To the tribe. Santa said he’d bring me some after market bells and whistles to make the interior of my 182 nicer and more useful/comfortable. Lay it on me…what products have you seen that would be great? What do you think is the best bang for the buck?

I’m thinking new seat cushions, seats w head rest, removable back seats, floor coverings that are easy to clean, replacing the plastic side panels with ones that won’t crack when you breathe on them, and maybe cargo net to keep a cooler from knocking me out in bad turbulence.

I know there’s probably more options out there for 185s and super cubs but anyone have suggestions of what I could do to make a 182 nice as heck.

Thanks for advice.

Have a look at Sport Aircraft Seats, works of art and for bonus points they are a solid "friend" of this community.

If you don't have one yet, extended baggage from Selkirk is nice, and an easy installation. Gets that bulky soft/light stuff like sleeping bags out of the main cabin.

More of a safety thing but if you don't already have them the BAS front harnesses with the inertia reel offer a lot of bang for the buck.

You've nicely listed pretty much everything that can be done to modify a 182 interior in my experience.

CoinMat/DotMat flooring is pretty easy to do and really cleans up the interior.

LakeVue Aeronautics/Atlee jump seats are really cool, looks like the LakeVue are currently cheaper for some reason. Recently I saw a set that were installed pretty poorly and you couldn't slide them, might want to interview your installer closely if you got that route.

Post some pictures when you're done!

I’d call Wipaire about floors, they have some options that are not carpet, easy to clean, but much more finished looking vs the coin dots

Extended baggage: we had Selkirk in our 56 182 and carried 2 1/2 gals of water and tools (ballast) there for "practical" items that might be needed. Net is good and wanted fold up seats but never got it done-just took back seat out.

The extended baggage idea is sweet!

Has any one had any luck findings side panels that are a bit beefier? Maybe mine are just so brittle after being in a plane for 50 years. Just wondering if anyone has done carbon fiber, etc..

I looks like airtex makes some good ones as does selkirk. Maybe just getting newly made panels will be strong enough to not crack every time I put a bike in the back seat.

Thanks for all the advice.

Jon

Selkirk makes quite stout interior side panels, and they're pretty easy to install, though their stuff requires a bit of cutting/fitting, but not a big deal. We used them in all our working planes, and believe me, they took a lot of abuse without damage, unlike the stock Cessna stuff.

I second and third the BAS harnesses if you don't have them already. Shoulder harnesses WILL save your life in an accident, and BAS is the best.

Selkirk's extended baggage is also a great idea as well.

Either the Lakevue or Atlee Dodge folding seats are the cat's meow, unless you have to sit in one for more than a couple hours.

A relatively small $$ item that is nice are the Door Stewards.

MTV

Door stewards are about the best bang for the buck upgrade on any Cessna, I’ll never own another plane without them.

If you’re looking at the lake view/bas or antler dodge jump seats don’t forget to price seatbelts and seatbelt attachment hardware. At least with the lake view manual the seat belt info was quite vague and added close to $500 in parts.

Jim

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/imag ... 7MOJGVlw&s

Hope the link works.

Get the Precise flow air vents from Sporty’s, worth every penny!

Per the BAS belts, get the rotating buckle, it’s faster in a emergency and if you just want to drop the shoulder belts once in cruise it’s one button vs having to undo the whole belt like in the old designs

Yikes. Those door stewards are expensive.

https://alaskagearcompany.com/products/ ... 4SIp3Xe5Rh


I think I could make the same thing from parts at Lowe’s for about 30 bucks. I bet the extra $450 is for the stc paperwork.

Looking at the flooring options I emailed Wipaire and waiting to hear back.

Has anyone that have done the coin flooring noticed a change in cabin noise? Carpet isn't too hard to clean, and I wonder if it keeps things a bit quieter.

Thanks!

climbingnerd, There are two interior modifications that can also enhance the performance of your Cessna. Both previously mentioned, however, I see a need to elaborate to elevate these to the top of the "best bang for the buck" competition.

Extended baggage: the added volume is secondary compared to the ability to move the CG rearward where it makes these Cessna's actually enjoyable to fly. Most are flying with a CG too far forward IMO. The 180/185/206/182 are designed to carry loads, as opposed to flying empty.

Easily (rapidly) removable rear seats: Once again, allows the tailoring of loading to maximize performance and handling qualities. Personally, I prefer the individual rear seats on tracks. I have these in our 180H. They remove in less than 60 seconds. If you don't care for your pax comfort, the stowable jump seats are an option, however, the "real" seats win out overall and most times I put pax in rear as its more comfortable than the front seat. My "standard" configuration is left front seat (for me) and right rear seat for single pax, provides lots of leg room. This configuration along with extended baggage allows me to easily place my CG where I desire it vice the limitations of loading without these two modifications. Yes, the rear seat modification using tracks is labor intensive but well worth it for the added utility, comfort and performance gain if utilized correctly. If interested, PM me and I shall provide photos and my approval basis,

TR

2nd on the precise for vents, visually and performance wise. very nice upgrade. also Rosen visors. Both expensive but worth it.

mounting tie down hooks can help.

I had a big interior re-do done by Beegles in Greeley, Colorado in 2012. At the time, my 180 had an original 1980 Cessna interior. I was looking for a lighter, updated, functional interior.

Beegles ripped all the old stuff out, stripped all the adhesive off the inside, repainted the metal, and glued Selkirk foam to the inside. We didn't install the panels. They also installed an AirTex headliner and laid the coin-style flooring material. I also had them remove the hat rack so I have an extended baggage area, but we didn't move the battery to the firewall so it isn't flat back there like some other 180s. I haven't had any issues with cold or noise related to the minimalistic interior. I use ANR headsets and I dress to egress.

They also removed the speaker and installed the Precise Flow vents from Sportys, BAS harnesses, and door stewards. I also have the inertial seat lock mod under the pilot seat, but that might have been done previous to this work. I opted to keep the stock overhead light unit. They replaced the aft window glass while everything was torn apart. Finally, we mounted a fire extinguisher on the floor between the forward seats aft of the fuel selector valve.

As far as seats, we shipped them out to an interior shop for rebuild and recover (MJ Aircraft in Anderson, Indiana). I kept the stock rear seats because my son was in a car seat at the time and I felt like the stock seats were better for a carseat than the folding seats. Now, I rarely fly with more than one other person so I leave the rear seats out. Installing the LakeVue or Atlee folding seats is on my wish list.

For cargo restraint, I had two nets made. One is a vertical net that is at the front of the extended baggage compartment. That's pretty standard. The other net has eight attach points and lays flat on the floor. Four of the attach points are to the seat rails using Atlee's Cessna Seat Track tie downs. The other four attach points are the four seat belt attach points for the middle (3d and 4th) seats and aft (5th and 6th) seats. That net works fine, but it isn't the best set up if you plan to use the back seats. The nets were made by Mountain Wave aviation.

Overall, I've been pleased with the interior. It's held up well for 12 years and 1150 hours. That said, I don't haul a lot of stuff back there, and what I do haul is typically soft-sided bags or plastic containers with rounded corners. If I had to do it over again, I might have installed vertical cargo net attach points behind both rows of seats so I could put a vertical net behind the last row of occupied seats.

Good luck with your project! I can get some pictures if you want them.

I completed my 182P last year. I used Loncoin flooring. It’s a bit heavy but stays in place well and bullet proof. I have enough left over to do another interior.

Aircraft Sport seats are the best option. Refinish your frames while you have them out. Soda blast. “Steel It” spray paint.

Selkirk interior panels. Put 1/4” sound proofing in behind it.

BAS seatbelts.

Mine was a 3 year full restoration but you get the jist…

TR wrote:....Easily (rapidly) removable rear seats: Once again, allows the tailoring of loading to maximize performance and handling qualities. Personally, I prefer the individual rear seats on tracks. I have these in our 180H. They remove in less than 60 seconds. ....
Yes, the rear seat modification using tracks is labor intensive but well worth it for the added utility, comfort and performance gain if utilized correctly. If interested, PM me and I shall provide photos and my approval basis.

Curious just which track-mounted rear seats you have?
And was it done via field approval?
I believe Kenmore has an STC to install 206 rear seats in a 180/185.

https://backcountrypilot.org/forum/kenm ... -180-14429

hotrod180 wrote:

TR wrote:....Easily (rapidly) removable rear seats: Once again, allows the tailoring of loading to maximize performance and handling qualities. Personally, I prefer the individual rear seats on tracks. I have these in our 180H. They remove in less than 60 seconds. ....
Yes, the rear seat modification using tracks is labor intensive but well worth it for the added utility, comfort and performance gain if utilized correctly. If interested, PM me and I shall provide photos and my approval basis.

Curious just which track-mounted rear seats you have?
And was it done via field approval?
I believe Kenmore has an STC to install 206 rear seats in a 180/185.

https://backcountrypilot.org/forum/kenm ... -180-14429

Middle seats from a 210 work as well.

I’m not aware of an STC’d installation of individual Cessna seats in the second row for a 182, it would probably be a popular mod.

Doesn’t Kenmore’s installation of the seats and rails in 180/185 require the seaplane kit underfloor reinforcements? Adds quite a bit of strength there.