Cessna 180 Skywagon

 Cessna 180 Skywagon

Cessna 180 Skywagon. Photo: Tomás Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Make	Cessna
Model	Cessna 180 Skywagon
Type	Light utility aircraft
Country	United States
First flight	May 26, 1952
Built	1953–1981
Number built	6,193
Registered in the US	2,578 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
Seats	one, five passengers
Engine	Continental O-470-U, 230 hp
Cruise speed	142 kn (1978 Cessna 180 II landplane)
Range	890 nmi (1978 Cessna 180 II landplane)
Service ceiling	17,700 ft (1978 Cessna 180 II landplane)
Max weight	2,800 lb (1978 Cessna 180 II landplane)
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The Cessna 180 Skywagon is a four- to six-seat, single-engine, high-wing airplane with a tailwheel, built from 1953 to 1981. It is out of production, but many still fly as personal airplanes and in utility work such as bush flying. In the U.S. there are 2,578 with a valid registration.

History

Cessna brought out the 180 as a heavier, more powerful partner to the Cessna 170. The prototype, N41697, first flew on May 26, 1952, with Cessna test pilot William D. Thompson at the controls. The name Skywagon was in Cessna's advertising by 1973. In all, 6,193 Cessna 180s were built.

The first 180 of 1953 had four seats, a 225 hp Continental O-470-A with a constant-speed propeller, a squared-off tail, spring-steel landing gear with a steerable tailwheel, and a gross weight of 2,550 lb. In 1956 a nosewheel version came out as the Cessna 182 Skylane, and in 1960 Cessna added the heavier, more powerful Cessna 185 Skywagon; for a time all three were built side by side.

The 180 is all aluminum, with strut-braced wings. Models from 1953 to 1963 have two side windows; 1964 to 1981 models have three because they share the 185's fuselage. 180s can fly on floats and skis.

Around the world

In 1964 Geraldine Mock became the first woman to fly solo around the world, in her 1953 Cessna 180 Spirit of Columbus (N1538C). Cessna later hung the airplane from the ceiling of its Pawnee plant in Wichita, and it is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

Registered in the United States

The FAA register lists 2,578 of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.

FAA model name	Registered
180	1,164
180H	364
180K	271
180J	260
180A	204
180B	94
180C	55
180D	51
180F	42
180G	40
180E	33

Specifications (1978 Cessna 180 II landplane)

Item	1978 Cessna 180 II landplane
Crew	one
Passengers / capacity	five passengers
Length	25 ft 9 in
Wingspan	35 ft 10 in
Height	7 ft 9 in
Wing area	174 sq ft
Empty weight	1,700 lb
Maximum takeoff weight	2,800 lb
Engine	Continental O-470-U, 230 hp
Propeller	constant speed
Maximum speed	148 kn
Cruise speed	142 kn
Stall speed	48 kn
Range	890 nmi
Service ceiling	17,700 ft
Rate of climb	1,100 ft/min

Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.

Owner and mechanic notes: coming soon. What to check before you buy, common problems and what they cost to fix. Airplane Wiki is gathering this from owners and mechanics.

Photos

• 
  1957 Cessna 180A (G-BTSM) at Hullavington Airfield, Wiltshire, England. Photo: Arpingstone, Public domain
• 
  1960 Cessna 180C (N9204T). Photo: User DanDoner on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
• 
  Cessna 180B. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
• 
  Cessna 180G. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
• 
  Cessna 180 Skywagon. Photo: Pi.1415926535, CC BY 3.0
• 
  Cessna 180 Skywagon. Photo: Australian War Memorial, CC0

All photos are from Wikimedia Commons; click a photo for its full credit and license.

Buying a Cessna 180 Skywagon

For sale listings: coming soon. Airplane Wiki will list Cessna 180 Skywagons for sale here, with the facts on this page beside every listing.