I went ahead and joined the 180/185 Club after I bought my 180, and registered on their site (skywagonsclub.clubexpress.com), but it's pretty dead. I check it every day and seeing a post or two is an exception rather than the rule-- not at all like the supercub.org site which is extremely active. There's been a lot of good stuff about 180/185's here on BCP, but I was wondering if anyone knows of a good type-specific website for Skywagons?

Yeah the Skywagon club is pretty dead....too bad really, could be a very great source for information and promotion of the Skywagon, but they are pretty closed minded about their membership, and not surprisingly, they get very little traffic on the site.

When I first got mine, I used the website mostly as a reference...there was a nice history of posts and lots of pics available. Then they "updated" the website, and lost all of that. They are getting everything back slowly, but now the search function doesn't seem to work very well. Frustrating.

I joined the Cessna Pilots Association. Their "180/185" section of the forum isn't very active either, but at least they allow anybody that is a member a chance to respond to a topic. Seems to be some good folks.

Seems you'd get just as good response from the folks here or with sour supercub brethren.

hotrod180 wrote:I went ahead and joined the 180/185 Club after I bought my 180, and registered on their site (skywagonsclub.clubexpress.com), but it's pretty dead. I check it every day and seeing a post or two is an exception rather than the rule-- not at all like the supercub.org site which is extremely active. There's been a lot of good stuff about 180/185's here on BCP, but I was wondering if anyone knows of a good type-specific website for Skywagons?

That's the one. Cessna Pilots Association has a 180/185 forum but it's even deader. One thing I've learned is that "type" clubs and their forums are mostly about socializing, occasionally about type. I like BCP better cause most of the same guys are here, and we are more about flying and types, and less about socializing.

And, even more important in my view, some of the type clubs are restricted to only owners of the type, like the 180/185 club, so even those thinking about purchasing the type, or those that have previously owned them and might have valuable stuff to share, can't interact with those who have them, not fully anyway. And, in the case of the 180/185 club they won't let 182 converted to 180's in cause they are not real 180's, which of course they are except in serial number.

Having said that I am a member of the type clubs that I'm interested in (180/185, SuperCub, Stearman), mostly for the one tidbit I might garner or might be able to share to those that aren't here. Every year at renewal time I ask myself why am I a member? Probably because the dues are usually really low. If they went up I'd probably leave.

bart wrote:Yeah the Skywagon club is pretty dead....

When I first got mine, I used the website mostly as a reference...there was a nice history of posts and lots of pics available. Then they "updated" the website, and lost all of that. They are getting everything back slowly, but now the search function doesn't seem to work very well. Frustrating.

Seems you'd get just as good response from the folks here or with sour supercub brethren.

+1

I had the exact same experience. Before I bought my C170, I was welcomed into their club with opened arms. (even despite the loving Mr. Horn) that club was/is great. When I started looking for 180s, I tried to join the 180/185 club and was shunned and turned away for not owning one yet. The biggest irony is that they say you have to have a S/N to join, but yet about 1/4 of their current members have long sold their airplanes and or lost their medicals. It's pretty incestuous and really soured me...

As Bart said, I used their archives for good research info before buying. Once I owned my Wagon, they let me join, but found the internet community to be pretty lame. It got even nuttier with the internal politics and "firing" of their web-master and the site got even worse.

I have had many face to face "discussions" with the key members at the Airman's show incl the new prez from TX, but they could give two shits on opening the membership. They are content with the club dying as the old dudes slowly loose their medicals. Basically I gave up. Fact is... most of the guys that would contribute on that board can be found here or on SC.org.

bigrenna wrote:It got even nuttier with the internal politics and "firing" of their web-master and the site got even worse.

Forgot about that. That was funny, in a sad way. I met one of the past president's at Llano once. He was saddened because the club now had less then half the members then when he was president. We talked a bit, he understood why. Unfortunate.

I had been a member of the Skywagon club for a few years having joined right after purchasing my 180, however I decided not to renew my membership for 2015. This is mostly because I no longer saw any value in being a member. Their new website is prettier, but I think it is less useful too. There used to be a 180 listserve that was much more active than the website forum that I found to be very useful for technical questions. There were a few folks on the listserve that were arrogant and condescending beyond belief and frankly I'm glad to not be associated with them any more, but most were very helpful with thoughtful answers. The new website coincided with the end of the listserve, and their forum is crap in my opinion. Unlike the BCP forum where it is very easy to see where new activity is taking place, on theirs you have to individually subscribe to each topic to get an email notice that there has been activity. Totally clunky. I even got into a fight with their previous webmaster once because the process for renewing membership online wasn't working for me (problem with paying online), and when I brought it to his attention he actually berated me! Unbelievable. Here was someone trying to pay his dues and was browbeat for bringing my difficulties to their attention.
The club had also tried to organize a fly-in once a year to varying destinations; I think last year's was in New Orleans, and another in Canada? Never made it to one because they were always too far away. Their activities at these fly-ins included visits to local sites and (no kidding) sock hops. Just gives you an idea of the demographic of those organizing these events. I'm not saying its bad; just that it is a crowd to which I don't relate. I had also been a member of Cessna Pilots Association because of some of the technical documents that were available there, but once I downloaded what I wanted, the value of that membership also went to zero.
Websites like BCP are the best because they have lots of active members, a tremendous amount of combined experience, and it's free.

NMXWinds wrote:...and it's free.

But if you find it useful, better to have one of these along side of your avitar. (Hint hint, shame shame)

I'e been around the 185 club since I was a baby. I've watched it evolve over the years into what it is today. I still am a member, but I agree with most of the thoughts posted already. I've known more than one director of the club who was less than pleased with how things were handled, but weren't able to fight through the politics to make it better. At the end of the day, club events are still fun, there are still a lot of cool people in the club, but their support of the airplane is less than stellar.

Another good reason to sell all your wannabe 182's and get a maule. They have a great forum.

As far as I know converted 182s have been able to join the club for a few years now. I agree their forums are pretty dead though.

I also went to the skywagon site to read up and learn. After selling my long wing maule and going with a 180H model I have no interest in joining the skywagon site. I always joked about how 180/185 owners always seem to have a picture pose of one hand on the prop and one on there cock. type of attitude . I just like the airplane and could careless about any image or status of owning a skywagon.
Yep the maule site is a great site. I met a lot of great people from being on it. Being on there for years way back, it's funny to look back and see how a guy wanting to know about a maule and bring up a cessna would be shot down. I was there doing some of the shooting. Kinda wierd how I feel now about the two now.
The supercub site has a lot of technical guys on there that really know about there stuff. I like it also.
The backcountry site is an all around site that some ultrafright guy made up and did a great job at it!
Start a topic on a 180 questions and get it going. I have a few to ask.

I've been a member for about 5 years since I bought my 180. I've been to two of their events (one Oshkosh dinner and one regional fly-in) and there are some decent folks there. Problem is that their type-specific, monthly newsletter, fly-in to a fancy resort club model is about 25 years out of date. I get way more applicable-to-me info from this site, supercub.org, and even the Beechtalk forum than I do from skywagons.org. And their new website sucks. I quit using it after they changed it.

I've been a lurker and occasional contributor to supercub.org since 2003. That's a much better model on how to run a type club but it takes somebody like Steve Johnson to make it work.

Remains to be seen if I send them another $25 bucks this year. Looking for a reason to do so and haven't found one yet.

When I first got my 185 I joined the 180/185 forum as I had a lot to learn....still do. There was some good info there as others have said but I have found much more and better info on this forum.

Put in a search for a particular topic for the 185 and is amazing what comes up!

Yukoner wrote:When I first got my 185 I joined the 180/185 forum as I had a lot to learn....still do. There was some good info there as others have said but I have found much more and better info on this forum.

Put in a search for a particular topic for the 185 and is amazing what comes up!

The search here is not great. I'd love to rewrite it one day but it's a complicated beast. The best method for searching and mining our forum is to use Google as a tool. Prefix your Google searches with "site:backcountrypilot.org"

Code: Select all

site:backcountrypilot.org {keywords}

Zzz....

I hope you didn't take my comment regarding searching for info as a criticism of the search functionality as it wasn't....just amazed at what I have been able to find.

Kevin.

Yukoner wrote:Zzz....

I hope you didn't take my comment regarding searching for info as a criticism of the search functionality as it wasn't....just amazed at what I have been able to find.

Kevin.

Not at all. No one is as critical as me, the developer. I'm just letting you know about a better more powerful method for searching our archives.

I just renewed my 180/185 Club membership for 2015.

When I joined the club, I had been lurking on BCP for a while and was very impressed with the frequency and level of discourse on this site. I was hoping I would find the same thing on the 180/185 website. I was really surprised that it seemed to be almost completely dead. I didn't find out until the new website debuted that there was any kind of list server emailing list! I am sure that once that became the norm for most people, the web board traffic virtually died - and the ability to capture the collective wisdom of the club for posterity with it!

I had made a couple of posts on their previous web boards and seen only a couple of others, several of which had been responded to by the previous webmaster (Duncan) with what could only be described as a total smackdown, laced with derision and condescension towards a new member. I was stunned that an officer of the club would react to a benign question in that manner and I almost quit right there.

This past year saw some change in officers, for what I believe is the better. One of the products of that change was a switchover to a web hosting system that also allowed a comprehensive membership management program. I think it is fair to say that while there were a lot of teething problems, the website has improved tremendously from where it was in the beginning - and it is leaps and bounds better than the old website it replaced. Again, the demographics of the club (old duffers! hehehe) somewhat predisposed them to resisting any change to the familiar system. Setting up the email listing to get the "feel" of the old list server only takes a few minutes, and then it is done. The benefit of the new system is that all of those posts through the emails are preserved on the web boards now - and searchable for the future. MUCH better, IMnsHO.

Like Zane here, the previous and current webmasters for the 180/185 club, and the webmasters over at the Maule and Supercub sites, I've presided over the initial startup for a website with webboards for a group of several thousand members already in place, and worked through changing over that system to new ones 3 times in the 9 years I was involved. It drained everything I had in terms of personal time and mental and emotional resources and had a very negative impact on my marriage for a while. Finding balance is hard when you're "the guy"... For that reason, I'm not very quick to criticize - I've been in those shoes!

I really appreciate what Zane and his minions have been able to accomplish here on BCP. It isn't easy, even though they make it look that way, the Jerks.

The short version is, there are still good reasons to belong to the club - and at $25/year, it's a bargain. There is a body of knowledge there that is worth keeping access to if you have a 180/185. When people post, I see quick responses almost every time under the new web board system, whether it's a technical issue with someone's airplane, a request for help, or a website issue. The searchable web boards have some amazingly thorough discussions of everything Skywagon. A couple of hours of research there should be the normal first stop for any 180/185 pilot looking for answers to a technical problem. The new webmaster is Arnold Villeneuve, and he really is trying to do the right thing for the club and its members. I hope he hangs in there - Zane and others can tell you just how hard it is to do his job.

Anyway, that's my $0.02...

bigrenna wrote:.... Before I bought my C170, I was welcomed into their club with opened arms. (even despite the loving Mr. Horn) that club was/is great. When I started looking for 180s, I tried to join the 180/185 club and was shunned and turned away for not owning one yet.....

I agree, I owned a 170 for about 11 years & was a long time member. I finally quit when the dues went up to about $45 a year and I got a bellyful of the "I'm always right" gahorn, their website dictator.

About 10 years ago, I got the hots for a 180 and got onto a 180 Club email list. The Puget sound area guys set up a lunch get-together, which I attended along with a 180-owning buddy of mine. One of the guys I didn't know asked my buddy "who's the wanna-be with the 170?". We both thought that was a pretty shitty thing to say, and unfortunately that guy's snobbish attitude seemed to be shared by a couple other attendees. That was the first & only time I ever attended a 180/185 Club event, and I never forgot that snub.

Remember those stickers with Calvin (of the Calvin & Hobbs comic strip) pissing on a Ford / Chev / whatever logo? The following Xmas, that buddy of mine gave me a decal he'd spliced together of Calvin pissing on a 180/185 Club logo. It still hangs on my hangar wall 10 years later.

hotrod180 wrote:That was the first & only time I ever attended a 180/185 Club event, and I never forgot that snub.

It sucks that there are people like that in the aviation community but such is life. My wife and I had a similar experience at a IAA work party and to this day she refuses to go to any aviation gathering with me.

Yes, I guess every one figures their own favorite little niche in aviation is the only good one. There's a guy at my airport who recently built an RV9A but is a pretty low time pilot. He was looking over my new-to-me C180 and looking at something on it made some sort of snarky comment about "typical Cessna". Well, that riled me a bit, so I told him "yeah, typical Cessna-- built tough and made to last. Let's see what kinda shape your homebuilt is in when it's 60 years old." Another guy whose Lancair 4P has all the latest bells & whistles looked in it and said (in a snarky tone of voice) "steam gauges, huh?". I told him "yup, don't want any of that digital junk in this good old airplane".