Aircraft model
CESSNA 180E
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1962 Skywagon. Continental's 230 hp O-470 carries over, and the visible change for the year is a redesigned fuel system with 65 US gallon tanks in place of the earlier arrangement, with 84 gallons available as an option. 112 were built. Maximum weight is still 2,650 lb; the jump to 2,800 lb comes two years later.
The 180 is the aeroplane that built most of the backcountry strips in North America and it has never really been replaced. Values have gone one way for thirty years because nobody makes a new one and the bush and float market absorbs everything that comes up. Buy on corrosion, on the condition of the gear box structure and the tailwheel spring attachment, and on whether the aircraft has spent its life on floats — a salt-water 180 is a different proposition from a prairie one. Expect to pay for real tailwheel instruction and expect insurance to ask for it.
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental O-470-R |
| Horsepower | 230 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1962 |
| Production end | 1962 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 139 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 513 nm |
| Service ceiling | 21,500 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,130 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 54 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,080 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,330 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,095 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 765 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,650 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,555 lb |
| Usable fuel | 55 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 12.9 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $150,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $280,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,500 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $40,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $55,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 62 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 33 |
| Median year built | 1962.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 5 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 151.52 per 1,000 active · base 33 active · thin base (low) |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 151.52 per 1,000 active · base 33 active · thin base (low) |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 8 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 24.24 per 100 active · base 33 active · thin base (low) |
| Airworthiness directives | 6 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
Peer scores
A score runs from 0 to 10 within the model's peer class: a position, not a grade, and the six are never added together.
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | — · class median 28.36 · 202 models in class |
| Severity | — · class median 11.65 |
| Access | 0.5 of 10 · class median 767.75 |
| Support | 1.6 of 10 · class median 141.5 |
| Liquidity | 8 of 10 · class median 19.57 |