AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - February 2014 - 53

JOHN HOLM

In 1964, Geraldine "Jerrie" Mock, the
"flying housewife" from Columbus, Ohio,
used a 1953 Cessna 180 to become the first
woman to fly solo around the world. Her airplane, N1538C, is on display at the National
Air and Space Museum (see "Aviation's
Forgotten Pioneer," April 2005 AOPA Pilot).
Nosewheels became the rage during the
1950s, and it was no surprise when, in 1956,
Cessna substituted one for the 180's tailwheel. The result was the Cessna 182, which
cruised and climbed a bit slower as a result
of the added drag. Today's Skylane evolved
to be much improved over the original.
Cessna also continued to develop its
popular tailwheel design. In 1961 the company added more power to take advantage
of the NACA 2412 airfoil's load-carrying
potential. The result was the Cessna 185,
which at first had a 260-horsepower fuelinjected Continental IO-470 and in 1966, a
300-horsepower Continental IO-520. The
more powerful Cessna 185 was identical
to the Cessna 180 except for a strengthened fuselage; an additional window; an
enlarged dorsal fin to help keep the additional power in check; and, of course, a
significant increase in performance. The
300-horsepower Skywagon became one of
the few airplanes that can carry a useful load
greater than its own empty weight.
The pristine 1977 Cessna 180K on these
pages is owned by Bruce Nelson, operations officer for the FAA's Western-Pacific
Regional Office in Lawndale, California.
Nelson learned to fly in Alaska in 1984 but
gave up flying after moving to San Diego in
1989. After experiencing the excitement of
Alaskan aviation, the notion of flying with
little more purpose than chasing after $100
hamburgers was not appealing.
Nelson discovered a worthy purpose-
volunteering his time and the use of an
airplane to deliver food, clothing, and supplies to Christian missionaries at American
Indian reservations in California, Arizona,
Nevada, and New Mexico. In March 2007
he purchased an airplane eminently suited
for that purpose and the rough-hewn strips
he would encounter; he hangars his meticulously kept Cessna 180 at Zamperini Field
in Torrance, California. In addition to flying
for Wings of Faith Ministries, a Christian
organization based in Corona, California,
the 1,100-hour private pilot also plans to use
his airplane to earn an instrument rating.
Most Cessna 180s eventually wind up
on floats. Adding only 36 pounds to the
empty weight, a seaplane kit includes the

hidden hardware required to convert a landplane to a seaplane and the strengthening
needed for the airframe to endure seaplane
operations. The seaplane kit also includes
corrosion-proofing that is added during
construction, an advantage even for owners with no intention of flying floats. The
kit also ups the maximum allowable gross
weight from 2,800 to 2,950 pounds.
You can tell that Nelson's airplane has a
seaplane kit by the V-brace inside the front
windshield, part of the added structural
rigidity. It also has a longer, 90-inch seaplane propeller, which is much noisier than
the normal 82-inch propeller. From outside
the airplane, the seaplane prop has a furious snarl, similar to an outboard engine's
when its propeller is lifted out of the water
after cresting a wave.
N61576 has a number of popular Cessna
180 modifications, including a Kenmore Air
Harbor "up-gross" kit that strengthens the
horizontal stabilizer and further increases
allowable gross weight to 3,190 pounds (as
long as the airplane has the larger dorsal
fin). A Stene Aviation STOL kit adds wing
cuffs that droop the leading edges, as well
as aileron seals and redesigned wing tips.
The Cessna 180 was the first to have its
fuel vent situated behind a wing strut, a feature found on every subsequent Cessna with
strut-braced wings. This unique placement
"hides" the vent's forward-facing opening
so that precipitation cannot enter-the strut
acts as a form of inertial separator-and
simultaneously provides positive pressure
to the fuel tank. The main landing gear legs
are taller than they look, which means that
the cockpit floor is way up there. Climbing
aboard requires a long first step to a boarding
step and then giving yourself a heave.
Starting the carbureted Continental
is unusually satisfying. The engine has a

These brawny,
high-wing Cessnas
still have a
reputation for
being perhaps the
best lightweight
bush airplanes
ever developed,
durability and
realibility being
more important
than eye appeal
and speed.

25 feet 8 inches

7 feet 9 inches

36 feet
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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - February 2014

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