“I’ve always wanted a 180,” Ryan Weir told me as we sat at the kitchen table in his home at Cawley’s South Prairie Airpark (02WA) in Buckley, Washington.
Like most pilots, the plane he wanted took a back seat to the reality of family finances.
To tide him over, he owned a sweet little Cessna 140 for years.
When he moved up from a regional airline to the majors, Southwest Airlines, the idea of owning a 180 became more realistic.
One day, back in 2015 or so, while at Pierce County Airport (KPLU) in Puyallup, Washington, Ryan spotted N3196C at the fuel pumps.
“I took one lap around her, pulled a business card from my wallet, and handed it to the owner and said, ‘I want to buy your plane.'”
Alas, it wasn’t for sale. It was bound for Alaska.
But Ryan did keep in contact with the owner.
Two years later, he boarded a flight to Ketchikan with the plan of talking the owner into selling him 96C. He was successful.
Cessna manufactured the 180 from 1953 through 1981 in 12 variants. In all, more than 6,000 were built.
96C – a 1954 model – was originally delivered to the Schulze Bros. Seed Co. in Brussels, Illinois, and was used for executive transport.
The owner before Ryan found 96C wasting away on a ramp back east. After buying it, he started a five-year rebuild in 2001.
For Ryan, airplanes are used to make memories. And 96C is the perfect machine for this.
“96C has a 1,400-pound empty weight with a 1,000-pound useful load,” he noted. “With 50 gallons of fuel, at 9.5 gallons per hour, I can go high and fast or low and slow.”
The floor is bare metal, which appeals to Ryan as he likes to hop out to the beach or explore the gravel bars of western Washington. Not having to vacuum carpet makes it easy to clean.
As Ryan walked me around 96C one recent afternoon, he pointed to the extended baggage area and said, “That’s one of my favorite mods on this plane.”
He likes to camp and that space is perfect for tents and sleeping bags.
Interestingly, the POH for 96C includes only sod field takeoff and landing performance data. Nothing for hard surface. Simpler times back in 1954, I suppose.
Ryan is a big believer in proper engine lubrication. After he unplugged the Tanis engine heater, he suggested I feel the engine to get a sense for how well the heater works. As I touched the engine, he said “the oil is already 100° and we haven’t even started her up.”
After engine start, we sat still for a full five minutes waiting for the engine temp to rise to 250°.
The sum of its parts
There are likely few airplanes, built in the 1950s, that are original. And 96C is no different. Ryan pointed out a few of his plane’s modifications and upgrades:
- The engine, originally a Continental O-470-A, is now an O-470-J with an enlarged oil cooler
- Cowl louvres
- Tanis engine heater
- Plane Power alternator (originally outfit with a generator)
- Cessna 185 landing gear
- PPonk gear stiffener
- All LED lights
- Aileron gap seals
- Trailing edge flap stiffener
- BAS fuselage pull handles
- Landing Gear Works tail tiedown
- McFarlane engine controls
- AMSAFE interial reel shoulder harness
Like Ryan’s Cessna 140 before, 96C is meticulously maintained, cleaned, and used.
“If you have to put a battery charger on it, I don’t want to own it,” said Ryan.
His airplane is meant to be flown — not be a show piece.
A quick flight
I never intended this to be a pilot report.
But Ryan did take me up for a 15-minute hop.
Takeoff came after maybe 300 feet of ground roll. At Vy we saw 1,200 fpm. At Vx, 1,500 fpm.
Ryan set the engine to cruise at 23 inches manifold pressure and 2,000 rpm. (He believes in oversquare engine settings).
At those settings, we were cruising along at 130 mph burning 9.5 gph with the carb heat half out.
It flies like a Cessna. What more can I say?
Ryan flew a nice tight pattern and 96C settled sweetly to the green grass of the airpark. Just as the performance tables offer.
The first plane I flew, as pilot in command, was a taildragger ultralight. I’ve always had an affinity for taildraggers.
And the lines of the 180/185 have always appealed to me — 96C included.
To me, one of the coolest things about airplanes and flying is the uniqueness of both. Many older airplanes look similar, but upon closer inspection, can differ dramatically.
Same for the pilots who fly them. Some prefer operating rich of peak, others swear by lean of peak. And that’s just one parameter.
Do you fly the plane you’ve always wanted?
If you are particularly proud of your bird, send me an email or give me a call (800-426-8538 x2). I’m always looking for fun – and relatable – stories to tell.
Oh, and thank you Ryan for sharing 96C with me … and our readers.
Abbie W. says
Wow, these negative comments sure shine light on the way our society is. Growing up in an aviation family nothing is a “strange practice” it’s just the way the particular pilot flies and if they keep being successful that’s great for them and you keep doing what is successful for you.
I’m glad a couple people can agree with Ryan about how amazing his 180 is, for the rest of you. If you don’t like it keep on scrolling instead of commenting your opinions.
If y’all are so interested in his 180, why don’t you come fly it sometime with him and show off your amazing skills?
Keep on flying those nose-draggers!
Jim Hamilton says
The plane he’s always wanted: Ryan you may have flown with my son ; He is with southwest and told me a similar story. Great airplane and memories.
Jim Hamilton, Eastern airlines retired
Wily Rahill says
Greatest plane ever, I have a ’57 180. Glad he was able to make his dream come true and get it! There are a whole bunch of wrong numbers in the article, not sure how they made it past the editor, almost like it’s a test of Skywagon knowledge. Empty weight too light, engine temp too hot, fuel burn too low, Vx and Vy mixed up, running partial carb heat makes engine run richer not leaner and is not a good idea, etc… Still a great plane and good story!
JimH in CA says
I think that he was talking about the cylinder head temps rising to 250 degrees ?
However, I’m more concerned, during my runup, to wait until I see the oil temp start to rise, which on my C175 is about 90 degrees F.
The cylinders will be ok by then.
I have a carb temp gauge, but I’ve not had to use much carb heat, since the oil sump heats the air to over 25 deg C. regardless of the OAT.
Jeff says
Very nice!
Curious about those answers too.
Ken T says
Just curious… why would he cruise with carb heat half on? What’s the point of that?
I’ve always heard it should be all or nothing- that half heat can allow ice to slowly build up, then you don’t have enough heat available to melt it.
Is that a common practice?
Robert Hartmaier says
Never heard of that either. Ryan seems to have some strange operating practices!
Robert Hartmaier says
“After engine start, we sat still for a full five minutes waiting for the engine temp to rise to 250°.”
According to the Continental O-470 R type certificate that I found on the web the maximum allowable oil temperature is 225 degrees F. Why does Ryan wait until the oil temperature is 250 degrees F before takeoff?
Ryan says
– This 180 is not quipped with a 0-470 R, and the oil temp is a typo on GA news part. As for the carb heat this particular engine along with a lot of other Continental engine types are very susceptible to carb ice in all temperatures and power settings due to a Poor distribution in the intake system ( Pull up NTSB reports ) . In cruise after the engine is stabilized I run the carb heat half way out, and then run lean of peak. The result is a lower carb ice risk and more important now days it burns a gallon less per hour due to the richer mixture caused by the air/fuel mix to become enriched to a greater degree.
There’s a reason why Jimmy Doolittle got the range he did with his B-25 fleet, there’s lots of great aircraft engine books out there to educate yourself.
Robert Hartmaier says
The only manual that popped up was for the O-470 R. I would be very surprised it the max allowable oil temp is different from the O-470 J model…..My engine is redlined at 220 degrees F.