A 1975 Cessna A185F Skywagon with Amphibious Floats Is an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick for Adventure

Cessna’s A185F is an “alpha” among piston singles. [Courtesy: Wipaire]

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1975 Cessna A185F Skywagon.

Cessna’s 185 is the stuff of dreams for many pilots with backcountry and bush- flying aspirations. Capable of hauling big loads into and out of short fields, the airplane has long been a standard vehicle for transporting hunters, fishing enthusiasts, and other outdoor sportspeople and their gear to remote sites, and bringing back their quarry. Over decades of operation in challenging conditions, the airplane has built a reputation as a rugged, go-anywhere machine.

If there is an aircraft with a higher swagger factor than a Cessna 185, it is a 185 on amphibious floats like the one for sale here. The ability to land on water gives pilots and their passengers access to areas without roads or runways, which they might never reach otherwise. For the return to civilization, the Wipline 3730 floats allow landings on more conventional paved runways.

This Cessna A185F has 1,834 hours on the airframe, 192 hours on its Continental IO-520D engine since factory remanufacture, and 230 hours on the three-blade MT propeller since overhaul. A set of Apollo avionics includes GX60 GPS and SL30 Nav/Comm, SL15M audio panel, and SL70 transponder. An S-Tec 50 autopilot, JPI EDM 700 engine monitor, fuel flow meter, and digital tachometer round out the panel.

Additional equipment includes a gear advisory system for the floats, Seaplanes West engine mount, Oregon Aircraft Designs heat shields, GAMI injectors, and Tanis engine pre-heater.

Pilots looking for a high-performance ticket to adventure and access to a wider list of destinations should consider this 1975 Cessna A185F Skywagon, which is available on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

FLYING Magazine: Alaska Wild in a Cessna 185
FLYING Magazine: Hartzell Voyager Propeller Receives STC for Cessna 185 E/F
Plane & Pilot: Cessna 185 Skywagon
Plane & Pilot: Cessna’s Big 185

A185F aircraft for sale AircraftForSale amphibious floats Apollo Cessna 185 Continental IO-520 GAMI injectors piston single-engine Skywagon Wipline

Jonathan WelshAuthor

Jonathan Welsh is a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4