Range Map
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Payload vs. Range
Fuel on board
Cargo
nm
Range
Trip Preview
Name a destination in the map header above and this becomes your trip: time en route, what you burn, what it costs, and whether you get there without stopping — at the load you have set.
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Over max payload by . At this load it cannot lift a single occupant. Please adjust your payload inputs.
We do not have a cruise speed on file for this aircraft, so there is no honest time or cost to give you for this leg.
En route
Fuel burned
Direct cost
Fuel cost
Tanks run dry about past before at this burn.
Mission Profile
- High-Performance
- Tailwheel
 ZK-MCV 09JAN99 (6788434274).jpg)
Estimated Ownership Costs
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About the Cessna 185 Skywagon
Type certificated 1961
Overview
The Cessna 185 Skywagon is the heavy-hauling member of the Cessna taildragger family: a six-seat, high-wing utility single built from 1961 to 1985 around a 300 hp fuel-injected Continental IO-520-D. It shares the tough spring-steel gear and high-wing layout of the Cessna 180 Skywagon it grew from, scaled up to a 3,350 lb gross weight and a useful load above 1,600 lb. It cruises near 145 knots and reaches roughly 720 NM on the 84-gallon usable long-range tanks, on wheels, floats, or skis.
Choose a 185 when the mission needs the payload. Its useful load runs well above the 180’s, and that capacity is why it still works as a bush airplane across Alaska, Canada, and Africa. The trade is operating cost and demand on the pilot: the IO-520 burns around 16.5 gph in cruise against the 180’s lighter O-470, overhauls run higher, and the extra power and weight make it a handful on the ground for low-time tailwheel pilots. For a buyer who genuinely needs to haul people and freight off short, rough strips, the 185 is the Cessna single built for the job; for lighter loads the 180 is the lower-cost airplane.
Key Features for GA Buyers
- Serious Payload. A useful load above 1,600 lb and a 3,350 lb gross weight let the 185 carry six occupants or a heavy mix of people and freight, which is why it remains a working airplane in remote operations worldwide.
- 300 hp Continental IO-520-D. Fuel-injected and rated at 300 hp, the IO-520 gives the 185 strong climb and short-field performance; late A185F airframes were also approved for the IO-550-D upgrade.
- Long Legs on the Big Tanks. With the 84-gallon usable long-range tanks the 185 reaches roughly 720 NM, useful for the remote missions it was built for.
- Rugged Skywagon Airframe. It shares the 180’s tough spring-steel gear and high-wing utility, scaled up for heavier work on wheels, floats, or skis.
Trade-offs
- A Demanding Taildragger. More power and more weight make the 185 a handful on the ground for low-time tailwheel pilots; expect a thorough checkout and insurance premiums commensurate with the power and weight.
- Thirstier Than the 180. The IO-520 burns around 16.5 gph in cruise, so the bigger capability comes with a bigger fuel bill.
- IO-520 AD and Overhaul History. The IO-520 family has seen crankcase and cylinder ADs over the years; a careful engine logbook review and prebuy are essential, and overhauls run higher than the 180’s O-470.
- Six Seats, Weight-and-Balance Reality. As with most utility singles, filling all six seats usually means trading fuel or baggage; plan loads carefully.
See Also
- Cessna 180 Skywagon – the lighter four-to-six-seat 230 hp sibling and the airframe the 185 grew from Compare
- Cessna 206 Stationair – the fixed-tricycle-gear hauler when you want similar payload without the tailwheel Compare
- Cessna 182 Skylane – the easier-flying tricycle-gear four-seater for lighter missions Compare
- Maule M-7 – a modern STOL taildragger alternative in the heavy-backcountry role Compare
Technical Specifications
Dimensions & Weights
- Height
- 8 ft
- Length
- 26 ft
- Parking area (ft²2)
- 1,401 ft²
- Max Takeoff Weight
- 3,350 lbs
- Max Landing Weight
- 3,350 lbs
- Useful Load
- 1,602 lbs
- Fuel Capacity
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 84 gal
Performance
- Cruise Speed
- 145 KTAS
- Never-Exceed (VNE)
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 184 KIAS
- Max Structural Cruise (VNO)
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 149 KIAS
- Approach Speed
- 64 KIAS
- Stall, Clean (VS1)
- 49 KIAS
- Range
- 720 NM
- Service Ceiling
- 17,150 ft
- Rate of Climb
- 960 - 970 fpm
Engine
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Sources
Where the figures on this page come from. Cessna 185 Skywagon specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.
Similar to the Cessna 185 Skywagon
Similar PistonsCessna 180 Skywagon
Helio H-295 Super Courier
Maule M-9
Maule M-7
Cessna 195
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