Backcountry Pilot

Given the legend status of the Cessna 180, there's no shortage of good specimens to write about. In this case, it's the working Skywagon owned and operated by Taj Shoemaker of North River Air, based in Kodiak, Alaska.

As one of the undisputed legends of bush flying, the Cessna 180 hauls a load and gets into/out of places most aircraft won't. So why is it certified only in the Normal category and not Utility? Those two terms mean something very specific—and neither one is about what the airplane can actually do.