8565T

Skylane N8565T

1960 Cessna 182C

If you're in the market for a Skylane I highly recommend John Frank's "Cessna 182 Skylane Buyers Guide" published by the Cessna Pilots Association. It's an invaluable reference tool!

I was looking for about 6 months before I found 8565T - she was the third airplane I had "seriously" considered after I decided conclusively that I wanted a 182. There were several more Skylanes that I looked at but almost immediately dismissed for a variety of reasons.

There were some key characteristics that I was looking for. First, I wanted manual flaps which limited me to the 1956 - 1961 182s. I also liked the looks and performance of the earlier straight back fuselages. Basically the same design as the C180 but with trike gear. A good, contemporary avionics package was also a necessity since I'd rather have someone else spend that money. An opening passenger window would be nice. Finally, either a low-time factory re-man engine or a completely run-out engine needing a rebuild. My theory was that with a factory re-man at least I had some idea of the quality of work performed rather than having to trust in a rebuild done by Acme Aviation Engines and Bar-B-Ques.

N8565T came from Kansas, had 350 hours on a factory re-man, no serious damage history and good avionics (KX155 with glideslope, Collins digital w/glideslope, King audio panel, ADF and Apollo Loran.) She hadn't been flown much in the previous 5 years and 2 cylinders needed replacement. This was part of the price negotiations. It's been said before but I'll say it again - invest the money in a thorough prebuy inspection with someone you trust! This turned up the cylinders plus an AD on the prop resulting in a price reduction to cover the replacement costs. Not insignificant!

The interior however was pretty hideous. Within 6 months, I had it completely redone.

Now I know where that upholstery from the sofa I bought in 1974 was also used!	New upholstery done by M&K Upholstery in Erie, CO. They did everything - seats, door panels, headliner, carpet. I also added BAS inertia reel shoulder harnesses & belts.
The instrument panel was the typical "early chaos" design with the original barrel type DG.	Earlier this year Dakota Ridge re-arranged the left side of the panel to a more standard "T" configuration and added a new SigmaTek heading indicator.

For anyone interested, here are the general specs and performance numbers for the 1960 Cessna 182C. First are the published specs.
Gross wt: 2650# Useful load: 1029# Max Baggage: 120# Rate of climb: 1030 fpm	Std fuel: 65 gallons Max cruise: 142 kts Max range: 750 nm Svc ceiling: 20,000 ft.	Vne: 160kts Va: 106kts Vx: 57kts Vy: 78kts
Now, realistically here's what I've experienced: Cruise at 130kts and burn 11.5gph. With full tanks and 2 adults on board I can climb at better than 1000fpm. Highest I've been is just over 16,000 feet and it took a loooonnng time to get there! With 40 degrees of flaps I can come down almost vertically and land in a short distance at about 55 mph.