What is there left to say about the Cessna Skylane? You’d think not much. After all, it’s an airplane that’s been in production (with one decade-long break in production from the mid-80s to the mid-90s) since 1956. During that time Cessna has built more than 20,000 Skylanes, making it one of the most popular models ever, and arguably the most popular nontraining model period.
It’s easy to see why. Cessna, then and now, has always been about providing buyers with great value, that is, a lot of performance and capability for the money, with an emphasis on airplanes that don’t weigh much and that can carry a good payload. The 182, or Skylane (as it’s been called since its second year on the market), isn’t the fastest four-seater in the sky, it’s not the sleekest, the most modern looking or the most technologically advanced. What it was, and remains today, is a solid, safe, good handling, decent-sized load hauler with good range and enough speed to get the job done, whether that job is hauling a load from one side of a rural county to the other or flying four friends to a vacation resort three states away. It’s an extremely versatile airplane.
