Everything about The Cessna 180 totally explained
The
Cessna 180 is a four- or six-seat, fixed
conventional gear general aviation airplane which was produced between
1953 and
1981. Though the design is no longer in production, many of these aircraft are still in use as personal aircraft and in utility roles such as
bush flying.
Design and development
Cessna introduced the heavier and more powerful 180, which eventually came to be known as the Skywagon (a name first applied only to the more-powerful 185) as a complement to the
Cessna 170. In all its versions, 6,193 Cessna 180s were manufactured. In
1956, a
tricycle gear version of this design was introduced as the
Cessna 182, which came to bear the name Skylane. Additionally, in
1960, Cessna introduced a heavier, more powerful sibling to the 180, the conventional gear
Cessna 185. For a time, all three versions of the design were in production. Though the tricycle gear 182 displaced some of the general demand for the 180, 180s continue to be valued for their capabilities as utility aircraft.
Design
The airframe of the 180 is all metal, constructed of
aluminum alloy. The fuselage is a
semi-monocoque structure, with exterior skin sheets riveted to
formers and
longerons. The strut-braced wings, likewise, are constructed of exterior skin sheets riveted to
spars and
ribs. The landing gear of the 180 is in a conventional arrangement, with main gear legs made of spring steel, and a steerable tailwheel mounted on a hollow tapered steel tube.
The
Continental O-470-A of 225 horsepower was installed in the 1953 model, which uniquely has no baggage door. The Continental O-470-J, also of 225 horsepower, replaced the -A model in 1954 and 1955, and was succeeded by the O-470-K from 1956 through 1961, by the O-470-R from 1962 through 1972, by the O-470-S from 1973 through 1976, and by the O-470-U from 1977 through the end of production. The O-470 was uprated to 230 horsepower during that time.
Cessna 180s produced between 1953 and 1963 have two side windows, while 1964 to 1981 models feature three side windows, as they feature the same fuselage as the Cessna 185.
180s can be put on
floats if they're equipped with factory-installed float kits, which are essentially reinforcing members installed at high-stress points of the fuselage. Float-kitted Cessna 180s produced between 1975 and 1981 have the larger dorsal fin of the 185.
Operational history
The 180 is considered a workhorse of an airplane, and is favored to this day as a
bush plane by many who fly to and from remote, unimproved airstrips in places such as
Alaska and distant parts of
Canada, the
Pacific Islands, and
Africa. The 180 is the preferred aircraft of the Colorado Division of Wildlife for monitoring wildlife and re-stocking fish in remote mountain lakes; it's also used by the
Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
The
Canadian airlines
Lamb Air and
Norcanair operated several 180s. A number of 180s continue in similar roles at
Kenmore Air in
Washington,
Alaska Seaplane Service, and Brazil's
Lider Taxi Aereo.
Record flight
The Cessna 180 gained recognition as the aircraft chosen by
Geraldine Mock, the first woman pilot to successfully fly around the world. The flight was made in 1964 in her 1953 model, the
Spirit of Columbus (N1538C), as chronicled in her book
Three-Eight Charlie.
The Cessna factory obtained the aircraft and kept it at the Pawnee (Wichita, Kansas) manufacturing plant after the epic flight, suspended from the ceiling over one of the manufacturing lines. It is currently on display at the
National Air and Space Museum.
Aircraft Type Club
The Cessna 180 is supported by an active
aircraft type club, The Cessna Pilots Association.
Operators
Military operators
Specifications (180)
Further Information
Get more info on 'Cessna 180'.
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