Cessna 182J/K/L Skylane (1966-1968)

The 1966-1968 Cessna 182 covers the 182J, 182K and 182L. They are the mature form of the classic Skylane: Continental O-470-R at 230 hp, 2,800 lb gross, 60 usable gallons, the Omni-Vision cabin, and the pre-tubular-gear airframe.

What separates them from the 182C through 182H is not the airplane so much as the paperwork. The 182H already had this configuration — same section, same numbers — so the real boundary in the line falls a year earlier than the catalogue's page break, at the 1965 182H.

The O-470-R is the reason to want one of these. It is the dash number Cessna kept in production through the 182R in 1986, so its parts ecosystem is far deeper than the O-470-L's, and it is the engine a shop will have seen most recently. That advantage is real; the page previously overstated it, and the correction is below.

Certified figures are FAA TCDS 3A13 Rev. 75, Section VI. Serial counts are counts of eligible serials on the certificate, not deliveries.

The differences buyers talk about between these three — rear window size, wingtip shape, rudder trim, cabin ventilation, panel detail — are all real and all outside what a type certificate covers. This page does not attribute any of them to a year, because the certificate cannot support it and the previous version of this page attributed several confidently and, in at least one case, wrongly.

None of the performance figures on this page have been re-sourced. Cruise 140 KTAS, 12.5 gph, 980 fpm, 18,900 ft, ~620 nm range, and both takeoff and landing distances are all April 2026 generated values, carried forward unchanged and unverified. A type certificate contains no performance data of any kind.

Two are now visibly suspect:

• The range figure was written against a 65-gallon airplane. This one has 60 usable, so ~620 nm is optimistic before reserves.
• The empty weight (1,680 lb) and the useful load derived from it (1,120 lb) are unsourced. The certificate gives C.G. envelopes, not weights.

The source that would settle both is the period Cessna Owner's Manual for the 182J, 182K or 182L. These airplanes predate the GAMA-standard POH, so the certificate carries no part number to chase.

230 hp at 2,600 rpm for all operations, six cylinders, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, 1,500-hour TBO. Field overhaul runs $42,000-$54,000; engine_overhaul_cost_usd here is the national specialty-shop figure from reference/engine-overhaul-pricing.md, which is the source of truth for this field and is not researched per airplane.

The certificate calls for "80/87 minimum grade aviation gasoline", which is a lower octane requirement than the 100LL universally available today. The Petersen Aviation mogas STC is a well-trodden path on O-470-R airplanes for owners who fly enough hours for the fuel saving to matter. That is an STC, not a type-design permission — check the airplane has it before assuming it.

These are April 2026 generated bands and have not been re-sourced against a price guide. The three model years here trade close together, which the certificate supports: they are the same certified airplane. Differences within the band come from condition, engine time, panel and paint far more than from the letter.

Universal Cessna pre-buy concerns apply. Specific to these airframes:

1. Omni-Vision window seals — 55+ year old rear window seals leak, and the water goes into the rear baggage area and under the floor. The characteristic finding of this whole cabin generation.
2. Wing strut attach fittings — AD 99-12-15 inspection.
3. Seat rail wear — AD 2011-10-09 applies across the Cessna single line.
4. Electric flap motor — the motors on these airframes are original unless somebody has said otherwise in writing. Run the flaps through the full range during the pre-buy and listen at the extremes.
5. Propeller installation — Section VI lists two eligible McCauley installations, and the second applies only to airframes reworked per Cessna Service Kit SK182-121. Verify which is fitted and that the logs support it; a hub with no paperwork behind it is an expensive surprise.
6. Fuel quantity claims — 60 usable is the certified figure. Anything more is an STC, and the paperwork should be in the airplane.