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is the most-produced airplane ever built and the default first airplane for good reason: a four-seat high wing with docile, forgiving handling, excellent visibility, and a maintenance and parts network unmatched by anything else in aviation. More pilots have learned to fly in a 172 than in any other type, and that familiarity follows the airplane into ownership.
It is also the most commonly co-owned single in America. Because parts are everywhere and every A&P knows the airplane, a 172 partnership is about as low-drama as ownership gets — splitting the hangar, insurance, and annual across a few partners makes it genuinely cheap per person while keeping a reliable, always-available airplane on the field.