I think I have found a 1955 Cessna 180 that I am ready to pull the trigger on. It has been grounded for a few years because the owner lost his medical. Its been hangered and has had no problems getting thru a fresh annual/pre-buy last week. Its equipped with an almost new PPONK motor and three blade prop. I am a relatively low time pilot (just a turd hair over 300 hrs.), but all of that has been in a tailwheel. I trained in a 175 converted tailwheel, and then purchased a 170 that I still own and actively fly (although I will be selling if this 180 deal goes thru).

It has some relics for a radio in it (King KX-175's) and an ancient transponder, although they both work. I'm a VFR pilot but have thoughts of getting my IFR someday. The interior needs complete replacement, I actually live a few miles from Selkirk Aviation but don't know much about their products.

How much of a transition will it be going from my 170 to the 180?

Suggestions on coms? I wouldn't mind if I could find an "all-in-one" unit that does coms/transponder/and nav if such a product exists that doesn't cause my bank account to be drained!

If that’s the same pilot and 175 (and 170 for that matter) I’m thinking of you won’t have a huge problem transitioning. The early 180s fly and taxi fairly similarly, just heavier with a bit more power, and a fair bit faster. If stock, it won’t be quite as comfortable flying as slowly as with the sportsman kit on the 175. You’ll like the much superior speed though. Many others here have much more model year knowledge than I however.

How long has it been sitting?

The Selkirk extended baggage is an improvement. I believe there’s a yellow and orange and purple early 182 near you that has it if you wanted to see it installed.

Seems like the used g430s or 530s aren’t too outrageous these days as far as com/navs go.

How much would you be asking for your 170?

Good luck.

Ian

I think the most challenging part from going from a 170 to a 180 with a pponk will be energy management - you are going to be moving to alot more HP and also a constant speed prop. That was the biggest challenge I had when moving from a 4 banger fixed pitched tail dragger to the 180 - the power and constant speed prop had me behind the plane for a good 8-10 hours.

corefile wrote:I think the most challenging part from going from a 170 to a 180 with a pponk will be energy management - you are going to be moving to alot more HP and also a constant speed prop. That was the biggest challenge I had when moving from a 4 banger fixed pitched tail dragger to the 180 - the power and constant speed prop had me behind the plane for a good 8-10 hours.

What he said.

I’ve been really happy with my Garmin GTR200. It’s not TSO’d so not ok for IFR, but for the price, and built in 2 place intercom it’s hard to beat. Would be an easy resell if you want to upgrade later.

Going from a 170 to a 180 is a pretty big transition. Not rocket science, though. In my opinion, the converted 175 flies a lot more like the 180 than the 170 does, so you may be at least part way there.

You really, really need to find a competent instructor in the 180, however, and get a thorough check out in it. The 180 is heavier....and it demands that you stay on top of it landing or taking off, a bit more so than the 170 or 175. Again, not huge differences, but I've always told folks that you CAN allow a 170 to wander a bit, and get away with it. But, if a 180 or especially a 185 starts to swerve, you'd best recognize it and FIX it right now.

You're going to have a lot more engine management to take care of. Lots of HP and constant speed prop. Again, not huge stuff, but get some power charts if there aren't any with the plane's paperwork, study them, and experiment with different cruise power settings. And, in the process, learn to use the engine and prop.

As to radios: If those old King radios are still working fine, first thing I'd do is install a GOOD engine instrument, as in a JPI 900 or 930 or an EI version. The biggest bonus there initially is going to be a fuel flow computer, which comes with any of those units. With the relatively small tanks on that early 180, life will be a LOT easier with a fuel computer.

There are lots of good radios out there these days. But, again, I'd fly it for a while with the existing stuff, see what else is going to pop up in this new to you machine, and after a year or if a radio checks out, THEN decide what radios you want and need. By then you'll have a better idea of what will best suit your needs.

Should be a fun airplane. One of the first things I'd look at is gear alignment. If the plane seems to have a mind of it's own on the runway, maybe get the gear put on grease plates and aligned.

Most of all, enjoy it. Again, unless you have radios that don't work, I'd put off that stuff for a little while. Almost every plane I've ever met came with a few things that I thought needed to be addressed. So, deal with the priorities first.

Interiors: Selkirk makes good stuff. I'd go with an Airglas extended baggage, though, lighter.

Enjoy it, get a good checkout and have fun!

MTV

I'll second Mike's opinion on a good engine instrument (6 channel CHT/EGT) and a fuel computer. I don't know how anybody can fly a big bore Continental without good engine information. Keep the CHTs down and your engine will have much better longevity. The fuel computer I also consider a must for good fuel management so you can land with adequate reserves. Good luck and have fun.

Ross

Gear alignment is VERY important. Only way to check this is on grease plates.(Two pieces of aluminum sheet with grease between them) Roll the wheels on the “grease plates”, the gear will find its natural set and then you can check alignment, this procedure and specs are spelled out in the maintenance manual. Most, I say most, competent 180/185 mechanics know how to do this. Most of the misalignment and which is the easiest to fix is the shims between the axle and the gear leg. These shims are tapered and when some mechanics remove the axle for what ever reason they don't realize this and will mix up the shims when reassembling. Some of the shims have very little taper that is hard to tell without a mic to measure this ness.

The first “mod” before radios and anything else is a set of BAS shoulder harnesses, these are a MUST.

Good luck and have fun, like Mike said, its a step up and a good 180 instructor is a must.

Kurt

G44 wrote:The first “mod” before radios and anything else is a set of BAS shoulder harnesses, these are a MUST.

I'll second that comment too!

Ross

pipeliner wrote:

G44 wrote:The first “mod” before radios and anything else is a set of BAS shoulder harnesses, these are a MUST.

I'll second that comment too!

Ross

Absolutely! Thanks Kurt, for reminding us all .

MTV

I second and third what many other have already stated - BAS, engine monitor, fuel flow, and radios. It sounds like you may have found a really nice airplane. I would be interested in getting it on a set of scales just to see how heavy the airplane really weighs. The early 180s are not known for their load capabilities and Cessna may have done some creative W+B estimates. That combined with lots of mods spells a heavy airplane and sometimes shock value to an owner.

I think the transition will from C170/175 to C180 will just take some time and good instruction. It will feel heavy and much more powerful but will also put a huge smile on your face. The early 180s fly much lighter than the late models and are true joy to fly.


Josh

Thanks for all the replies! Great advice!

Here's a quick pic (its going thru annual).





My 170 appears to have a new owner, so I'm moving forward on this 180. I think my short list of things to do first is interior (my wife hates the carpeted door panels). I saw a 180 that I really liked today and what they did with the interior.







On edit, I have no idea why the images are turned..

I see you were over at Scotts shop. He’s my neighbor. AAA +++ rated Skywagon man. Extremely Knowledgeable and excellent resource.

HA! Why yes I was at Scott's shop! Great guy and has a ton of knowledge!

I'm confused because you posted pics of two different 180's. Buy both!

But really, congrats and have fun with the transition. I'm sure it won't be an issue with a good instructor and some time.

If I'm following the conversation correctly one is the purchased 180 and the other is the prefered interior.

Mapleflt wrote:If I'm following the conversation correctly one is the purchased 180 and the other is the prefered interior.

Reading isnt my strong point. Yeas that's a nice interior

Mapleflt wrote:If I'm following the conversation correctly one is the purchased 180 and the other is the prefered interior.

Yes exactly right!

The top pic is the plane I'm getting, the bottom is the interior I was considering doing. More of a "utility" type look. Kinda like it!

Deputy dog,

I'll have to say, that plane looks much better than the imagine I got from your other post inquiring about buying a plane thats been sitting. Hopefully the engine is great and you end up with an awesome airplane. Glad you are ending up with a nice plane.