U-17 / Cessna 180 / Cessna Model 185 Skywagon

The Cessna 180 series and its descendants are another great success story for Cessna Aircraft Corporation of Wichita Kansas, and general aviation. Borrowing some features, such as flaps, from the Army's L-19 Bird Dog liaison airplane and evolving directly from the postwar Model 170B four-seat design, the 180, introduced in 1952, became a rugged four-place high-wing plane with a top speed of 165 mph.

Om 17 April 1964 Mrs. Jerrie Mock, 38-year-old housewife of Columbus, Ohio, became the first woman to make a solo flight around the world as she landed at the Columbus airport. She flew more than 23,000 miles in 29 days, making 21 stops since starting the flight on March 19. She flew a Cessna 180 called the Spirit of Columbus.

The Cessna 185 descends directly from the 180 model of 1952 having a similar appearance - including the squared, vertical tail-plane but with a more powerful engine. The prototype 185 flew in July 1960 and - with a stronger structure - was intended to serve as a bush plane. Noticeable external differences were extra side windows (3 instead of 2, to cater for 6 seats) and the enlarged fin fillet to increase its stability when fitted with floats. The 185 is capable of being fitted with wheel, ski, pure float undercarriage or amphibian float/alighting gear.

The Cessna Model 185 is a six-place, all-metal, high wing monoplane. It is powered by a Continental I0-470-F fuel injection engine turning a two-bladed Hartzell constant-speed propeller 88 inches in diameter. Entrance to the cabin is by means of the forward doors located on either side of the airplane. The pilot's and copilot's seats are individually adjustable fore and aft to permit access to the rear cabin area. A baggage compartment is provided aft of the cabin and is accessible through a door on the left side of the fuselage. An all fiber-glas cargo pack is available which can be fastened to the bottom of the fuselage to provide an extra 14.3 cubic feet of cargo space with a capacity of 300 pounds. Dual flight controls are provided, to include toe brakes. Slotted flaps are hand operated by a lever and are capable of 40 degree deflection in increments of 10 degrees. Rudder and elevator trim devices are provided. Crosswind landing gear with locking provision is incorporated.

The airplane was easily trimmed for straight and level flight, and control in light turbulence was maintained with little effort. Stalling characteristics were satisfactory. Warning of an impending stall was by means of a stall-warning horn which was activated approximately 10 knots above the stall speed. Buffet onset occurred at approximately 3 to 5 knots above the stall speed. There was a tendency during stalls for one wing to drop prior to the nose-down pitch. Normal recovery techniques were effective.

The Cessna 185 with a crew of two and full fuel and oil has a maximum payload of approximately 690 pounds and a radius of action of approximately 385 nautical miles with 30 minutes reserve. The is based on flights at 70 percent powerand an average true air speed of 130 knots. As stated in the Operator's Manual the airplane has a range of 820 nautical miles at 144 knots, using 75 percent power at 7,000 feet, without reserve. When flown atthe power setting corresponding to optimum range at 10,000 feet andno reserve fuel, an endurance of 9.3 hours and a range of 1, 070 nautical miles is obtained.

200 pounds 200 pounds 625 pounds 575 pounds 35.77 feet 173.84 square feet 25.5 feet 7.5 feet 91 inches 504 pounds 260 h.p