Cessna 182R Skylane (1981-1986)

The 1981-1986 Cessna 182R is the last 182 built before the 1986 product liability shutdown that ended Cessna's piston single production for over a decade. It carries the highest gross weight of any classic 182 (3,100 lb takeoff -- but see the landing-weight caveat below) and 88 gallons of usable fuel as standard. Approximately 2,700 examples were produced across the six-year run.

The 3,100 lb weight is a TAKEOFF figure, and landing is limited to 2,950

The certificate states the limit exactly: "3100 lb. takeoff/flight, 2950 lb. landing." A 182R loaded to gross for departure must burn down 150 lb (about 25 gallons) of fuel before it may land -- this is not a flat 3,100 lb airplane the way a simple gross-weight figure implies, and a pre-buy or insurance conversation that treats it as one is describing the wrong airplane. Useful load in this catalogue (1,367 lb) is computed against the 3,100 lb takeoff figure, which is the industry convention, but the operational ceiling a pilot actually lands under is lower.

Standard empty weight vs. as-equipped

The POH's own "Standard Empty Weight" is 1,733 lb -- a bare baseline. Its own sample weight-and-balance problem uses 1,800 lb for a typically-equipped example, a 67 lb gap from avionics and options that is worth checking on any specific airframe's actual weight-and-balance paperwork rather than assuming either number.

Sourced from the 1985 Model 182R POH (P/N D1275-1-13PH), confirmed against the type certificate on maximum weight (3,100 lb takeoff) and usable fuel (88 gal) before any figure was transcribed.

Cruise: 142 KTAS at 75% power, 8,000 ft, WITH the airplane's optional speed fairings (Cessna's own footnote: fairings add "approximately 3 knots" over a bare airplane, range differs correspondingly, fuel burn does not). Burn at this setting is 12.7 GPH (Figure 5-8's nearest published row, 74% BHP/141 KTAS/ 12.7 GPH at 2,400 RPM/21 in.Hg) and range is 820 NM (Section 1, 88 gal usable, 45-minute reserve, includes climb and start/taxi fuel per Cessna's standard planning convention). No economy (~65%) row is stored: the cruise table gives an exact 65% figure (133 KTAS/11.1 GPH), but the matching range comes only from a graphical Range Profile chart (curves, not a data table), and reading a number off a curve position is an estimate rather than a citation.

Climb: 865 FPM at sea level, standard day, 3,100 lb -- was previously an unsourced 980 FPM. Service ceiling: 14,900 ft -- was previously an unsourced 18,900 ft, a 27% overstatement that (at this airplane's actual 3,100 lb gross) looks like a figure copied from a lighter 182 rather than measured for this one.

Runway: 805 ft ground roll / 1,515 ft over a 50-ft obstacle for takeoff; 590 ft / 1,350 ft for landing (standard day, short-field technique, Section 1 Performance Specifications, cross-checked against the underlying Figure 5-5 and 5-11 tables). Takeoff distance was previously understated by roughly 13% against an unsourced 710/1315 ft figure.

Stall speeds: Vs1 (flaps up) 50 KIAS, Vs0 (flaps full) 40 KIAS, most rearward CG, matching the POH's own Section 1 headline exactly. The previous 48/55 KIAS values were CAS figures (54/49 KCAS most-forward-CG) sitting in KIAS fields -- a genuine unit-basis error, not just a stale estimate.

The full cruise and climb grids are saved as data/vault/performance/cessna-182r.cruise.json and .climb.json.

Identical O-470-U ecosystem to the 182Q. See Cessna 182Q Skylane (1977-1981) for engine notes. Field overhaul: $42,000-$54,000.

These bands are unsourced generated figures, not a Vref/Bluebook pull. The page's own synced market listings below show asking prices from $160,000 to $465,000 (avg $286,030 across 10 priced listings, several of which are actually retractable-gear 182RG/TR182RG airplanes mixed into the same feed) -- well above this table across the board. This is the same pattern found on the 182M and 182N pages in this pass and is flagged here as a family-wide finding: the generated price bands throughout the classic 182 line look stale against today's market and would benefit from a dedicated Vref/Bluebook pricing pass (runbook rule 27) rather than a per-page guess.

Universal Cessna 182 pre-buy concerns apply. 182R-specific:

1. Cessna SIDs: these airframes are now 40+ years old; full SID compliance is a real cost item ($5,000-$15,000+).
2. 88-gallon integral tank condition: pressure-test for leaks at riveted seams during pre-buy.
3. Landing-weight discipline: verify the airplane's operating history respects the 2,950 lb landing limit rather than assuming the 3,100 lb takeoff figure applies throughout the flight.
4. Avionics era: original 1981-1986 panels are commonly upgraded; budget $20,000-$50,000 for a full IFR-capable modernization if not already done.