Cessna 182k Service Manual

[Heike Fallago]

Aswith many jobs, getting started is half the battle. In the case of weighing a Cessna, just finding the instructions can be an event. Since most of us consider weighing a plane to be a maintenance function, the place to look would likely be the Cessna maintenance manual. Our subject 1964 182G is included in the Model 100 Series (19631968) Maintenance Manual (rev 1), so I start my search there.

I scour through the manual from front to back and find very few references to the aircraft weight or balance and no instructions for the proper method to weigh the plane. Maintenance Manual section 1 General Description states the Design Gross Weight is 2800 pounds and has a chart showing the station numbers of the bulkheads. No instructions.

As with most work, the devil is in the details. As you can see in the picture of the weighing procedure, Cessna has some specific requirements that must be followed. Preparation details include the following: inflate the tires, drain the fuel (at the wing sumps), drain the oil, crew seats slide all the way forward, seat backs vertical, flaps retracted, and controls in their neutral position, all needed to get repeatable results. The leveling instructions are a bit sparse but make good sense when combined with the information found in the maintenance manual.

At first it might seem odd that the distance from the datum to the nose axle and main gear axle stations is not included in the instructions. This is due to the slight variations in the position of the main gear axles caused by the gear leg mounting. Also, the nose strut is not parallel to the firewall or perpendicular to the level line. As the nose strut extends or compresses, its longitudinal distance from the datum changes. As a result of these two details, the position of the axles as weighing points must be determined each time a plane is weighed.

Our planes were delivered with a list of all the required and optional equipment the factory installed. As the plane goes through life, the list should be revised or supplemented as needed to keep it current. The list includes everything from the make and model of the propeller to the various avionics items to wheel fairing to the tow bar. Yep, even the tow bar might be on the list and for weighing, the tow bar would have a specific location. Some planes were delivered with curtains and if on the equipment list, they should be installed for the weighing too.

Now would be a good time to remove all the remnants of old avionics installations, too. There may be wire bundles and individual wires that start nowhere and go nowhere. You may find mounting trays that are empty. Check all those unlabeled circuit breakers, fuses, and switches to see if they actually still do anything.

For airplanes flown under FAA regulations Part 91 there is no requirement to routinely weigh the plane. There is also no requirement from Cessna to weigh the plane, although it is recommended in some of the newer service manuals. Even with no requirement about WHEN to perform this check, the FAA does regulate HOW to perform the work. According to FAR 43.13, if the aircraft manufacturer has instructions for a particular maintenance function, then that procedure must be followed (FAR 43.13).

Bill told him that the engine was running fine; it always started right up, made good power, the oil analyses were always clean and that it had been well taken care of. Bill asked me to inspect the engine to determine if it was airworthy. I agreed to take on that task since the protocol is well defined.

I used a VA-400 rigid USB borescope from Oasis Scientific to inspect the valves in accordance with the M-0 protocol. This borescope connects to my laptop which allows me to create a file for storing photographs of everything I see during the inspection.

Greg owns a contracting business on the central coast of California. His business is thriving, and he works hard. When he can get away, he enjoys spending time at his cabin high up in the Monache Meadows Wildlife Area in the Sierra Nevada.

Greg put in a great deal of thought and flight time preparing to fly in to O26 this summer after the snow melts. Within a few weeks after the sale, he had flown to the east side of the Sierra and hired Geoff Pope, a CFI based at the Bishop, California airport (KBIH) for mountain flying instruction. He also took his 182 to the Big Bear City Airport (L35) to learn how it handles doing touch-and-goes at 6,732 feet msl.

I told Greg that his 182J was a good airplane and that it could safely operate out of the strip by his cabin if he factored in variables such as winds aloft, density altitude, weight and balance and was prudent about risk management.

Due to the time and expense of searching out parts and approval for the installation of surplus or salvage parts, we decided to seek the advice of Jim Hammer at Airglas Engineering in Anchorage, Alaska.

Airglas sells an STC-approved large nosegear fork that can be installed on all existing nose landing gear barrels. Large nose forks are available for Cessna singles from the 150 through the 207 and for Piper singles including PA-28-140 through -235, and PA-32-260 and -300. The kit includes the large fork, a new axle and a new strut block.

The Airglas website contains drop-down menus for each approved model. Topics include pictorial installation instructions, EASA approval docs, STC docs and detailed step-by-step installation instructions.

Greg and I liked what we heard from Airglas and placed an order with Hitchcock Aviation in Star, Idaho. They assembled all the needed hardware, STCs and installation instructions before shipping the package to Greg.

Jesse Bennett, a local A&P, removed the front strut assembly and disassembled it. A machinist cut the strut tube in accordance with the Airglas instructions and installed the mounting block on the strut. Next, the fork was bolted on and an 8.00-6 6-ply tire and new tube were mounted on a new Cleveland 40-75D wheel assembly. The nosegear strut was reassembled and serviced.

The nosewheel assembly, two new heavy-duty double-puck black anodized brake assemblies (Alaskan Bushwheel Part No. 30-52N) and the installation and Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) manual were purchased from AirFrames Alaska. Installation approval for the wheels and brakes is by Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SA02231AK held by F. Atlee Dodge in Anchorage, Alaska.

Greg bought 8.50-6 tires and new tubes for the main landing gear. Parts and approval costs totaled just under $6,000. The strut modification, the installation of the new larger brakes, the block and fork, and the new tires and tubes all happened over the course of one day with hours to spare.

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