Upgrading from C172SP to 182S

I sure wouldn't dream of coming in behind the power curve, hitting an
unpaved strip and locking up the brakes, though. I've just got too much
money tied up in our plane to treat it like that...

Treat it like what? Nothing happens to the plane.

Nothing bad happens to your aircraft when you lock up the brakes on a gravel
runway, with the prop spinning? In a 182?

No stone chips in the prop? No flat-spotted or gouged tires? No stones
tossed into the paint?

Consider the added stress on the airframe. Motor mounts in particular are
going to be under great duress in a landing like you described. The
nosewheel structure will also be heavily stressed. Do that particular
landing "procedure" incorrectly in a 182, and you'll be buying a new
firewall. Many Skylane owners before you have discovered just how fragile
that nosegear-to-firewall connection really is.

I'm glad you have off-road fun with your plane, but you probably shouldn't
suggest a guy that is new to 182s do the same. What you described doing
with your plane is a high-skill, relatively high-risk game, and is probably
more suited for a tail dragger. It surely isn't suited for a newbie 182
driver, like the O.P.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"