The everything airplane

Winging it

By Niki Britton

This project began in secret (as most sweeps projects do) even before we gave away the AOPA Sweepstakes 170. With multiple years of work put into this airplane from a long list of contributors, we’re so excited to hand it off this summer. Throughout this project, there have been two managers—Niki Britton, now AOPA’s regional manager for the Southwest, and Alicia Herron, features editor for Publications. Hear from both of them about this project, and the steps it took to get it giveaway ready!

Browsing catalogs for cloth, leather, and carpet quickly became one of my favorite parts of the project—especially when we found a tweed that perfectly complemented the teal exterior. After hours of mixing and matching, we nearly had it—until Venegas called to say our chosen headliner looked suspiciously pink next to everything else. Crisis was averted with some leftover material from another project.

We also used our downtime to plan an avionics and panel upgrade. Since this was a resto-mod, keeping the vintage charm was key. Garmin helped us select the perfect instruments, and Matt Layton of Flite Instruments and Avionics designed one of the best-looking aftermarket panels I’ve ever seen.

Then we faced a tough decision: whether to delay the new panel until after Sun ’n Fun and EAA AirVenture and install the new panel, lights, and other equipment later that year. We eventually opted to forgo Sun ’n Fun to have a fresh panel for AirVenture. The project went smoothly, all things considered, but being such an in-depth project and adding an annual inspection to the mix, things took longer than expected and when I tell you we were down to the wire leaving Arizona in time to make it to AirVenture, I mean we had but two days to spare before missing our arrival window.

After AirVenture, inspections and repairs pushed back many planned flights and projects. Fast forward to February, our plan was to have the annual done, propeller, electronic ignition, and Powerflow Exhaust installed, and the paint touched up all before Sun n’ Fun in April, but as every aviation aficionado knows, even the best laid plans take longer than expected. We managed the propeller, ignition, and annual—leaving us a few months to finish the exhaust and paint and finally enjoy the finished aircraft before it finds its lucky new owner.

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The everything airplane

By Alicia Herron

Flying the AOPA Sweeps 182 this past year has been a joy. To fly such a beautifully restored, capable aircraft isn’t the norm for most of us, and that new leather smell plus the handcrafted panel and top of the line avionics made every flight in this airplane special.

One memorable moment with this airplane occurred during the flight to AirVenture 2024. It was the end of a long day, and I was flying from the right seat with Niki in the left. We had amazing VFR weather all day and, taking advantage of it, pushed even farther than we’d thought we’d make it. The winds were calm at Nebraska City Municipal Airport (AFK) in Nebraska. AFK has two runways—one paved and one grass. I’d set up for a downwind for the paved runway, like a good city-based pilot. But it was an evening with golden light on the green grass, a water tower on the hill right on the path to final creating a perfect picture of rural Americana. The turf beckoned—we don’t get a lot of grass strips out in the West. I changed up the pattern, put in the flaps, and had what I’d call a pretty sweet landing. What a way to end a long day of flying, and what a way to see just what a great airplane the 182 is. I can’t wait for the winner to have moments like this of their own soon, and hopefully for years to come.

Beyond being fun to fly, here are just a few of the reasons why the Sweeps 182 is such a solid airplane:

• Easy to fly. This is a forgiving, solid, stable airplane that is as good for flight training as it is as a lifetime airplane. It is fun to fly, rewarding, and comfortable.

• Straightforward to insure. The 182 is a commonly flown airplane with fixed gear that insurers are familiar with. There isn’t an immense amount of transition training required—just a high-performance endorsement. Because of this, it will likely be an easy airplane to insure at an affordable rate as the owner ages.

• Solid useful load. The 182 is a great people mover, perfect for an airplane full of family or friends. It is also a great airplane for long trips when you need to carry extra supplies with you, like long cross-countries and camping trips.

• Beautiful resto-mod. The paint, the interior, the panel, the avionics—this airplane has the best of the best. With high ramp appeal and functional beauty, this airplane will turn heads wherever it goes, which makes it even more of a pleasure to fly.

• The everything airplane. That good useful load means it is great for cross-countries but also fun for hopping around your local area. It cruises nicely, but slows down great, too. It isn’t overly specialized, but it can get you almost everywhere you need to go. Whatever the winner’s needs, this airplane will almost certainly meet and exceed them.

The reality of fixing up old airplanes is that sometimes it doesn’t go exactly to plan. In our case, the 182 was downfor maintenance longer than anticipated. We had to make the safest choices and fix things even when we wished it could be flying instead. And now, with all the maintenance complete, it is ready to go into a new owner’s hands in great shape. I’m hoping to get a few more adventures in it here in Southern California to show off its capabilities before we give it away—check us out on social media for more Sweeps content.

This beautiful resto-mod Cessna 182 is at home on every ramp, on every field, land or water, in every part of the country. We can’t wait to see how you fly it.

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*No purchase or contribution necessary to enter or win. A purchase or contribution will not improve your chances of winning. Open to 50 U.S. states (+DC), Canada (excluding Quebec), Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, age 18 years or older (or at least the age of majority as legally mandated by the entrant's jurisdiction of residence if greater than 18) at date of entry. Ends at 11:59 PM ET on 6/30/25. To enter and view complete Official Rules which govern this Sweepstakes, including, entry limits, and alternate method of entry, visit www.aopa.org/sweeps.

Sponsor: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.