This is the single biggest selling point. In a Cessna 172, if you fill all four seats (750 lbs of people), you might only be able to carry 20 gallons of fuel—good for about two hours of flying. In a 182, you can fill all four seats, pack 100 lbs of luggage, and still fill the 87-gallon long-range tanks. It is the ultimate family cross-country machine.
Let’s talk money. Owning a 182 is not cheap, but it is cheaper than a Cirrus SR22 or a Bonanza.
Purchase Price (Used):
Hourly Operating Cost (Ownership): Based on 100-150 hours/year flying.
Total Variable Cost: Roughly $150 to $200 per flight hour (dry, not including hangar/insurance). If you rent a Skylane from a club, expect to pay $180–$250/hour wet. skylane cessna 182
If you transition from a 172 to a 182, the first thing you’ll notice is the noise. That constant-speed prop at full throttle creates a very different, guttural roar. The second thing is the pull—the takeoff roll is half as long, and the climb angle is dramatically steeper.
However, you must be vigilant. The 182 is a heavy-nosed airplane. On landing, if you flare too aggressively or carry too much power, the nose will pitch up sharply. Conversely, if you land flat, you can porpoise on the nose gear (the Achilles' heel of all tricycle Cessnas).
The Golden Rule of Skylane Landings: Fly it onto the runway. Don’t try to hold it off for a greaser. Aim to touch the main wheels first, then lower the nose. And always treat the elevator trim with respect—it’s extremely powerful.
Introduced in 1956 as a more powerful follow-up to the Cessna 180 (a taildragger), the 182 featured the now-iconic tricycle landing gear (nose wheel). This made it easier to taxi, take off, and land than its taildragger cousin while retaining the muscle to haul heavy loads. This is the single biggest selling point
The "Skylane" name was coined to evoke a "sky highway" – smooth, stable, and capable.
The defining characteristic of the Skylane is its engine. Early models featured a 230-horsepower Continental O-470, while newer variants moved to fuel-injected and eventually Lycoming powerplants. Regardless of the specific variant, the Skylane offers a distinct performance boost over its little brother, the 172.
A typical Skylane cruises at around 145 knots (roughly 167 mph) and offers a useful load often exceeding 1,100 pounds. This is the "magic number" for families. In a Skyhawk, filling the seats often means leaving the fuel tanks half-empty. In a Skylane, you can fill four seats, bring luggage, and still carry enough fuel for a respectable four-hour flight with reserves. This hauling capability turned the 182 into the favored tool for ranchers, pipeline inspectors, and weekend travelers alike.
Because Cessna built over 23,000 Skylanes (and continues to build them), the parts market is immense. You can upgrade a 1965 182K with: Total Variable Cost: Roughly $150 to $200 per
No other high-performance single has this level of support.
In the pantheon of general aviation aircraft, few names command as much respect and loyalty as the Skylane Cessna 182. For over six decades, this high-performance, four-seat, single-engine workhorse has bridged the gap between the ubiquitous Cessna 172 (Skyhawk) and the complex, expensive Cessna 206 Stationair.
If the Cessna 172 is the Toyota Corolla of the sky—reliable, easy, and economical—the Cessna Skylane 182 is the legendary Ford F-150: brawnier, faster, more capable of hauling a heavy load, and built to handle rough conditions. From bush pilots in the Alaskan wilderness to private owners flying weekend cross-countries, the Skylane is the pilot’s choice when the Skyhawk simply isn’t enough.
Let’s dive deep into what makes the Skylane Cessna 182 the most successful high-performance utility aircraft ever built.
In 2023, Textron eAviation announced concepts for electric aircraft, and there is constant speculation about a hybrid-electric Cessna 182. Given the Skylane’s massive cabin and payload capacity, it is the ideal testbed for a parallel hybrid system (electric motor assisting the Lycoming for takeoff and climb).
For now, the standard Skylane Cessna 182 remains the most popular used airplane on Trade-A-Plane and Controller.com. It is a safe investment. Well-maintained models appreciate slightly each year, as demand for fixed-gear haulers outpaces supply.
