Parth Bhardwaj

190589

CESSNA 185

When we talk about single-engine utility, the Cessna 185 really has it all. Whether on wheels,
bush tires, floats or skis, the Cessna 185 can take you and your family or a whole bunch of
gear pretty much anywhere, anytime. While the airplane may not be a racehorse, it is
definitely a workhorse, with good range capabilities and an impressive payload. The
airplane’s short-field capability and rugged tailwheel design allow you to fly the airplane into
the roughest, shortest strips you can find.

With such versatility, the name Skywagon aptly suits the 185. Anyone who has ever flown a
Cessna 185 may also feel that the wagon analogy applies to the airplane’s handling
characteristics. Like ground-based automobile wagons, the 185 doesn’t say “sporty.” The
controls are heavy to the feel. You really have to put some muscle into each control input.
Having said that, the airplane will do what you ask it to. The only time you may be in for a
surprise is on the ground, particularly in gusty conditions, because of the conventional gear.

While the Cessna 185 is configured with a tailwheel, there is no need for S-turns on the
ground to see what’s ahead on the taxiway or to slip to see the runway during the final
approach stage. The positioning of the seats is high enough that you can see what’s ahead of
you, which makes taxiing, takeoffs and landings less of a challenge than in other tailwheel
airplanes.

The Skywagon name was originally adopted for the Cessna 180, the older, slightly less
versatile brother of the 185. Cessna beefed up the fuselage of the 180, enlarged the vertical
fin and replaced the 230 hp Continental with the 260 hp IO-470 and later a 300 hp IO-520
engine, by far the most versatile configuration as far as performance and load capability.

The additional power allowed Cessna to increase the gross weight to 3,350 pounds. While
every airplane is equipped differently, the useful load is generally right around 1,600 pounds,
an exceptional number for a single-engine airplane. The 185 is one of those rare planes that
can fill all its seats with full fuel tanks. Even with the later models’ 88-gallon fuel tanks, you
can load six 180-pound people into the airplane and still be within the legal limits.

Crew 2

Passengers 6

Length 7.85m

Span 11m

Height 3.71m

Area 16.2 sq.m

Empty Weight 792 kg

MTOW 1506 kg
Powerplant 2xTPE-331-6-251B or -252

Power 413 kW

Propellers 3 bladed

Cruise TAS 268 km/hr

Max TAS 297 km/hr

Range 1247 km

Fuel consumption 0.35 g/m

Ceiling 5230 m

Climb rate 1000 FPM

Wing loading 158 kg/sq.m

Power/weight 199.17 W/kg

Sum of last two digits of roll numbers of my group members = 119.

R = 119 / 2 = 59.5 km

Mission Segment Weight:

Warmup and Takeoff: W1 / W0 = 0.97
Climb: W2 / W1 = 0.985
C = 0.4
(L / D)max = 11
V = 268 kmph
W3 / W2 = e ^ [(-RC) / (VL/D)] = 0.992
Landing Weight Ratio : W4 / W3 = 0.995

W4 / W0 = (W4 / W3) * (W3 / W2) * (W2 / W1) * (W1 / W0)

= 0.995 * 0.992 * 0.985 * 0.97
= 0.7
Wf / W0 = 1.06 * (1 – 0.7)
= 0.32

We / W0 = 0.93 * W0 ^ (-0.07)

Wp = (80 + 15) * 7 = 665 Kg

W0 = Wp / (1 – (Wf / W0) – (We / W0))

= 665 / (1 – 0.32 – 0.93 * W0 ^ (-0.07))

By, using Newton Ralphson Method, we get W0 = 4135 Kg