Brinks wrote:
I'm looking into an early '60's vintage 182. I was wondering what people
had for real world numbers on cruise speed and fuel burn. And if anyone has
any advice on particulars to look for during a pre-buy or anything else,
that would be helpful also. Thanks!

Cessna went to the big tail on the 182's for 1965, these are better on
the wide bodies than the small tail 62-64 models. I have a 67 with big
tires, VG's and no speed mods or wheel pants. I get about 128 kts TAS.
I rarely indicate over 140 mph, it has to be pretty cold. You'll
get about 11.5-12 gph in cruise above about 8000. As to what to look for...
Engine and prop are standard items to look at. The engine mount needs
to be inspected. That vintage of 182 has to have heat shields or the
mount will corrode. Look at the firewall. Hopefully somebody after
about 1968 landed it on the nosewheel and wrecked the firewall. Then if
it was repaired right they will have put in the thicker firewall. This
is very desirable. Look at the main gear attach points. If somebody
lands really hard on the mains these can crack. Look inside the
airframe for corrosion, especially the attach bolts and other hardware.
You can total a 182 due to corroded fittings. Finally look at the
tail attach point. There is a recurring AD to inspect the tail attach
every 4000 hours. Look for leaking fuel from the bladders. If it's
leaking it will be obvious under the wing and down the fuselage, you
can't hide it. Everything else is nickles and dimes, relatively speaking.