Upgrading from C172SP to 182S

Newps wrote:



Matt Whiting wrote:



I also never had a problem with the firewall, but the previous owner
had bent it and struck the prop when he stalled in in from about 6'
according to witnesses. I can't imagine how anyone could do that with
a Skylane, but apparently it happens in addition to folks just plain
flying it onto the nosewheel while landing. Landing a Skylane is a
piece of cake, yet folks seem to screw it up with some frequency.


I think it's one of those things that once a plane gets saddled with a
reputation it can't be shaken. I had approx 1750 landings in my 182. I
three pointed it twice but never landed on the nosewheel first. Cessna
came out with a thicker firewall in the late 60's and mine got that.

I never got that high, probably 600 landings in 350 hours. Never landed
on the nosewheel, never stalled in from higher than maybe a foot and
never three-pointed. I always thought that of the 150, 172 and 182, the
182 was the easiest to land. The wind didn't blow it around as much and
it wasn't as "twitchy" as the 150. It didn't have as much control feel,
but it had lots of control authority. I flared with three fingers on
the wheel and in proper trim it landed like a peach.

I always made (well attempted at least) full-stall landings with full
flaps. This kept the nose well in the air at touchdown and the 182 had
plenty of elevator to hold the nose up until you decided to lower it or
until the airspeed had bled off substantially. This is quite unlike the
club Arrow I now fly. If you land the Arrow at or near the stall, the
nosewheel will come down with a thunk very shortly thereafter unless you
have the cg near the aft limit. With just me or me and one front seat
pax, it lacks the authority to hold the nosewheel up after landing. So,
I tend to try to land just prior to the stall and then fairly briskly
lower the nosewheel.


Matt