N64027

N64027 is a 1985 Cessna 182RG, one of the last built before production on this aircraft ceased in 1986.   For the vast majority of its existence - until 2011 - it has been in the hands of commercial operators, most recently as an FBI surveillance platform.  It has been in private hands since 2011.

 

For those not acquainted with this fleet of aircraft there may be some concern about total hours and the extensive nature of the work done on the airplane.  These aircraft were flown a lot, usually at low speeds, and subject to a progressive maintenance program that replaced items according to a schedule, not due to damage.  For a detailed discussion of this type of plane, I direct you to this thread on the Cessna.org forums that provides a wide range of insight into their maintenance and includes thoughts about owning one.  (I am *not* a participant in that series of messages).  

 

If you can't access the members-only forum, I highly suggest that you join the Cessna Pilots Assocation if possible.  The technical information there can't be found anywhere else, and you'll be a wiser buyer for having done research there.  If you're not ready to take that step, do a Google search for "FBI 182RG Maintenance" or something similar and you're sure to find a great deal of information about this fleet.

 

This particular aircraft has two features not seen on most of its sister ships.  First and foremost, N64027 has Skywatch, which is not standard equipment on these planes.  Given the crowded airspace in which I fly, and the fact that controller error has already placed me entirely too close to other aircraft twice in my short flying career, I was insistent that any aircraft I buy be equipped with this technology.  It acts as a true TCAS unit - not TIS, which is subject to being under radar surveillance, and which has some "lag" to it - working all the time and interrogating local transponders for traffic in all sectors of the sky around you.   Second, this particular aircraft has a 3-bladed prop, where most of its sister ships are equipped with standard 2-blade propellers.

 

The 182RG was one of the best planes Cessna has ever built.  They have the load-hauling capacity of their straight-legged brethren but their retractable gear makes them much faster (usually 15-20 knots) and more fuel-efficient.  They also use a Lycoming 0-540-J3C5D engine, where "regular" 182's have Continentals.  Practically, this means that these engines are much more likely to reach TBO without needing new cylinders, and that you're much less likely to need carb heat in a descent than regular C182s.   

 

• No Known Damage History
• Aircraft hangared at Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (KPDK) in Atlanta, GA 
• Always US-based and hangared
• Outstanding maintenance
• Extensive safety equipment and additional instrumentation.

• Annual inspection due 5/2015

• IFR certification due 8/2015
• ELT inspection due 5/2015
• All AD’s in compliance 

• Engine compressions at 5/2014 annual: 74/75/78/78/78/75

• Aircraft treated with ACF50 at 5/2014 annual.

 

I normally flight-plan at 150kts between 6,000 and 9,000 feet, and count on fuel burn in the 12.2 - 13.2 gph range.  The flightaware link here shows some of my recent flying activity