You might not even have noticed, but the Cessna 182 has been out of production for the better part of the last three years. Would-be buyers of new Skylanes are painfully aware of this fact, and now they're finally getting their wish. Cessna is putting the gasoline piston version of the Skylane back into production as the diesel-powered 182 JT-A continues to languish in certification purgatory.
Cessna originally hoped to start selling the jet-A-burning diesel Skylane two years ago, but ongoing and undisclosed problems with the engine delayed its market introduction several times. Cessna last said certification was expected early this year, but when the company didn't even bring a 182 to Sun 'n Fun customers began to suspect the 182 JT-A, powered by a SMA Safran diesel engine, might be no closer to reality.
Cessna now says the 182 JT-A's development timeline is "undefined." As a result, production of the avgas 182T is resuming, with the first going to the Civil Air Patrol, according to a report by AOPA.
While the resumption of 182 production is good news for Cessna and new-airplane buyers, it's a bit of a bummer for current 182 owners who watched their aircraft values steadily rise as the laws of supply and demand worked their magic.
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