The Cessna 180 Skywagon is a four- or six-seat, fixed
conventional geargeneral aviationairplane which was produced between 1953 and 1981. Though the design is no longer in production, many of these aircraft are still in use as personal aircraft and in utility roles such as
bush flying.[1]
Development
Cessna introduced the heavier and more powerful 180 as a complement to the
Cessna 170. It eventually came to be known as the Skywagon.[1]
The prototype Cessna 180, N41697, first flew on May 26, 1952. Cessna engineering test pilot William D. Thompson was at the controls.[2]
In all its versions, 6,193 Cessna 180s were manufactured. In 1956, a
tricycle gear version of this design was introduced as the
Cessna 182, which came to bear the name Skylane. Additionally, in 1960, Cessna introduced a heavier, more powerful sibling to the 180, the conventional gear
Cessna 185. For a time, all three versions of the design were in production.[1]
Design
The airframe of the 180 is all-metal, constructed of
aluminum alloy. The fuselage is a
semi-monocoque structure, with exterior skin sheets riveted to
formers and
longerons. The strut-braced wings, likewise, are constructed of exterior skin sheets riveted to
spars and
ribs. The landing gear of the 180 is in a conventional arrangement, with main gear legs made of spring steel, and a steerable tailwheel mounted on a hollow tapered steel tube.[1]
Cessna 180s produced between 1953 and 1963 have two side windows, while 1964 to 1981 models feature three side windows, as they use the same fuselage as the Cessna 185. 180s can be equipped with
floats and skis.[1]
Operational history
Record flight
The Cessna 180 gained recognition as the aircraft chosen by
Geraldine Mock, the first woman pilot to successfully fly around the world. The flight was made in 1964 in her 1953 model, the Spirit of Columbus (N1538C), as chronicled in her book Three-Eight Charlie.[3] The Cessna factory obtained the aircraft and kept it at the Pawnee (Wichita, Kansas) manufacturing plant after the epic flight, suspended from the ceiling over one of the manufacturing lines. It is currently on display at the
National Air and Space Museum.
Variants
180
Four seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 225 hp (168 kW)
Continental O-470-A, O-470-J, or a 230 hp (172 kW) O-470-K engine, landplane gross weight 2,550 lb (1,157 kg) and first certified on 23 December 1952.[4]
180A
Four seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 230 hp (172 kW)
Continental O-470-K, landplane gross weight 2,650 lb (1,202 kg) and first certified on 17 December 1956.[4]
180B
Four seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 230 hp (172 kW)
Continental O-470-K, landplane gross weight 2,650 lb (1,202 kg) and first certified on 22 August 1958.[4]
180C
Four seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 230 hp (172 kW)
Continental O-470-L or O-470-R, landplane gross weight 2,650 lb (1,202 kg) and first certified on 8 July 1959.[4]
180D
Four seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 230 hp (172 kW)
Continental O-470-L or O-470-R, landplane gross weight 2,650 lb (1,202 kg) and first certified on 14 June 1960.[4]
180E
Four seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 230 hp (172 kW)
Continental O-470-L or O-470-R, landplane gross weight 2,650 lb (1,202 kg) and first certified on 21 September 1961.[4]
180F
Four seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 230 hp (172 kW)
Continental O-470-L or O-470-R, landplane gross weight 2,650 lb (1,202 kg) and first certified on 25 June 1962.[4]
180G
Six seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 230 hp (172 kW)
Continental O-470-L or O-470-R, landplane gross weight 2,800 lb (1,270 kg) and first certified on 19 July 1963.[4]
180H
Six seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 230 hp (172 kW)
Continental O-470-L or O-470-R, landplane gross weight 2,800 lb (1,270 kg) and first certified on 17 June 1964.[4]
Six seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 230 hp (172 kW)
Continental O-470-R or O-470-S, landplane gross weight 2,800 lb (1,270 kg) and first certified on 13 October 1972.[4]
180K
Six seat high wing light aircraft powered by a 230 hp (172 kW)
Continental O-470-U for which AVGAS 100 or 100LL is specified; previous engines were designed for AVGAS 80 (formerly called 80/87), landplane gross weight 2,800 lb (1,270 kg) and first certified on 19 August 1976.[4]
Operators
Civil
The Cessna 180 is popular with air charter companies and is operated by private individuals and companies.
Military
Operators
Civil
The Cessna 180 is popular with air charter companies and is operated by private individuals and companies.
Grandolini, Albert (September–December 1988). "L'Aviation Royale Khmere: The first 15 years of Cambodian military aviation". Air Enthusiast. No. Thirty–seven. pp. 39–47.
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"Pentagon Over the Islands: The Thirty-Year History of Indonesian Military Aviation". Air Enthusiast Quarterly (2): 154–162. n.d.
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