AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2014 - 56

the right seat. Some prefer to simply land
with only 30 degrees of flap deployment.
Slipping a Cessna 180 with the flaps fully
extended results in as steep a downhill ride
as you'll ever need or want. Unlike slipping
a Cessna 172 with flaps extended, there is no
tail buffeting associated with slipping a 180.
A conventional three-point landing
is not particularly challenging, as long as
you can see over the nose. Touchdown is
made tailwheel first and with the control
wheel as far aft as it can go. A premature
touchdown on the main, spring-steel
landing gear guarantees a bounce. More
challenging is a wheel landing. My first
"wheelie" in this airplane was my first in
a Cessna 180 in more than 30 years, and
it was not pretty The spring-steel landing gear lived up to its reputation. (Boing!
Boing! Boing!) The secret is to avoid excessive airspeed and to use a velvet touch on
the control wheel.
Perhaps the most difficult maneuver for
new Cessna 180 pilots is a go-around from
a low-power approach made with the flaps
fully extended. The nose pitches up very
insistently as power is added, requiring a
hefty push forward on the control wheel
with one hand and leaning forward to apply
gobs of nose-down trim with the other-all
while simultaneously notching up the flaps.
The Cessna 180 pilot must cope with lots
of strong, changing pitch forces, and proper
execution of the maneuver takes practice.
More than 10,500 Cessna 180s and 185s
were produced between 1953 and 1985, yet
only a handful can be found at local airports.
Cessna Skywagons don't just fade away; they
fly away-to remote corners of the world
where the demand for them remains high
and prices remain firm. Whether on floats,
wheels, or skis, these brawny, high-wing
Cessnas still have a reputation for being perhaps the best lightweight bush airplanes ever
developed, durability and reliability being
more important than eye appeal and speed.
Cessna had many improvements in
mind for the Cessna 180 and 185, such as
electric pitch trim, electric flaps, and an
interconnected elevator trim/flap system to
relieve heavy pitch forces. But bush pilots
were adamant that Cessna not make such
changes to these utilitarian aircraft. "Don't
screw up a great airplane," they chorused.
And Cessna never did. The Cessna 180 and
185 continue to enjoy a 60-year record of
almost legendary popularity.
AOPA
56 | AOPA PILOT February 2014

SPEC SHEET

1977 Cessna 180K Skywagon
BASE PRICE WHEN NEW: $32,950
PRICE AS TESTED: $125,000
SPECIFICATIONS

Powerplant | Teledyne Continental
O-470-U, 230 hp
Recommended TBO | 1,500 hr
Propeller | McCauley constant-speed,
two-blade, 82 in
Length | 25 ft 8 in
Height | 7 ft 9 in
Wingspan | 36 ft
Wing area | 174 sq ft
Wing loading | 16.1 lb/sq ft
Power loading | 12.2 lb/hp
Seats | 4/6
Empty weight (standard) | 1,648 lb
Max gross weight | 2,950 lb
Useful load | 1,152 lb
Payload w/full fuel | 816 lb
Max takeoff weight | 2,800 lb
Max landing weight | 2,800 lb
Fuel capacity, std | 61 gal (56 gal usable)
366 lb (336 lb usable)
Fuel capacity, w/opt tanks | 80 gal (75 gal
usable) 480 lb (450 lb usable)
Oil capacity | 12 qt
Baggage capacity (with 4 seats) | 170 lb
Baggage capacity (with 6 seats) | 50 lb
PERFORMANCE

Takeoff distance, ground roll | 620 ft
Takeoff distance over 50-ft obstacle
| 1,205 ft
Max demonstrated crosswind component
| 12 kt
Rate of climb, sea level | 1,100 fpm
Max level speed, sea level | 148 kt

Cruise speed/endurance w/45-min rsv, std
fuel (fuel consumption)
@ 75% power, best economy 4,000 ft |
137 kt/3.6 hr (78 pph/13.0 gph)
@ 65% power, best economy 8,000 ft
133 kt/4.3 hr (66.6 pph/11.1 gph)
@ 55% power, best economy 12,000 ft |
127 kt/5 hr (58.2 pph/9.7 gph)
Service ceiling | 17,700 ft
Landing distance over 50-ft obstacle
| 480 ft
Landing distance, ground roll | 1,365 ft
LIMITING AND RECOMMENDED AIRSPEEDS

VX (best angle of climb, flaps 20)
| 57 KIAS
VY (best rate of climb) | 81 KIAS
VA (design maneuvering) | 109 KIAS
VFE (max flap extended) | 90 KIAS
VNO (max structural cruising) | 139 KIAS
VNE (never exceed) | 169 KIAS
VS1 (stall, clean, fwd CG) | 55 KIAS
VSO (stall, in landing configuration, fwd CG)
| 49 KIAS
All specifications are based on manufacturer's calculations. All performance figures
are based on standard day, standard atmosphere, sea level, gross weight conditions
unless otherwise noted.
EXTRA

Extending the slotted flaps 40 degrees creates enormous drag and reduces stall speed
by 6 KIAS.

THE EXTENDABLE tail-pull handle (left) facilitates aircraft ground handling, and the custom
exhaust fairing (right) reduces drag and enhances engine cooling.



AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2014

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - February 2014
Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2014 - AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - February 2014
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2014 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2014 - Contents
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2014 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2014 - Cover4
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