Aircraft model
CESSNA 185
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The first Cessna 185 Skywagon, from 1961. Cessna took the 180 airframe, strengthened it, raised the gross weight to 3,200 lb and fitted a 260 hp fuel-injected Continental. The result carries 1,680 lb — more than its own empty weight — which is why it became the standard heavy-hauling bush aeroplane of the western hemisphere.
The early 185s are lighter than the later 300 hp A185F and some operators prefer them for that. They are demanding in proportion to their capability: a powerful taildragger with a real ground-loop risk, requiring substantial tailwheel time before an insurer will write a policy. Most surviving airframes have worked hard in remote places, so damage history, corrosion and logbook continuity deserve more scrutiny than usual. Float and ski installations are common and change all the figures.
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Put CESSNA 185 side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA 185
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental IO-470-F |
| Horsepower | 260 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1961 |
| Production end | 1962 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 145 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 600 nm |
| Service ceiling | 17,900 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,010 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 49 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,365 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,400 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,680 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,314 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,200 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,520 lb |
| Usable fuel | 61 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 14.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $150,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $265,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,500 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $42,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $58,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 227 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 98 |
| Median year built | 1961.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 7 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 71.43 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 61.22 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 6 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 6.12 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 7 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 98 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 98 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 98 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 3.4 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)1 |
| Severity | 8.8 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)2 |
| Access | 4.7 of 103 |
| Support | 5.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 0.1 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 22.1 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.