Cessna 182 Skylane

The Infamous Bladder Fuel Tanks and the Killer Fuel Caps Keeping water out of aircraft fuel systems is high on our list of “must-do” items. Over the years, much has been made of the Skylane’s rubber bladder fuel tanks, ostensibly because they get wrinkles in the bottom and trap water from getting to the drain […]

Long-distance cruise is the Skylane’s forte; with 79 usable gallons and burning 12 gph at 65% power, it can cover 500 to 700 miles in still air. Skylanes like to be flown at 7,000 feet or so, picking up an extra 6 to 10 knots over lower altitudes. Forgetting to close the cowl flaps at […]

The Skylane was STOL before there was such a term. Stock out of the box, it delivered abundant takeoff performance and was the basis for many add-on mods to embolden 182 pilots to push the envelope, things like leading-edge cuffs, curved wingtips, stall fences and drooping ailerons to match the flap extension. Unless you’re into […]

The Skylane is best approached with a bit of seasoning time spent in a Skyhawk. That said, 172 pilots need to be aware that the 182 is a lot more airplane. Preflight and boarding procedures are similar, with a lot of shared details. The O-470 engine has an oil filler cap, separate from the dipstick, […]

Over the years, the Skylane’s empty weight and takeoff weight rose, reflecting demand for more fuel and equipment. From a 2,550-pound gross in 1956, the 182 went to 2,650 pounds in 1957, then 2,800 pounds with the 1962 widebody model. The 1970 182N grossed at 2,950 pounds, while the 1981 182Q went to 3,100 pounds […]

After passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994 that granted some relief from never-ending liability, Cessna management kept its promise to restart piston-engine production. Because the Wichita Skylane plant had been converted to other purposes during the interim, a new factory was built in Independence, Kansas, where production resumed in 1997. Not surprisingly, […]

Having foreseen the demise of the Cardinal RG, Cessna introduced the retractable-gear Skylane RG in 1978 as an alternative to the six-seat Centurion. The Skylane RG used an electrically driven hydraulic power-pack like the Centurion and Cardinal RG, with small-diameter 15-6.00 x 6 tires nestling into open maingear wheel wells.  It had been determined that […]

To finish out the straight-tail 182s, the 1958 182A added a rudder trim bungee to relieve leg pressure in long climbs, and the 1959 182B introduced cowl flaps, which the 180 had always had. It was in 1958 that the first “Skylane” deluxe version of the 182 was offered, featuring all-over paint, a full-gyro panel […]

The history of the Cessna 182 actually begins with the 1953 “Golden Year” Cessna 180, introduced during the 50th anniversary of the birth of powered flight, the last new airplane company founder Clyde Cessna got to see before his death. Conceived as a businessman’s airplane to replace the still-extant 195, the sleek 180 took the […]

For 31 years, the O-470 Continental six-cylinder engine was particularly well-suited to the 182 airframe. It was just big enough to satisfy a 172 driver’s lust without requiring a huge cowling, could econo-cruise at 9-10 gph if desired and had no fuel-injection maintenance and starting issues. It’s this happy marriage of engine and airframe that […]