GumpAir wrote:Great airplanes, and after a lot of hours in them, I still love them. Joe Stancil I agree would be a great place to start your search, and a good resource for advice. One suggestion I would make though, is go ride in a few before you plunk down your money. Some airplanes just fit well, some don't. Be a shame to spend that much $$$ without getting a good feel. Though with a solid C185 or C180 it's really hard to go wrong.

Gump

Stancil appears to be out of the airplane business. Sold the outfit to his salesman of many years. When I bought my 182 from them in 1998 i dealt with him.

http://www.skywagons.com/

The 550 is a great mod for the 185. Friend of mine has that and if he wants to pour the gas thru it can get about 160 kts true. I have to burn almost as much to stay ahead of him.

Welcome to BCP bighead!

I, too am a -130 guy, J-Models out of Pt Mugu, CA ANG. Good luck in your search! I don't own anything yet but a 180/185 is at the top of my list to have one day. I'll need a few promotions in the mean time however 'cause an O-2 in So Cal is basically living in poverty!

kato

Bonanza Man wrote:

GumpAir wrote:Great airplanes, and after a lot of hours in them, I still love them. Joe Stancil I agree would be a great place to start your search, and a good resource for advice. One suggestion I would make though, is go ride in a few before you plunk down your money. Some airplanes just fit well, some don't. Be a shame to spend that much $$$ without getting a good feel. Though with a solid C185 or C180 it's really hard to go wrong.

Gump

Stancil appears to be out of the airplane business. Sold the outfit to his salesman of many years. When I bought my 182 from them in 1998 i dealt with him.

http://www.skywagons.com/

The 550 is a great mod for the 185. Friend of mine has that and if he wants to pour the gas thru it can get about 160 kts true. I have to burn almost as much to stay ahead of him.

I think Mark was probably the straightest shooter in the outfit. Hope he is successful.

Mark Pilkinton is a great guy and knows a lot about Skywagons, Skylanes, etc. Joe did sell to Mark but you can still reach him at [email protected]. He is still very interactive with Mark.

Mark sold my 182 in about 3 weeks for me. They have some nice planes down on the lot now.

Kevin

Glidergeek wrote:You could do it the way most do : Buy a plane & put several thousands of dollars into it and it be worth less than what you put into it .

And then about the time you have it the way you want it, sell it and start over again

Vick wrote:Welcome bighead - you at Cherry Pt? I spent eight years there myself and will be back there in a few weeks to pick up my new-to-me 180. Happy to show it to you if you're around when I come through town, can also discuss why I went the route I did. I never even considered a 185 because I wasn't interested in a fuel injected engine - maybe short sighted or an uninformed decision but I just like the simplicity of carburetion.

Lots of good old threads on this site discussing the strengths/weaknesses of various makes and models, you might find that something else will do what you're looking for so you have something to compare against.

A route to consider is to pick up something simpler & cheaper to build TW time in. I started with a stock Stinson, upgraded the engine, and am now moving to a 180 (for no better reason than I've always wanted one). Even with insurance discounts for military training and experience, progression in TW aircraft would be helpful in that regard. And though you could no doubt jump into a 185 with a good instructor and become safe and proficient, having a depth of experience to draw upon can only be a good thing.

Yeah I am based out of Cherry Pt. If I were going to be in town I would for sure take you up on the offer to sit down with you and take a look at your 180. Thanks for your input and hope you enjoy your new-to-you 180.

kato wrote:Welcome to BCP bighead!

I, too am a -130 guy, J-Models out of Pt Mugu, CA ANG. Good luck in your search! I don't own anything yet but a 180/185 is at the top of my list to have one day. I'll need a few promotions in the mean time however 'cause an O-2 in So Cal is basically living in poverty!

kato

Yeah I think it will be a couple of years before I pick one up just starting to dream and do research now. I am glad I found this site sound like there is a wealth of knowledge floating around.

I am J-Model guy as well. So how long ago did you go through VT-31? Is everyone flying the T-44C now?

Thanks

I have a 1980 C185F, not lots of 185's made after that time, but there are always some out there for sale. I would have to go along with the crowd and say to buy a good one with as many of the mods you want already installed. Newer radio's, GPS, autopilot all cost a lot new, but only bring pennies on the dollar when selling the plane. Things you will want are BASS retractable shoulder harness, tailwheel pull, gear beef-up kit....

I have a friend that is about to push his finished 185 Cyclone kit out the door. If you are interested I can put you in contact.

Steve

I agree with Steve on buying the best equipped plane you can, regardless of the type. When I bought my '79 185, I had about 5 hrs in a 140 but that was 35 yrs earlier, but got a tailwheel indorsement in a Husky as I purchased my 185. My insurance company required 5 hrs in the Skywagon, but for me, I wanted and received 2 more sessions with an ex MAF chief pilot and that was a huge improvement for me. There is no question that a tailwheel plane is more demanding of the pilot than a trike plane. I land in crosswind conditions as I find them but definitely am on high alert for ALL ground operations. For the value of the plane, I didn't think that insurance was drastically higher than a trike plane.

Now, with 1,000 hrs in a Skywagon, I feel comfortable with some comments. First, the narrow cabin sucks. Second, it is relatively slow as a cross country plane, and I fly from BC to Mexico and back twice a year and bitch about the speed every time. For me, the only value of a tailwheel plane was for the float application and in hindsight, I would definitely consider a 182 or 206 for my mission and I have owned both of those planes before. I have no "macho" tailwheel need and therefore would most likely not own a tailwheel plane if not for floats. I also do not fly into places where the benefits of a tailwheel plane are great. A very high percentage of Skywagons have been ground looped. One must carefully examine the plane and ensure that any repairs were done correctly. Again, this holds true with any plane purchase.

The good things about a Skywagon is that it is a Cessna. Everybody can work on the plane and parts are readily available. A 185 can carry about anything you can stuff in it but loading is more a bit of work but no different than a 182. I do love the baggage doors on
a 206. The flaps require some strength to pull on, my wife needs two hands to operate the flaps. Yanking the flaps are an advantage on floats to pop of the water. I don't know if this translatres to ground operations on wheels as again, I haven't needed to do this in my flying.

I guess you need to give some thought on your mission, your wants and more important, your needs. Pay attention to what guys like MTV and Gump have to say as they have long historys of practical experience. Good luck on your quest. FF

bighead wrote:Yeah I think it will be a couple of years before I pick one up just starting to dream and do research now. I am glad I found this site sound like there is a wealth of knowledge floating around.

I am J-Model guy as well. So how long ago did you go through VT-31? Is everyone flying the T-44C now?

Thanks

I winged July'09 from VT-31. Last I heard, they were still converting the -44A models to the C models and haven't completed the transition yet. I thought they were going to shut down the TC-12s as well, but they haven't done that yet either.

Did you ever instruct there? I really enjoyed the Navy program at Corpus and feel lucky I got to go through it, because it sounds like they're phasing out the Air Force studs and instructors.

I agree with Float Flyer the 182 (later models I think after 1965) has more shoulder and hip room. much more comfortable by 4". Don't know about the 206 but I'll bet it's cavernous compared to the 180/185.

FloatFlyer wrote:I agree with Steve on buying the best equipped plane you can, regardless of the type. When I bought my '79 185, I had about 5 hrs in a 140 but that was 35 yrs earlier, but got a tailwheel indorsement in a Husky as I purchased my 185. My insurance company required 5 hrs in the Skywagon, but for me, I wanted and received 2 more sessions with an ex MAF chief pilot and that was a huge improvement for me. There is no question that a tailwheel plane is more demanding of the pilot than a trike plane. I land in crosswind conditions as I find them but definitely am on high alert for ALL ground operations. For the value of the plane, I didn't think that insurance was drastically higher than a trike plane.

Now, with 1,000 hrs in a Skywagon, I feel comfortable with some comments. First, the narrow cabin sucks. Second, it is relatively slow as a cross country plane, and I fly from BC to Mexico and back twice a year and bitch about the speed every time. For me, the only value of a tailwheel plane was for the float application and in hindsight, I would definitely consider a 182 or 206 for my mission and I have owned both of those planes before. I have no "macho" tailwheel need and therefore would most likely not own a tailwheel plane if not for floats. I also do not fly into places where the benefits of a tailwheel plane are great. A very high percentage of Skywagons have been ground looped. One must carefully examine the plane and ensure that any repairs were done correctly. Again, this holds true with any plane purchase.

The good things about a Skywagon is that it is a Cessna. Everybody can work on the plane and parts are readily available. A 185 can carry about anything you can stuff in it but loading is more a bit of work but no different than a 182. I do love the baggage doors on
a 206. The flaps require some strength to pull on, my wife needs two hands to operate the flaps. Yanking the flaps are an advantage on floats to pop of the water. I don't know if this translatres to ground operations on wheels as again, I haven't needed to do this in my flying.

I guess you need to give some thought on your mission, your wants and more important, your needs. Pay attention to what guys like MTV and Gump have to say as they have long historys of practical experience. Good luck on your quest. FF

Float Flyer,
It is good to hear from someone that owns and flys a 185. I know getting a 182 or 206 would be smart if I were actually going to be using the aircraft to haul lots of gear and passengers. My plans and use will be just for my family and I to travel a bit (short distances) and doing some fun off airport flights once I get comfortable and experience under my belt.

I was wondering if you would be willing to share your operating cost on monthly and yearly. I have run some figures myself but if I could get some actual figures from an owner that would be awesome.

Thanks again for the info.

kato wrote:

bighead wrote:Yeah I think it will be a couple of years before I pick one up just starting to dream and do research now. I am glad I found this site sound like there is a wealth of knowledge floating around.

I am J-Model guy as well. So how long ago did you go through VT-31? Is everyone flying the T-44C now?

Thanks

I winged July'09 from VT-31. Last I heard, they were still converting the -44A models to the C models and haven't completed the transition yet. I thought they were going to shut down the TC-12s as well, but they haven't done that yet either.

Did you ever instruct there? I really enjoyed the Navy program at Corpus and feel lucky I got to go through it, because it sounds like they're phasing out the Air Force studs and instructors.

Hey man we were in Corpus around the same time. I winged out of VT-31 in April 09, I had the pleasure of being a Marine and I had to go through Vance AFB for Primary. It was a night and day way of doing business I was really happy to get back to Navy and Marine Corps flight training after all the AF B.S. no offense. I did enjoy flying the T-6!

bighead wrote:Hey man we were in Corpus around the same time. I winged out of VT-31 in April 09, I had the pleasure of being a Marine and I had to go through Vance AFB for Primary. It was a night and day way of doing business I was really happy to get back to Navy and Marine Corps flight training after all the AF B.S. no offense. I did enjoy flying the T-6!

No offense taken, I too was at Vance for primary & couldn't wait to get outta there.. sounds like we were probably there at the same time as well. Small world.

The T-6 was fun though!