Around the Patch

I was not shooting skeet. I was not playing tug of war. I was simply trying not to land a Cessna 182 nosewheel first. And it was tough. Luckily CFI Larry Jarkey has flown with a lot of newbie 182 pilots, and he was not going to let me dive nose-first into the runway.

It’s not like I didn’t know about this trait of the 182. The AOPA Air Safety Institute publishes aircraft reports on many makes and models of airplanes. The report for the 182 warns that landing is the most accident-prone phase of flight in a 182, with hard landings the leading transgressor. The airplane has a heavy feel to the elevator control, and you need a whole bunch of trim when landing.

But it’s one thing to read about an airplane’s tendency to do something, and something else entirely when you’re sitting in the left seat, hauling back on the yoke during the flare, only to realize you haven’t hauled it back far enough.

It’s funny how opportunities come around, and come around again.hat was I doing in a 182, anyway? This is my new ride. And I’m still incredulous that I went from a 160-horsepower four-seat trainer to a 230-horsepower four-seat cruiser, with a fancy panel and nicely rehabbed interior. Oh, and six co-owners. More about them in a minute.

I told you last time (“Around the Patch: Bye Bye Baby,” September 2019 Flight Training) that I had parted ways with my Piper Cherokee 140. Miss J is now plying the sunny skies above Van Nuys, California, according to the occasional stalking I do on Flightaware.com.

So that left me airplane-less. I briefly considered buying another airplane, and soon discovered that my budget wouldn’t cover the kind of airplane I really wanted—something with more horsepower, more range, and a little more comfort than the Cherokee 140.

But it’s funny how opportunities come around, and come around again. A share in a Cessna 182 based at Frederick popped up in a local Facebook pilots’ group. I recognized the name of the pilot who was selling the share. He’d floated it for sale a year ago, yet here it was for sale again. I was intrigued.

Turns out the pilot had bought a share of another airplane located at an airport closer to his home, and he wasn’t flying this one as much. I went to take a look, and I liked what I saw: a well-kept 1978 Cessna 182Q. The owners had invested in an Aspen display, two Garmin GTN 650s, and ADS-B In and Out. Autopilot, and even a StormScope. Newish paint and interior. Ninety-gallon fuel capacity. This airplane checked all the boxes on my wish list, and then some.

I wrote a check without first meeting the other owners, and that’s probably not what I would recommend to anyone buying into a partnership. But the six other owners are good people, and we share a love of flying and a desire to keep this airplane running well for many years to come.

Partnership has been a bit of an adjustment. I can’t just stroll out to the airport and take the airplane whenever I want. And then there’s the whole low-wing-to-high-wing thing. I’ll just say this: I never fell off a stepladder while checking the fuel in the Cherokee 140.

In spite of that, I am excited about flying again. Planning cross-country trips is exhilarating. I could not have afforded an airplane as capable as this 182 on my own, and lucking into this partnership will open doors to many more adventures. Plus, I now have six new friends, and that’s a blessing all by itself.