• Wing Span: 66 in (168 cm)
• Wing Area: 579 sq in (3735 cm²)
• Length: 52 in (132 cm)
• Weight: 6.6 lbs (3.0 kg)
• Engine: .40 - .50 2 - cycle
  (6.5 cc - 8.2 cc 2 - cycle)
  .50 - .65 4 - cycle
  (8.2 cc - 10.7 cc 4 - cycle)
• 5 Servos required

Because of a desire to try this type of model because it is very scale in appearance, several .40 size 182 kits were considered and the Hangar 9 Cessna 182 was chosen because it is sturdy and is an ARF. The kit comes complete with wheels, fuel tank, spinner, pushrods, clevises, engine mount, cabin windows, and assorted small packages.

This airplane is made entirely out of wood except for the cowl and is pre-covered. Close inspection of the covered fuselage will reveal solid wood construction from tail to nose. The wings, which are built in halves, are built up with ailerons cut out but not mounted. The tail surfaces are also built but the control surfaces are not mounted. The main landing gear is complete with wheel pants and the nose gear is rugged and spring loaded to smooth out the roughness a little like an oleo strut. The hardware package is sufficient to complete the model except for engine and radio. The instruction booklet is adequate for the average builder and has photos to assist the builder. The instructions are somewhat brief but they are sufficient for an ARF.

Only one assembly problem was encountered and that was with the wooden engine mount. It came preassembled but incorrectly. Because of the way it is constructed, it could not be salvaged and had a new one to be made. The instructions indicated that the mount was to be assembled by the builder. This did not present a big problem. As is with any airplane, proper alignment of wings and tail surfaces are important for quality of flying.

An OS .52 four cycle was selected for the power plant. It has plenty of power for the total weight and gives a scale sound and look. There is adequate clearance for this size engine when mounted horizontally with the valve cover ending up flush with the cowl. The cowl comes without any cutouts so the builder has to custom cut it for his engine setup. Shims are recommended under the cowl mounting points to provide good airflow. Airflow seems adequate as no engine overheating has been experienced. There is a precut hole in the firewall for the muffler extension so that it can be exited out the bottom of the fuselage. The wings do not get much oil on them with the exhaust exit on the bottom. The supplied spinner rounds out a sleek looking nose.

Radio installation was easy, as the cabin area is quite large. There was no problem getting to the servos, receiver or battery location. The fuel tank is installed through the cockpit easily and can be removed for service. Before installing hardware and radio in the cockpit, the windows were masked off the windows and the interior including the wooden dowel pushrods was sprayed with flat black paint. It helps the up close appearance. The wings are joined with long rods for strength. Two heavy bolts fasten the wings to the fuselage and are adequate. Struts are optional according to the manual and are for appearance only. These are not used during flying. Each aileron requires a separate servo. Mounting holes are precut to fit most large servos but smaller ones can be installed using wood fillers. Flaps were not indicated on the plans but they could be installed without sacrificing the integrity of the wing. A heavy hub inside the spinner provided the needed weight to balance the plane with the fuel tank full.

The moment of truth finally came. The wind presented a problem while doing a taxi down wind. A moderate wind tips the plane over onto the down wind tip at times. Perhaps pulling the ailerons to the upwind side would help put pressure on the upwind side to eliminate this problem. The plane tracked well on the ground during take off but the first big problem started with trying to get the model into the air too soon. This airplane does not have a flat bottom wing. It is scale in shape. Unfortunately it stalled and hit on the nose. After a few minor repairs to the firewall it was taken back to the field. This time, the nose was held on the ground until the plane seemed to want to lift off then the stick was eased back resulting in a perfect departure. After climbing to manuevering altitude and checking the trim, the throttle was reduced back and the stall characteristics were checked. It did not fall off on either wing during the stall. Turns were coordinated with ailerons and rudder. Rolls and loops were nice. Spins were no problem. Landing the plane was as good as any trainer. A medium speed approach was used to prepare for the landing. Thee throttle was chopped just before the touchdown spot while pulling the nose up a little. This plane settled nicely and touched gently. This plane is totally scale all the way. Floats have been added but they have not been tried. The Hangar 9 Cessna 182 has most of the lines of a real Cessna 182 complete with STOL wing tips. The photo will attest to this claim. This model will be a nice addition to any collection.