Cessna 180 Question

GRG55

Final Approach
Gone West
Joined
Dec 29, 2015
Messages
9,306
Display Name

Display name:
Aztec Flyer
Trying to find out if there is an STC to retrofit the baggage door on to a 1953 Cessna 180?

Background: Have been assessing different single engine taildraggers for about six months, including upgraded 170Bs, etc. Preference is a 180 and found a nice, well maintained example at a fair asking price not far from my home airport that I am about to put into pre-purchase inspection.

Only minor issue is its a 1953, first year of commercial production, and it does not have the baggage door that came on all subsequent 180s. This is a minor inconvenience, not a show stopper, but would be one of the things I would like to change if I buy the plane.

Appreciate any feedback.
 
Sounds like a lot of work$, I'd just put the folding seats in the back, frankly I don't use mine too much in my 185, and climbing into it and twisting your body around to load ain't fun, if I was loading that much stuff into the extended baggage area I'd just toss some folding seats in the back, or better yet just pull the rear seats for heavy cargo ops.


Here's a list of some STCs

https://www.backcountrypilot.org/kn...dge-base/aircraft/165-cessna-180-185-skywagon



If I was going to go down the modification route, I'd look into the MAF door or a stretcher door, they do eliminate the possibility of floats however, this does majorly effect your resale value if your skywagon had the factory float kit, but if it didn't have the float kit why not.

05_DSC03710.jpg



There is also this door, no idea about it, it's on a 185, but you could write the aircrafts owner about it.

CLEMENS JERRY DBA
Street 401 N 16TH ST

City PARSONS State KANSAS
County LABETTE Zip Code 67357-3123
Country UNITED STATES

98e7e63a13d1c27eb349c200.jpg


N185JY-Private-_PlanespottersNet_290256.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the info James. It's set up with floats. Current owner has been flying it summers in the lake country on floats and pulls them off in the fall to use wheels/skis for remainder of year. Where I am straight floats are not that useful and a set of amphibs is really what's needed.

It'll be a personal airplane so the baggage door is a convenience not a necessity. I'll have the back seat out most of the time in any case. Plane's been around since 1953 without a baggage door, works fine, so would be a strictly "nice-to-have" if possible to have a stock door or similar retrofitted to it.
 
No worries

You're going to have a blast!

I've had mine on its amphibs since I've owned it, I got the straight gear with 8.5s mounted sitting in my basement, but 120kts is fine for me so I haven't put the straight land gear back on.

Only draw back is you're looking at nearly 200lbs extra for amphibs vs straight floats, this can be helped a little with wing X extensions.

Aerocet and Edo are my top picks for amphibs, aerocets are big, easy to fly and give you the most weight carrying ability, the smaller Edo 2790 (what I have) limit my gross on water, are a little more challenging to fly, but are probably the fastest in the air.

If you haven't already you should join the international skywagon club, great manuals and STCs avaliable, as well as backcountrypilot and the supercub forum.
 
Add a pod. That'll make cargo access easier. I got an Alaska Bush Pod field approved a couple of years ago. I believe Aerocet has an approved model since they bought Alaska Skycraft's pod STC but it's not as big or easy to load as a Bush Pod. A buddy has a '53 with the AK Bush Pod and has no problems loading to gross, and by the way, beware that year has a low gross. The only way to increase it is to add WingX extensions.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top