As I get older, or maybe just grow up, things that are practical and reliable begin to matter more than things that are new or flashy. I love tools that can multitask, easy solutions that save time and money, and other generally dull and uncool things.
This explains my love for the Cessna 182. The 182 is not a fast airplane, and it’s not the best load hauler out there. It won’t win a STOL contest or fly across the continent nonstop. But for a mix of speed, efficiency, legs, runway performance, useful load, and ease of maintenance and operation, it is impossible to beat. It’s every suburban dad’s dream.
Most aircraft we love for their looks (the Swift), their sound (P–51), capabilities (XCub), or efficiency (RV), but the 182 is a quadruple or quintuple threat. It crosses categories in a way no other airplane can. Like a Leatherman, it might not be the best tool for each specific job, but it’s a great one to have in your pocket for all sorts of missions.
This go-anywhere, do-anything attitude was made clear to me on one particularly challenging day. The plan was to fly from AOPA’s Frederick, Maryland, headquarters to a modestly short grass strip in the mountains of Virginia to photograph a Pietenpol, then up to Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport to photograph a Bonanza, and back home. With a pilot, a photographer, and his gear, the airplane easily made it in and out of the grass strip, flew slow enough to shoot the Pietenpol (top speed all of about 70 miles per hour), flew fast enough to shoot the Bonanza, didn’t need fuel, and we landed in the dark. If an airplane exists that can accomplish that range of missions in one day, I don’t know what it is. Well, maybe a 206.
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Specs
Cessna 182 E-H models
Engine: Continental O-470 rated at 230 hp
Cruise speed: 141 knots
VS0 : 48 knots
Gross weight: 2,800 lb
Standard empty weight: 1,610 lb
Fuel capacity: 65 gal
Range: 550 nm
Takeoff over 150-ft obstacle: 1,205 ft
Landing over 50-ft obstacle: 1,350 ft
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