Aircraft model
CESSNA 180J
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1975 Skywagon, from the late production years when the 180 was being outsold by the 185 but was still the lighter and more pleasant of the two to fly. Same 230 hp Continental, same tailwheel configuration, same job: carrying people and equipment into places with no runway lighting and often no runway surface.
A later 180 commands a premium over a 1950s one because the airframe has fewer hours on average and the interior and systems are better, but the fundamentals are identical and so are the risks. It is a powerful taildragger with a ground-loop reputation, it needs currency and a tailwheel endorsement, and insurers will want time in type. The O-470 is durable but expensive at overhaul and the aeroplane burns 13 gallons an hour. Check the gear box, spar carry-through and tailcone for damage. Aircraft on floats or with engine and gross-weight modifications sell well above the range quoted here.
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Put CESSNA 180J side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA 180J
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 | 1975 |
| Production end | 1975 |
| 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 | 1,150 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 790 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,800 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,650 lb |
| Usable fuel | 60 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 12.9 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $140,000 |
|---|---|
| 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 | 382 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 266 |
| Median year built | 1975.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 29 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 109.021 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 101.52 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 45 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 16.923 |
| Airworthiness directives | 8 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 266 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 266 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 266 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 0.3 of 101 |
| Severity | 8.8 of 102 |
| Access | 3.1 of 103 |
| Support | 7.7 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 4.2 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 24.1 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 38.47 · 74 models in class.
- Severity: class median 16.67.
- Access: class median 1,823.
- Support: class median 96.
- Liquidity: class median 17.67.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.