Early C182 or something else?

Johnbo

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Apr 15, 2019
Messages
189
Display Name

Display name:
Johnbo
been lurking here for a while trying to define my mission, my needs vs wants and how to best balance all that with a plane purchase.

I am a low time pilot who will be operating out of a 2500’ grass strip and traveling usually within 400 nautical miles to typical municipal airports (paved and plenty of room) but I don’t want (not need) to be limited to large fields. I fancy getting skilled enough to get into smaller places but I don’t need a super cub.

I have a family so 4-seats is a must. I think an early, lightweight 182 could be fun to fly locally and still get us all wherever we need for weekend trips, $100 burgers etc.

The downsides that I can see with the 182 are draggy airframe, associated fuel cost & low TBO on the o-470.

Is the attitude of “get a 182, it will do most things good enough” likely the right one for me at this point or should I look more for dedicated X/C machines like Mooney, Bonanza, ???
 
Early 182's are a FANTASTIC value. The nice thing about 182's is you can make it into what you want for not that much money. If you want it to go faster, get gap seals and wheelpants. If you want a STOL plane, put on a Sportsman STOL kit. Not only are 182's good at everything, they can even be made into just about anything fantastic.

BUT if you want a go fast XC machine, well that's something you have to answer for yourself. Those planes are really only good at one things though and will only ever be good at XC's.
 
Thought about a 182RG? Great value, far fewer gear problems than 210s and 172RGs, fast and still awesome short field performers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JEB
Thought about a 182RG? Great value, far fewer gear problems than 210s and 172RGs, fast and still awesome short field performers.
:yeahthat:
If I didn't have to like taildraggers so darn much, I'd definitely own a 182RG. I can't think of a more versatile plane.

But if the OP is thinking about early 182's, a 182RG may be out of budget.
 
How frequently will you be doing 400nm trips with 4 up?
 
:yeahthat:
If I didn't have to like taildraggers so darn much, I'd definitely own a 182RG. I can't think of a more versatile plane.

But if the OP is thinking about early 182's, a 182RG may be out of budget.

True, though the 182RGs tend to be undervalued. Almost as undervalued as newer model (mid-70s and up) 182 straight legs tend to be overvalued. They also tend to require a lot less panel work than some of the geriatric 182s out there, which could eat up a lot of the difference.

The 182RG, 310 and 441 (if I could afford one) are the only Cessnas I'd consider owning, and that includes their jets (if I could ever afford them) and the 210.
 
How frequently will you be doing 400nm trips with 4 up?

Maybe 3-4 times / year. but 1-up maybe another 10-12 times / year. I don’t have the option of owning two planes so I’ve got to get the one that won’t leave anyone home except for by choice. Renting is also out as that will kill the freedom of flying on my schedule.
 
The UL on a 182 will help. The UL+speed on a 182RG will help even more.
 
Piper Dakota 235, brick dependable O-540, carb'ed, fixed gear (strong) plenty horse power for 4 and bags.
They'll do 400 miles before breakfast.
They'll not win any short field contest, but 2500 feet should be no problem.
 
The Op didn't list an aversion to tailwheel so aren't the Cessna 180/185 and maybe a Maule also candidates?
 
The Op didn't list an aversion to tailwheel so aren't the Cessna 180/185 and maybe a Maule also candidates?

I’m not against a tailwheel but the insurance companies are against me with a 4-place taildragger so for now I am going to focus on the trikes
 
I’m not against a tailwheel but the insurance companies are against me with a 4-place taildragger so for now I am going to focus on the trikes
NP.

We have a 182, great family plane. You can always dial it back to save some $$$ when not in a hurry.

Have you ever all flown together?
 
Piper Dakota 235, brick dependable O-540, carb'ed, fixed gear (strong) plenty horse power for 4 and bags.
They'll do 400 miles before breakfast.
They'll not win any short field contest, but 2500 feet should be no problem.

Yeah, a Dakota for a reasonable price might be even a better hauler than a 182. Not the best short field, but they aren't a runway hog either.
 
Yeah, a Dakota for a reasonable price might be even a better hauler than a 182. Not the best short field, but they aren't a runway hog either.
2500 feet should be plenty for a pilot with a handle on a Dakota. and they will do the load.

I'm impressed with the Dakota. 0-540 big 6 at 235 horses will run for ever, this is the basic engine for the TSIO-540.
 
What field altitudes are we talking about? If high, you may want a turbo.
 
Get a 182 with a Pponk STC (265+ HP) and you'll have the option of a little extra speed in exchange for avga$, and you won't have to worry about filling the plane at higher temps.
14+ year owner of a 182. The saying is true, it does nothing great, but everything well.
 
A Bonanza would do this mission well, and do the cross country stuff much better than a 182.
 
Thx folks. I probably should have mentioned it sooner but my budget is $75k or less.
 
You’ll struggle to find a good 182 or Dakota for that budget, I believe. But either seem like a perfect fit for your mission. Note that the 182 has a considerably more roomy cabin. How about a well kept Cherokee 6?
 
The downsides that I can see with the 182 are draggy airframe, associated fuel cost & low TBO on the o-470.
The draggy airframe and associated fuel cost isn't a downside of the 182. That's a downside of wanting a 4-place STOL capable airplane. Anything with 4-seats and STOL ability is going to be draggy and slow for the fuel burn.
 
Bellanca Superviking! I live on a 2500’ grass strip! They are fast and very capable planes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How well will wood wings hold up in an open air hangar?
 
Thx for all the replies folks!
 
Are there any major issues with parts availability on the old C182s?
 
I can tell you that there are major cost issues for parts if you have to go to Textron. Example: They wanted upwards of 1k for the wheel pant brackets on a 1980 182Q (per side). Basically if the part you need is supported by the aftermarket, you are golden, otherwise, get ready to pay.
 
The aviation parts dept at ebay is your friend.
 
The aviation parts dept at ebay is your friend.
Yeah, so's the flee market at Oshkosh. I managed to find a workable set there, but it was a close thing. None of the usual salvage and parts places had these brackets in stock. As it turns out, I had to pay Textron for the stiffeners which were like 700 each if I recall...
 
We recently had to replace a seat part in a 182K, would have been $900 from Cessna, under $200 from ebay...
 
Last edited:
182 is the only airplane (well, the 172 as well) where I would prefer to take take the fixed gear version over the retract on a cost basis, and I'm a retract owner mind you. The gear parts cost structures is a poison pill on an otherwise very well-balanced performance metrics airplane. A real pity, but that's the way the cookie crumbles in certified land.

It would also be nice if they had made a Lyco swap STC for the conti powered ones. The S and T 182s are priced anesthesia stupid lol.
 
One note on Lyco vs Conti, the consensus is that a Conti overhaul is way less expensive than the equivalent Lyco. No idea why, and haven't had to test this theory myself!
 
The only thing that can be difficult Mx wise on an early 182 is the jackscrew trim. The trim itself isn't too bad and can be had for 2k from mcfarlane, but getting to it involves removing the entire tail which can be pricey. There are aftermarket inspection panels you can add that make this an easier process, but again you have to pull the tail apart to install them. Just make sure the jackscrews are in good shape on pre-buy and they shouldn't bother you, they are resilient parts. It just depends on the year of 182, I'm not sure when they went away from jackscrew trim, but there are plenty of early 182's without it. As always YMMV.

This is the only real "getcha" on early 182's where it would differ from something super simple like a 172, otherwise they're super well supported and incredible easy to maintain. Also just about any A&P will be familiar with them.

I had some tail work done in addition to having the jackscrews serviced.
IMG_20180413_110449.jpg
 
The only thing that can be difficult Mx wise on an early 182 is the jackscrew trim. The trim itself isn't too bad and can be had for 2k from mcfarlane, but getting to it involves removing the entire tail which can be pricey. There are aftermarket inspection panels you can add that make this an easier process, but again you have to pull the tail apart to install them. Just make sure the jackscrews are in good shape on pre-buy and they shouldn't bother you, they are resilient parts. It just depends on the year of 182, I'm not sure when they went away from jackscrew trim, but there are plenty of early 182's without it. As always YMMV.

This is the only real "getcha" on early 182's where it would differ from something super simple like a 172, otherwise they're super well supported and incredible easy to maintain. Also just about any A&P will be familiar with them.

I had some tail work done in addition to having the jackscrews serviced.
View attachment 73665
That photo looks expensive for sure!
 
One note on Lyco vs Conti, the consensus is that a Conti overhaul is way less expensive than the equivalent Lyco. No idea why, and haven't had to test this theory myself!

You got it backwards I'm afraid. Overhaul prices are not state secret. Neither are outside 15% of each other. A cursory search in the google fu quickly shows it is the Lycomings that are cheaper, especially if you're gonna compare apples to apples and go factory new cylinders. And if you account for the amount of cylinder work on the engine over the same amount of hours to the day of overhaul, forget it it's not even close.

For the record, I'd still pick the Lyco even if it was 40% more expensive to own. It isn't, so twofer.
 
You got it backwards I'm afraid. Overhaul prices are not state secret. Neither are outside 15% of each other. A cursory search in the google fu quickly shows it is the Lycomings that are cheaper, especially if you're gonna compare apples to apples and go factory new cylinders. And if you account for the amount of cylinder work on the engine over the same amount of hours to the day of overhaul, forget it it's not even close.

For the record, I'd still pick the Lyco even if it was 40% more expensive to own. It isn't, so twofer.
Although I don’t want to be the one to initially pay for it; a PPonk’d 470 would be a fun option from what I have read.
 
I'm not sure when they went away from jackscrew trim, but there are plenty of early 182's without it.
Up through the 1961 model year (182D) they were just tri-gear 180s, jackscrew trim and all. The 1962 182E introduced the redesigned, wider fuselage with rear window, fixed horizontal stabilizers and an elevator trim tab.
 
I realize this is an older topic but thought I'd reply for future readers. I'm also a low-time pilot flying off a 2700' grass strip, and I own a 1962 182E. I'm generally happy with it but I have no other aircraft ownership experience to compare it to. I did upgrade the panel to 2019 avionics (GTN 750, GFC 500, two G5s, GTX 345, EDM 900), and I'm glad I did. My most frequent frustration as a new pilot and new owner is that when I'm learning and familiarizing myself with the plane, and with aviation in general, you always hear "we recommend this....but check your POH." Maybe I'm just overly-cautious but not having a POH specific to your aircraft model sucks as a new pilot....on a grass strip too. Sure, you can get a later model's POH from the 70's but there were several changes between 1962 and 1975; nothing drastic but when you're looking at weight and balance and things like that as a new pilot on a grass strip, it can get frustrating.
 
I just want to know if the OP ever pulled the trigger, or if he took one look at the market prices and decided to sit this one out for a while.
 
Back
Top