Aircraft model
CESSNA 185A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1962 Skywagon 185, the second year of the type and the first letter suffix. 275 were built. Engine, weights and airframe are unchanged from the 1961 aircraft: 260 hp Continental IO-470-F, 3,200 lb maximum weight, six seats and a tailwheel. What changed across these early years was equipment and detail, not the aeroplane.
A 185 is a 180 with more engine and more gross weight, and it is the standard against which working taildraggers are measured. Nothing about ownership is cheap: the IO-470 and IO-520 are expensive at overhaul, the airframes are old enough that corrosion and previous repairs are the real subject of a pre-purchase inspection, and float and ski operations leave marks. Values have risen steadily for decades because the supply is fixed. Tailwheel and high-performance endorsements are both required and insurers will want meaningful time in type on top of them.
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 | 1962 |
| Production end | 1962 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 145 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 561 nm |
| Service ceiling | 17,300 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,000 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 54 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,510 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,265 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,680 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,290 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,200 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,520 lb |
| Usable fuel | 65 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 14.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $150,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $275,000 |
| 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 | 107 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 48 |
| Median year built | 1962.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 62.5 per 1,000 active · base 48 active · thin base (low) |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 41.67 per 1,000 active · base 48 active · thin base (low) |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 2 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 4.17 per 100 active · base 48 active · thin base (low) |
| Airworthiness directives | 10 |
| 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, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | — · class median 38.14 · 75 models in class |
| Severity | — · class median 10 |
| Access | 1.9 of 10 · class median 1,826.5 |
| Support | 3.8 of 10 · class median 74 |
| Liquidity | 0 of 10 · class median 17.96 |