We don't care much for ours but it'll do I suppose

I'm just trying to diplicate your plane!

Is there already a waiting list for the day that you are done with the upgrades and ready to sell?

How about that "other" door???

I have always contended that the 182 is the "universal airplane" - the one to get, if you can get only one - and it sure looks like you picked a winner! Congrats!

As for paint, I agree- do the nose, and be tickled with the results.

Oh, yeah- you can peel off the LORAN placard. Just make one that reads, "GPS."

I'll give you a quick story about currency in the 182. I was flying it out to Tom and had landed at OSU airport for the evening as the mid-point stop. Line service there always comes up and chocks and then waits for you to get out to ask what services you need.

The line guy waited for me to shut down, came up to the left side of the airplane, chocked the nose, gave me the thumbs-in ("you're chocked") sign, and then stood there while I was taking off the headset and packing up the iPad, etc. I couldn't figure out why he hadn't moved yet and when I was done packing up, I reached for the door on the right side of the airplane (as is the custom in Beech-land).

Turns out, the 182 has a door on the left side as well... I'd forgotten that... Fortunately, I didn't open the right door, so I casually reached over and just "checked that it was locked" before deplaning.

Thoughts...Questions ...

I want to mod the window on the pilot side so it swings open all the way up to the wing -- for photography. Suggestions?

The right side door does not have a window that opens. Is there a mod which can change that?

With two people in the front seats, and nothing else in the plane, I run out of nose up trim on landing when using 40 degrees of flaps. Just go with half flaps? Man, 40-degrees is a lot of drag.

Yep, it adds character, of which the seasoned backcountry planes have.
Tom, consider "blending" the existing schemes together; A good painter can do that. Then some Yosemite Sam mud flaps and you'll always be marshaled up closest to the keg

10 gallons of water in containers (or 80# of some other kind of ballast) in the baggage area will help. It's less of an issue in actual operations than it is in breakfast missions or flight training.

Flaps 40 is a whole lot of drag. Later models only had 30* of flaps available (might have been gross weight related; might have been another certification limit). Flaps 20* is the most I typically used. 10* gives you some lift. Past that, it seems like it's mostly adding drag.

Just remove the screw from the window, let the arm hang free and replace the screw. Remember that when you open it not to let it go. It will swing up and bang the underside of the wing. You have to hold it as it goes up and then you can let it go.



That's just an option. My 67 didn't have an opening right side window either. My current 58 does. Just had to replace the window latch too. $200 from Niagara Airparts or $20 from here.

https://www.chevsofthe40s.com/detail/35 ... _Side.html



You'll have to armstrong it because you'll never get the performance out of 20 flaps that you do at 40.

Tom
My 182 is an "A" model, 1957. Pponk and two blade MT prop. She goes everywhere, does a good job. That short ground roll sure is handy, but dont forget she will stop pretty quick too. The 40 degree flaps are akin to hanging out a chute.
Charlie

Charlie, you are the second person, at least, to mention the MT prop. Did you put it on? If so, what were the big differences between that and what you had before? What prop did the MT replace?

Tom is definitely doing it right. First of all..... one tends to put a lot of camping gear, ice chests, camera gear and game animals and such in a bush plane so getting rid of the bench seat and adding the light folding rear seats allows ease of loading while preserving the option of passengers. Getting the baggage extension enhances that. All my light stuff "lives" back there. I never take out my sleeping bags, emergency shelter and fishing stuff.

Then, add the strongest possible nose gear on the thing, bump up the wheel size a bit and you've done about as well as you can do for prop clearance and rolling over obstacles nicely.

The last big decision is the wing. I still have the standard wing. I've pondered all the options; Sportsmans, Horton, VG, wing extensions. etc etc. I was encouraged by folks that know to fly the thing for a while. It lands just fine with the great wing it has.......and it has those huge flaps to help in all kinds of situations..........But, mainly, there really are very few local strips that aren't serviced just fine with the present wing..........especially with that pponk beast hanging on the nose.
But, as in most things in aviation.... sometimes the 'need' factor is overwhelmed by the 'want' factor. Nothing wrong with that.

I look forward to Tom's finished product.

Yeah, I was working on that this morning. I'll always have water in the plane, and that certainly can help with the CG, but it also adds weight. It's a good way to go, though.

A couple of the 5-gal collapisable water jugs should do it. If I need to shed weight before a takeoff, just empty the water bags.

Mike, with your plane (which should perform about the same as mine -- weight adjusted), what length airstrip do you feel comfortable operating into and out of in the backcountry?

Of course, conditions vary (DA, strip conditions, airplane weight, etc.)