Cessna 182 Skylane

The Cessna 182 Skylane is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing airplane introduced in 1956 as a tricycle-gear development of the tail-wheel Cessna 180. It looks much like a larger Cessna 172, and the family resemblance is deliberate — but the 182 carries more power, more weight, and a constant-speed (variable-pitch) propeller, which makes it a meaningful step up in capability and complexity.

That extra power and a higher useful load let the Skylane carry four adults, full fuel, and baggage in a way the 172 often cannot, which is why it is so commonly described as the natural "next airplane" after primary training. Pilots transitioning into a 182 typically log time learning the constant-speed propeller (managing manifold pressure and RPM together) and the heavier control feel — skills that also appear on the commercial and instrument knowledge tests.

Like the 172, the Skylane's production paused in the mid-1980s and resumed in 1996. Across its long run it has been one of Cessna's best-selling models, with tens of thousands built, and it remains in production today.

The Skylane spans decades of model letters and a couple of major powerplant eras:

• Early 182 / 182A–182P (1956–1986): the long classic run, powered by the carbureted Continental O-470 (230 hp). Gross weights and detail refinements crept up across the letters; the swept tail arrived in the 1960s.
• 182 Skylane RG (R182, 1978–1986): a retractable-gear, higher-performance version — a true complex airplane often used for commercial training.
• Turbo Skylane (T182 / T182T): turbocharged models that hold power to high altitude for better high/hot and cross-country performance.
• 182S / 182T (1996–): the restarted "new-production" Skylane, powered by the fuel-injected Lycoming IO-540 (230 hp) and built with modern glass avionics.

The specification table below describes the modern 182T; note the original O-470 airplanes share the same 230-hp rating but differ in detail figures and use a carbureted Continental engine.