Aircraft model
CESSNA 180H
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1967 Skywagon. By this point the 180 had a 2,800 lb gross weight and up to six seats, and it had become the standard heavy-hauling tailwheel single for operators working off gravel bars, lakes and short strips. It climbs at over 1,000 fpm, cruises at 143 knots and carries 1,200 lb, which is a rare combination that nothing in current production matches at a piston price.
Demand keeps these expensive and the supply is fixed — none has been built since 1981. That means you are buying a fifty-year-old airframe that has probably worked for its living, so damage history, corrosion and logbook continuity matter more than in almost any other type. The specific structural checks are the gear box, the spar carry-through and the tailcone. Insurance requires substantial tailwheel time and a high-performance endorsement, and premiums reflect the ground-loop and off-airport risk. Most aircraft carry modifications — larger engines, big tyres, floats, gross weight increases — that change the numbers here entirely.
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 | 1967 |
| Production end | 1967 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 143 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 700 nm |
| Service ceiling | 19,600 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,090 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 48 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,205 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,365 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,200 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 840 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,800 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,600 lb |
| Usable fuel | 60 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 12.9 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $130,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $295,000 |
| 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 | 644 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 366 |
| Median year built | 1967.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 28 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 76.5 per 1,000 active · base 366 active |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 62.84 per 1,000 active · base 366 active |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 63 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 17.21 per 100 active · base 366 active |
| Airworthiness directives | 8 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
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, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 1.7 of 10 · class median 38.14 · 73 models in class |
| Severity | 5.6 of 10 · class median 8.33 |
| Access | 4.4 of 10 · class median 1,794 |
| Support | 8.5 of 10 · class median 81 |
| Liquidity | 4.6 of 10 · class median 17.96 |