Cessna 180: The Skywagon Of The 1950’s

The Cessna 180 was first manufactured in 1953 and immediately got its fame because of the design and it is considered as an upgrade for the equally popular Cessna 170. This plane is tested to be heavier and more powerful than the 170. The first flight of the plane happened in May 26, 1952 with the pilot William D. Thompson. And the plane never failed to meet everybody’s expectation if not surpass it. Due to the popularity of the plane there was a total of 6, 193 C-180 planes that were originally made from 1953 until 1981.

The plane was mostly used in bush flying because of the power the plane has. One of the world records was made using the 1953 model of the 180. And this was made by Geraldine Mock the first ever female pilot to have successfully flied around the world in 1964. She called her plane the Spirit Of Columbus. The plane was obtained by the Cessna factory in Pawnee Wichita Kansas right after the famous flight. And then later on put into display at the National Air and Space Museum which is still where it is now.

Due to the popularity of the Cessna 180 the plane has had a number of different variations. There were about 10 different variants from originally having four seats, some plane contains six. With the original 225 hp engine, there are some who has a 230 hp engine. The original weight of the plane is only 2,550 lb much heavier compared with the 170 but there are many variant which have reached up to 2,800 lb gross weight. Every variant have been certified on different year.

The 180 has also been used in the military like in Australia there was 19 of this plane model was used from 1959 until 1974. Other countries which used the plane to for their military forces includes El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, Thailand and Uruguay. Many countries have trust and still continue to use the 180 due to its power and great design. With its semi-monocoque structure and a fully metal airframe completely shows great strength. Aluminium alloy is the major metal used in the plane. It has a conventional landing gear arrangement.

After the 180 or because of its popularity the Cessna 182 or also known as the Skylane was created in 1956. This plane contains a tricycle gear. Another plane created basing on the 180 designs is the 185 which was created in 160. From then all three models are in active production. This is seemed to be a very perfect plane to own. You can easily travel the world with the help of 180.

By: A. James David

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James David teaches people how to buy single engine airplanes & has a passion for the Cessna 180 For Sale