The market success of the 180 Skywagon prompted Cessna to introduce a bigger,
more powerful version, the Cessna 185. Also known as the Skywagon, the Cessna 185 has
proven itself for over 50 years, and is still considered a very capable and popular aircraft.
It is a favorite among bush pilots for its rugged durability and exceptional hauling capabilities.
The Cessna 185 Skywagon is a six-seat, single-engine, general aviation light aircraft.
With the first production model completed in March 1961, Cessna 185 is
a high-winged aircraft with non-retractable conventional landing gear and a tailwheel.
The airplane is approved for day and night VFR/IFR when in accordance with F.A.R. 91 or F.A.R. 135.
There are lots of other working airplanes, but the Cessna 185 is perhaps unique for
its reputation as the airborne version of a four-wheel-drive, three-quarter-ton pick-up truck,
easily able to haul heavy loads into and out of short, unimproved strips. Not only this, but with
plenty of power and two front cabin doors, it’s also a prized floatplane. 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.
EXTERIOR/DESIGN The 185 is, in many ways, the epitome
of the working airplane, designed specifically to haul big loads and operate from unimproved strips.
It is an all-metal high wing monoplane with a fixed tailwheel landing gear.
A semi-monocoque fuselage is used, and there are two-yard-wide doors on each side of the cabin.
Based on the Cessna 180, the 185 had a larger vertical stabilizer, a strengthened firewall,
landing gear and axles, and a larger engine. Outwardly, the 180 and 185 evolved into
virtually identical-looking airplanes, with comparable overall dimensions and major parts.
It has a length of 25 feet 9 in., a wingspan of 35 feet 10 in., and a height of 7 feet 9 in.
The C185 is a unique airplane. Standing as it does on its long stiff legs with that perfectly
proportioned squared off vertical tail, it is about as handsome an airplane as there is.
Locked securely in the utility market, the 185 was spared some of the cosmetic "improvements"
applied to nose wheel Cessnas. It never got the swept-back tail or the rear window that graced
most other Cessna singles. Buyers bought it for what it did, not for how it looked. Unfortunately,
it also never got the fuselage "bulge" applied to some of the nose wheel line, leaving the
cabin a little tight at 41 inches wide. The Skywagon can also be fitted with
floats or skis. INTERIOR
Cessna interior photos show six seats, and the airplane was billed as a six-placer. As
is typical of such marketing claims, its best described as a gross exaggeration.
The third-row seat is not fit for humans, at least not anyone over the age of about
six and is limited to 120 pounds. Most owners don’t bother, and simply chuck the back seat,
leaving a nice, spacious baggage area and four comfortable seats.
An option on later 185s was a pair of articulating seats for the front row, with adjustable height
and reclining seat backs. The back on the rear seat was split, and it too could recline.
As is typical of most Cessnas, head and legroom are quite good, with a distinctly
upright seating position. This is in contrast to the sports-car stretch one finds in a Mooney.
The cabin is a bit narrow at only 41 inches, but the front seat occupants can get around this to
a degree by staggering the seats. It has a very wide loading CG range and the extended baggage
aft of the rear seat baggage area is nice. The 185, by contrast, has the relatively
puny baggage door (18 by 20 inches), and a pair of regular fuselage doors due to which it can’t
hold a candle to the Cessna 206 or Piper Cherokee Six when it comes to getting bulky items on board.
The doors can’t even open all the way, because the wing strut interferes.
Fortunately, the right front door can be removed easily, as can the
back seat. This helps, but not all that much as cargo must still get past the front seat.
Extra cargo (though not bulky items) can be carried in the optional belly pod. The
fiberglass pod is nine feet long and 14 inches deep. While truly large objects cannot be loaded,
it’s perfect for otherwise awkward items like skis, fishing tackle, or big suitcases.
ENGINE The first Skywagons had a 260-horsepower
Continental IO-470F engine, while the later models were equipped with the 300-horsepower
Continental IO-520D engine, which offered a higher cruise speed and shorter takeoff roll. The engine
proved so popular that it was made standard in 1967. The 300-HP Skywagons are called A185s.
The Continental IO-520D engine is simply marvelous. It is non-icing and has an excellent
record of reliability. However, this engine must be managed properly or it will disappoint you.
The engine has a 1,800-hour recommended TBO. The cylinders and specifically the exhaust valve are
the only real weaknesses of the 520. Heat is the issue, and burned exhaust valves are probably
the cause for most cylinder replacements. In 1978, a three-blade McCauley prop was made
optional. Like the bigger engine, this soon became standard, along with a heavier engine mount.
The benefit of the three-bladed prop is a reduction in noise. The bigger two-bladed
prop makes a heck of a racket at takeoff, mostly because the tips are moving so fast.
As Continental engines go, the O-470 and O-520 series have delivered decent service. In many
models, the engine installation is at the root of short engine life, but that doesn’t seem to
be the case in the 185. PERFORMANCE
Owners love the 185s' performance. If you’ve got the cash to feed fuel to that big IO-520, it will
pay dividends in solid performance figures, and here’s an example of what can be expected.
Load a Skywagon with full fuel, four 220-pound people, and more
than 40 pounds of baggage per person, and the airplane will take off in just over 800 feet,
climb at better than 1,000 FPM, and then fly 800 miles at 140 knots. That’s impressive.
The big fuel-injected, normally aspirated engine gives such good climb performance. The service
ceiling is up at 17,900 feet. Climb rates of 500 FPM at 10,000 feet are easily achieved.
Fuel flow ranges from around 14.5 GPH depending on power setting and atmospheric conditions.
If you need efficiency, the 185 can climb to 12,000 feet,
where a power setting of 2400 rpm and 18 inches of manifold pressure will yield 130 knots TAS,
burning only 10.8 GPH. And this is with a 1,100-pound payload.
The Skywagon, like many Cessnas, is almost a STOL airplane out of the box. The big barn-door
flaps can be cranked out to 40 degrees, and the full-flap indicated stall speed is just over 40
knots, power off, and the landing distance is 585 feet at full gross with no wind.
In the air, the handling of a Skywagon is similar to that of a Skylane. It is steady and pleasant.
Some pilots report that it does require some rudder to fly well, however.
Control harmony is said to be good. The aircraft is stable in flight and handles turbulence well,
with control pressures and roll-rates heavier and slower than you might find in a 182.
Trim, unlike that on most Cessnas, is through a jackscrew in the tail rather than via a trim tab.
It’s geared low, so a lot of movement of the trim wheel is necessary to have a significant effect.
Although Cessna didn’t offer electric trim, some autopilot installations include it,
and the pilots who have it like it much better than the manual system.
The elevator and rudder trim are manual, as, thankfully, are the flaps. Two reasons why
manual flaps are better than electric ones: first, they’re stone-simple and therefore easy and cheap
to maintain. Second, there’s never any doubt about how many degrees of flap you’ve extended.
The bigger engine improved the 185’s already exceptional performance. The
10-pound increase in empty weight was offset by a 100-pound increase in gross.
Cruise speed went up by five knots, while the takeoff ground roll went down by 200 feet.
While the 230 HP 180 has always been a fine utility airplane, it did come up a tad short
where it really counts: useful load. The original 185, fitted with a 260-HP Continental IO-470F and
84-gallon fuel tanks, can perform the rather remarkable feat of lifting more than its own
weight: The useful load of 1,680 pounds is about 200 pounds more than its standard empty weight.
The heavy taildragger is often compared to an aerial pick-up truck,
as the Skywagon can haul just about anything in and out of short, unimproved airstrips.
Although the airplane handles well in the air, some owners say it’s not easy to land and won’t
tolerate lazy feet on the rudder, especially in crosswinds. Like all taildraggers, it’s easy to
ground loop if you’re not sharp on the rudder pedals after touchdown, but it doesn’t suffer
from some of the ills found in other taildraggers. It’s also a fairly long airplane, so it’s not as
twitchy as some of the close-coupled designs. VARIANTS
The civil variants include the original 185, the 185A, 185B, 185C, and 185D, with a 260 hp
Continental IO-470-F engine and a landplane gross weight of 3,200 lb. Next was the 185E Skywagon,
with a landplane gross weight of 3,300-lbs. A185E Skywagon with a 300 hp Continental IO-520-D engine
and a landplane gross weight of 3,350 lb. was next, which was also an agricultural aircraft.
A185F Skywagon was the last civilian variant. The military variants include the U-17A which
was the military version of the Cessna 185E and was powered by a 260-hp Continental IO-470-F
piston engine. Next was the U-17B powered by a 300-hp Continental IO-520-D piston engine. Last
was the U-17C, a four-seat light utility aircraft, powered by a Continental IO-470-L piston engine.
There were some changes in the variants with time, as in 1967, was the addition of an aft baggage
compartment, along with an optional stretcher door, which made loading bulky objects easier.
However, the changes weren’t so dramatic. For example, in 1974, some interesting options
were offered, in the form of bubble side windows, more windows built into the doors, and skylights.
1976 saw an increase in flap-extension speed from 96 to 120 knots, and the fuel selector was changed
to left-right-both arrangement. The same year saw a reduction in usable fuel from 81 to 74 gallons,
which cut into the airplanes range significantly. 1979 models had a new wet wing fuel system with
an 88-gallon capacity, of which 84 is usable. The older bladder-style tanks were optional.
MARKET Today,
you can expect to buy a mid-1970s A185F with just north of 5,500 hours, for around $240,000.
If you’re looking for a later model with fewer hours, the price starts around $400,000, and
when seriously tricked out with all the gadgets, $650,000 is close to the owner's expectation.
PROS The airplane
is such a performer that it is highly doubtful if any other airplane quite matches its ability
to lift its own weight, haul loads in and out of short, unimproved runways,
cruise at around 130 knots, and provide a stable platform in IMC and gusty winds aloft.
No newer airplanes will do what the Skywagon can do, in terms of load hauling and taildragger
ruggedness. This aerial pickup truck is still a favorite for those who need maximum load and
backcountry performance. Cessna 185s are like the rural contractor’s beloved Ford F-150 V-8:
rugged, powerful, and trusted. It’s also a highly sought-after floatplane.
Keeping a 185 in the air is not all that hard or costly as it is indicated that the 185 isn’t a
maintenance hog. Parts have not been difficult to come by, and nobody complained about cost.
This is in contrast to Beech as everybody complains about parts costs.
The 185 is a derivative airplane, being based on the 180, which was, in turn,
a bigger version of the 170. Therefore, Cessna had years to get the basic flaws worked out of
the design, and by the time the late 70s came along there wasn’t much left to go wrong.
The Skywagon is a typical Cessna single, so there are plenty of
mechanics around qualified to examine one for pre-purchase and to maintain it afterwards.
CONS Moving to the cons, there
are some individual spots to watch. Tailwheel shimmy can result from wear of the bolt which
holds the fork to the tailwheel spring. The doors and catches on the 185 are fragile and passengers
must not be allowed to slam them as the costs are huge to repair. Once it breaks, some pilots
resort to duct tape, but that’s an unapproved temporary solution and won’t pass inspection.
CONCLUSION The Cessna 185
remains a perfect machine for pilots looking for maximum load hauling, taildragger ruggedness,
and stellar backcountry performance. Like most Cessna planes, the Skywagon has a reputation
for being dependable, easy to maintain, and fun-to-fly. When equipped with floats, skis,
or oversized wheels, the Skywagon can operate with ease on nearly any surface.
To conclude, the Cessna 185 Skywagon has no bad habits. It has proven itself for over 50 years
and will continue to be restored, repaired as required, and flown for another half century.