Cessna 185 Skywagon

The Cessna 185 Skywagon is a six-seat, single-engined, general aviation light aircraft manufactured by Cessna. It first flew as a prototype in July 1960, with the first production model completed in March 1961. The Cessna 185 is a high-winged aircraft with non-retractable conventional landing gear and a tailwheel.

Cessna 185 Skywagon
Cessna 185 Skywagon II at Cambridge Bay Airport, Nunavut, Canada
Role Light utility aircraft
Manufacturer Cessna Aircraft Company
First flight July 1960
Introduction 1961
Produced 1961-1985
Number built over 4,400
Developed from Cessna 180
Variants St-Just Super-Cyclone

Over 4,400 were built with production ceasing in 1985. When Cessna re-introduced some of its most popular models in the 1990s, the tailwheel equipped Cessna 180 and 185 were not put back into production.

Design and development

The aircraft is basically a Cessna 180 with a strengthened fuselage. The main difference between the two aircraft is the larger vertical fin on the 185 and the 300 hp (224 kW) Continental IO-520-D engine as opposed to the 230 hp (172 kW) Continental O-470-S fitted to the Cessna 180. The exception was that a Continental Motors IO-470-F engine of 260 hp (194 kW) was initially fitted until midway through the 1966 production year. The later model Skywagon II has a factory fitted avionics package.

1976 Cessna A185F on floats

The Skywagon can also be fitted with floats, amphibious float, or skis. The AgCarryall variant of the 185 adds a 151-gallon belly chemical tank and removable spray booms for aerial application. It is also possible to fit a cargo pod under the fuselage that can carry an extra 300 lb (136 kg).

Operational history

The 180 and 185 are widely used in bush flying, the commercial transport of passengers and freight to rudimentary, remote airstrips, lakes and snowfields, primarily in Canada and Alaska.

Variants

Civil variants
185 Skywagon
Six seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 260 hp (194 kW) Continental IO-470-F, landplane gross weight 3,200 lb (1,451 kg) and first certified on 31 January 1961.[1]
185A Skywagon
Six seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 260 hp (194 kW) Continental IO-470-F, landplane gross weight 3,200 lb (1,451 kg) and first certified on 20 September 1961.[1]
185B Skywagon
Six seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 260 hp (194 kW) Continental IO-470-F, landplane gross weight 3,200 lb (1,451 kg) and first certified on 25 June 1962.[1]
185C Skywagon
Six seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 260 hp (194 kW) Continental IO-470-F, landplane gross weight 3,200 lb (1,451 kg) and first certified on 19 July 1963.[1]
185D Skywagon
Six seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 260 hp (194 kW) Continental IO-470-F, landplane gross weight 3,200 lb (1,451 kg) and first certified on 17 June 1964.[1]
185E Skywagon
Six seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 260 hp (194 kW) Continental IO-470-F, landplane gross weight 3,300 lb (1,497 kg) and first certified on 24 September 1965.[1]
A185E Skywagon and AgCarryall
Six seat high wing light aircraft and agricultural aircraft powered by a 300 hp (224 kW) Continental IO-520-D, landplane gross weight 3,350 lb (1,520 kg) and first certified on 24 September 1965.[1]
A185F Skywagon and AgCarryall
Six seat high wing light aircraft and agricultural aircraft powered by a 300 hp (224 kW) Continental IO-520-D, landplane gross weight 3,350 lb (1,520 kg) and first certified on 16 October 1973.[1]

Military variants
U-17A
Military version of the Cessna 185E, powered by a 260-hp (194-kW) Continental IO-470-F piston engine. Supplied by the USAF to a number of countries under the Military Assistance Programme.
U-17B
Military version of the Cessna A185E, powered by a 300-hp (224-kW) Continental IO-520-D piston engine. Supplied by the USAF to a number countries under the Military Assistance Programme.
U-17C
Four-seat light utility aircraft, powered by a Continental IO-470-L piston engine.

Operators

Civil operators

The Cessna 185 is popular with air charter companies and is operated by private individuals and companies.

Military operators
A Cessna U-17A of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) at Nha Trang Air Base.

As part of the United States Military Assistance Program, Cessna received a contract to supply the United States Air Force with the Skywagon. These were intended for delivery overseas and were designated U-17A and U-17B.

 Argentina
 Bolivia
 Costa Rica
  • Guardia Civil 3 x U-17A[4]
 Ecuador
 Greece
 Honduras
 Iran
  • Islamic Revolutionary Air Force 185A[8] - no longer in service
  • Islamic Revolutionary Army Aviation 185A[9] - no longer in service
 Israel
  • Israel Air Force 185 [10]
 Jamaica
 Khmer Republic
Laos
 Nicaragua
 Panama
  • Panamanian Public Forces 3 x U-17A[13]
 Paraguay
  • Paraguayan Air Force 5 x U-17A[14]
 Peru
 Philippines
 Portugal
 Rhodesia
  • Rhodesian Air Force - Two civil aircraft impressed into service, about 17 aircraft on loan from the South African Air Force, in service during the 1970s.
 El Salvador
 South Africa
 South Vietnam
  • Republic of Vietnam Air Force - About 100 U-17As and U-17Bs were used by the VNAF. No longer in service.
 Thailand
 Turkey
  • Turkish Army Aviation U-17B[22]
 Uruguay

Accidents and Incidents
  • On August 19, 1989, a Cessna A185E Skywagon registered N95KW crashed shortly after a balked landing at Coastal Airport, located near Myrtle Grove, Florida. The pilot's seat latch slipped on the railing, causing the pilot to unintentionally stall the aircraft. The pilot and the two passengers on board were all severely injured. The resulting product liability trial, concluding twelve years later, resulted in a $480 million judgment against Cessna. The case was later settled out-of-court for an undisclosed sum.[24] This accident also brought about a series of airworthiness directives that affected all small Cessnas ever built.

Specifications (1978 Cessna 185 II landplane)
Cessna 185 on straight floats

Data from Cessna[25]

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Capacity: five passengers
  • Length: 25 ft 9 in (7.85 m)
  • Wingspan: 35 ft 10 in (10.92 m)
  • Height: 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m)
  • Wing area: 174 sq ft (16.2 m2)
  • Empty weight: 1,748 lb (793 kg)
  • Gross weight: 3,350 lb (1,520 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Continental IO-520-D , 300 hp (220 kW)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed constant speed, 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) diameter

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 155 kn (178 mph, 287 km/h)
  • Cruise speed: 145 kn (167 mph, 269 km/h)
  • Stall speed: 49 kn (56 mph, 91 km/h)
  • Range: 720 nmi (830 mi, 1,330 km)
  • Service ceiling: 17,150 ft (5,230 m)
  • Rate of climb: 1,010 ft/min (5.1 m/s)

Specification for differing configurations
Landplane Floatplane Amphibian
Length 27 ft 0 in (8.23 m) 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
Height 12 ft 2 in (3.71 m) 12 ft 8 in (3.86 m)
Empty weight 1,745 lb (792 kg) 1,910 lb (866 kg) 2,165 lb (982 kg)
MTOW 3,320 lb (1,506 kg) 3,265 lb (1,481 kg) on land
3,100 lb (1,406 kg) on water
Max. speed 136 knots (252 km/h) 141 knots (261 km/h) 135 knots (251 km/h)
Range 516 nm (957 km) 503 nm (933 km) 482 nm (893 km)
Service ceiling 16,400 ft (5,000 m) 15,300 ft (4,700 m)
Rate of climb 960 ft/min (293 m/min) 970 ft/min (296 m/min)
Wing loading 19.1 lb/ft2 (93.3 kg/m2) 18.8 lb/ft2 (91.8 kg/m2)
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See also

Related development

Notes
  1. Federal Aviation Administration (February 2009). "TYPE CERTIFICATE DATA SHEET NO. 3A24 Revision 39" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2010-03-07. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
  2. "Se distinguió al Tcnl aviador de Ejército Pedro Acosta" (in Spanish). Ejército Argentino. 2 December 2015. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  3. Andrade 1982, Page 27
  4. Andrade 1982, Page 50
  5. Andrade 1982, Page 58
  6. Andrade 1982, Page 94
  7. Hagedorn 1986, p. 67.
  8. Andrade 1982, Page 107
  9. Andrade 1982, Page 109
  10. Andrade 1982, Page 113
  11. Churchill 1997, Page 121
  12. Andrade 1982, Page 166
  13. Andrade 1982, Page 174
  14. Andrade 1982, Page 176
  15. Andrade 1982, Page 177
  16. Andrade 1982, Page 181
  17. Niccoli 1998, p. 38.
  18. Andrade 1982, Page 188
  19. Andrade 1982, Page 195
  20. Andrade 1982, Page 224
  21. World Air Forces – Historical Listings Thailand (THL), archived from the original on 25 January 2012, retrieved 30 August 2012
  22. Andrade 1982, Page 229
  23. Andrade 1982, Page 335
  24. "The Devil in the Details, and the Seat Rails..." Check-Six.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  25. Cessna Aircraft Company: 1978 Cessna Skywagons 180 & 185, page 11. Cessna Aircraft, Wichita, Kansas 1978. SPA 78009-15

References
  • Andrade, John. Militair 1982, Aviation Press Limited, London 1982. ISBN 0-907898-01-7.
  • Churchill, Jan. Hit My Smoke: Forward Air Controllers in Southeast Asia, Sunflower University Press, Manhattan KS, 1997. ISBN 0-89745-215-1
  • Hagedorn, Daniel P. "From Caudillos to COIN". Air Enthusiast, Thirty-three, July–November 1986. pp. 55–70.
  • Niccoli, Riccardo (May–June 1998). "Portuguese Numerology: Serial systems used by the Aeronautica Militar and the Força Aerea Portuguesa". Air Enthusiast. No. 75. pp. 33–45. ISSN 0143-5450.

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