Best STOL Mods, Cessna 182

[182-SS]

Looking for advice or opinions on Stol Mods for the Cessna 100 series aircraft, Specifically the 182.

I know there aren’t many 182’s working the bush (if they are, they are only on floats obviously, or decent strips) but any 180/185 guys thoughts would be appreciated.
Wing extensions, Sportsman, Robertson, VG’s etc…..

I know Petersons is the Cadillac but I’m not looking to spend that type of money and its not certified for floats.

All comments welcome….even the AVCANADA specials lol

[Airtids]

I've done a fair bit of research, and it seems the ART Wing extensions give the best bang for the buck. Upgross to 2950lbs, 25% reduced takeoff run on floats, easy install.

Tids

[black hole]

WREN

BH

[rigpiggy]

best bang for the buck would have to be VG's, but the wing-x's are also a very good value.

[Beefitarian]

Piggy, you and dyslexia got me all excited for a moment.

X-wings? Awesome!!

[CamAero]

What are you starting with? Bone-stock?

[GreenStar]

You might check into this http://www.backcountrypilot.org/forum/v ... 21&t=11247

[MUSICMAAN]

drop in an 0-520, that'll shorten up your take off roll:)

[bring me the horizon]

The P-ponk o-470 conversion is pretty good too. Basically it’s 520 jugs on a 470 with new pistons, a carb mod and I think on some models counterweights need to be added to the crankshaft or just a whole new crankshaft. I’ve flown a p-ponk 182 and it performs great. It’ll give your 230hp o-470 an extra 30-40 hp. I hear they're fairly cheap too.

http://www.pponk.com/HTML%20PAGES/engine_overview.html

[182-SS]

What are you starting with? Bone-stock?

Airframe is 1978, bone stock, other than the floats hanging off of it now.
Done the engine upgrade,
the WREN is the peterson, absolutely amazing stol but to much $$ for me right now.
so a couple of votes for the wing extensions and VG's
The wing extensions seem to be high on the list, seems to make sense, more wing area = more lift, any problems with the extra stress on the wing??

I've heard positives and negatives about the VG's, love to hear some more.

Anyone have experience with the kits? sportsman stol, Robertson or horton?

[CamAero]

What are the negatives on the VGs? I have yet to hear of them particularly other than the hassle of install and the risk of knocking them off when sweeping the wings.

Has anybody ever done the Wing-X mod without any STOL kit?

I think Robertson is the best kit, with the drooping ailerons but Horton has a better cuff. In the US, some airplanes have been approved on the 337 Form with the Robertson flaperons and the Horton cuff as a combo. Not going to happen here, unfortunately.

My airplane is bone stock too and I am always wondering the same things you are.

My issues are bang-for-the-buck and I don't want to sacrifice a knot of cruise speed. I have been beside a guy who had 'all the bells and whistles' and he needed an extra inch of manifold pressure to keep up to me.

One thing I don't like about the Wing-X is dealing with it on floats around river banks. This past summer I ended up beaching in one spot on a fast flowing river that I would not be able to go back to with wing extensions.

Such is life I suppose and also, perhaps I should be hesitant to operate to those kind of tolerances anyhow, even without them.

CA

[182-SS]

I’ve just talked to a couple of pilots who said they didn’t receive any benefit from them and one who said he lost 2 knots of airspeed. But they both said it is possible that the vg’s may need to be slightly further back from the leading edge on the later models of Cessna's that had a factory leading edge cuff but no stol kit.
I don’t know, just relaying what they have said.

That is one of the drawbacks with the extensions, getting into places, regular sized hangars (if your on wheels). I know where I typically take mine out in the fall there are some trees and power polls, fences, that would have to be chopped or some fancy maneuvering around.

I too really don’t want to lose any airspeed but I guess to gain on the low end its almost inevitable we lose some on the high end.

Thanks for all the comments so far!

[iflyforpie]

Pretty much all STOL mods are going to result in you losing airspeed. Planes like the 182 are designed for efficient cruising balanced by reasonable field performance compared to dedicated STOL machines like the Beaver and Super Cub that are slow no matter what you do to them.

I've haven't heard too many bad things about VGs and from a $$$ to performance standpoint it is the best bang for the buck IMHO. Simple non-invasive installation (less than a day), easy to repair, and usually knock a reasonable amount off the stall speed. The only issues are knocking them off with a broom or fuel hose (but they are easy to stick back on) and gouging your forearms (or your legs, you said floats, right?) on them. Adhesion is best if it is metal to metal.

The Sportsman STOL is just an expensive way to cover your leading edge with ugly sheet metal and blind rivets... or it is a cheap way of hiding leading edge damage from bird strikes or pilings. It doesn't really seem to change the aircraft performance that much.

The Horton STOL is a good bread and butter STOL kit that offers real world performance and utility. If I was going to start getting into sheet metal and didn't want to spend an arm and a leg, this is what I would get.

The only wing extensions I have flown personally are Flint Tips, and the extra fuel sure is nice. I didn't really notice a difference in performance primarily because it was a higher weight version of the same aircraft I was used to flying, but we got pretty slow and into some pretty tight spaces. My concerns are the extra span and some of the ADs that have come out with wing extensions.

The Robertson STOL is the Cadillac of STOLs IMHO, offering the best performance for normal use. Very invasive and expensive, but it also changes the approved speeds of the aircraft in the AFM/POH (all others only 'suggest' that you can go slower). Like the Beaver though, it results in perfect control right to the edge and then drops out of the sky as the whole wing stalls at once, so you need to be careful.

The Wren and Peterson mods are like the Ferrari of STOL kits. Very high performance, very purpose built, and very expensive.

[Colonel Sanders]

really don’t want to lose any airspeed but I guess to gain on the low end its almost inevitable we lose some on the high end

Heh - you probably don't want to install leading edge slats
or a boundary layer control system

I like VG's. Yes, they will cost you a little bit of cruise but if
it makes the difference between wrecking it or not, well ...

PS For improved takeoff performance, I suppose you could
consider a JATO bottle system which is ejectable to avoid
the drag in cruise.

[CamAero]

I would like to reduce the P-Factor (Puquer-Factor) when you wallow out of a lake over the trees with a big jag on, under gusty conditions. Reportedly, the VG kit should help.

C.S., how much do you think a VG kit is going to cost the cruise speed?

[182-SS]

so it looks like VG's are where its at for some extra performance and affordability.

Horton is a good kit.

Extensions are great performance however the AD's are concerning.
others are invasive and expensive
and
JATO solves it all!!!!

[yukonbackcountry]

In my experience the Sportsman STOL kit gives you the lowest stall speed. It is the only Cuff I fly on my own planes.

VG's are not worth the money been there and did not notice a big enough deference to spend that much money again and they snag your wing covers and collect ice with no covers.

Wing tip extensions are nice if you need a up-gross but they slow you down in cruise.

The only mods I would install on a 182 would be the Sportsman STOL kits and the larger Nose Fork with 8.50 tire and 29 inch bushwheels to save your prop.
Remember one thing, money spent on Mods is very seldom recovered when you sell.

[Castorero]

'Iflyforpie' pretty much said it all.

I will say one thing though, aerodinamically, changing the leading edge of a post 1972 Cessna wing is of little benefit in terms of improving stall/low speed characteristics. The cuff profile of the post 1972 wing is as good as it gets. The slight improvements provided by Norton and Sportsman are not very significant to spend the time and money on.

The industry aerodynamicist I consulted when the Sportsman kit came on the scene did a thorough aerodynamic analysis of both the Cessna cuff and the Sportsman mod.
His conclusion was predictable. The slight improvements were not significant enough to mess with an already good design.

Having said that, there is no question that modifying the pre-1972 leading edge is a hands down home run, and then I would go with the Horton mod over any other.

The Robertson Stol seemed to be a useful mod at the time but I was not happy with some of the reported reduction of aileron response at low speed when on base to final transition which could be a challenge in a crosswind.
I opted to bolt a turbo to the 185, something that I would not do today unless it came with an intercooler.

Personally I would not install wing extensions without investigating how this affects the integrity of the wing from the strut out, and I would certainly not just screw them on and go flying.
In my mind, this IS a major mod that requires both structural and aerodynamic analysis.

The best bang for the buck remain VG's, especially if one operates in a snowless climate. Add snow and ice to the mix and they will require some patience and care, that's for sure.

Power increase and a better prop, +/- VG's is the way I would go on any Cessna.

If one wants anything more, it's time to start pining for a different airframe...

The 182 is a bit of a speed demon.

How does it perform on floats?
Do you have the larger tail as in the "A" model or the standard swept back one?
Is directional stability good on floats?

The last thing I will say in any mod conversation, is to be skeptical of all hear-say, ad hoc, ad personam reports that are not easily backed by hard science or hard performance numbers derived from flight testing. After all, its your ass that will be on the line once the mods are installed.

Happy new Year all,

Castor

[kevinsky18]

Install the Wing X extensions and Sportsman STOL these are the best combination I found and I saw genuine preformance improvements across the board with no loss of air speed. You have to do these both at the same time as there are two configurations of Wing X. The regular wing width and the sportsman wing width.

After that take a close look at the Peterson Preformance canard. I would have installed that next if it was available for my plane.

After that IO-550, nothing will improve your take off preformance like more HP up front.

[Lost Lake]

Simple solution. Trade it in on a Beaver.