Photograph:
Cessna 182 Katmai Super STOL VH-VJR (c/n 182-66636) in Western Australia (David Eyre – WA Aviation)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Single-engine STOL high-wing cabin monoplane
Power Plant:
One 224 kw (300 hp) Continental TCM-IO-500 six-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 11.88 m (39 ft)
- Length: 8.83 m (29 ft)
- Height: 2.86 m (9 ft 4 in)
- Wing area: 17.18 m² (185 sq ft)
- Max speed at sea level at 80% power: 270 km/h (168 mph)
- Cruising speed at 65% power at 2,438 m (8,000 ft): 285 km/h (177 mph)
- Stalling speed without flaps: 90 km/h (55 mph)
- Stalling speed with flaps: 57 km/h (36 mph)
- Max range at 2,438 m (8,000 ft) at 75% power: 1,482 km (921 miles)
- Range at 55% power: 1,793 km (1,114 miles)
- Service ceiling: 6,401 m (21,000 ft)
- Take-off ground roll: 88 m (290 ft)
- Landing roll: 73 m (240 ft)
- Take-off distance over 15 m (50 ft) obstacle: 180 m (590 ft)
- Landing distance over 15 m (50 ft) obstacle: 171 m (560 ft)
- Rate of climb: 518 m/min (1,700 ft/min)
- Usable fuel standard: 291 litres (64 Imp gals)
- Empty weight: 898 kg (1,980 lb)
- Max useful load: 508 kg (1,120 lb)
- Loaded weight: 1,406 kg (3,100 lb)
- Payload with full fuel: 321 kg (708 lb)
History:
The Cessna 182 Katmai Super STOL was a development of the Wren 460 (see separate article) which itself was developed in the 1960s and was a conversion of the basic Cessna 182 series to achieve outstanding short field performance. The Katmai conversion was produced by Peterson’s Performance Plus King Katmai and was developed by Todd Peterson to expand his range of STOL-modified Cessna 182s. Whereas the Wren 460 had a stalling speed of 50 km/h (31 mph), the Katmai conversion had a stalling speed 7.4 km/h (4.6 mph) faster but had twice the rate of climb and a higher useful load. It has been described as “the darling of the back-country pilot set”.
The company producing the Wren 460 went into liquidation in 1972. Mr Peterson obtained the assets from bankruptcy and commenced building the 460 for a period but found it lacked a viable useful load, so made changes to produce the Peterson 260SE which could land or take-off in 119 m (390 ft). He found customers sought varying combinations of modifications and engines to existing airframes and so a range of changes were made to suit customer needs, including a new avionics suite. The aircraft is known as the Katmai after the National Park in Alaska.
Approval was granted to install a 224 kw (300 hp) Continental IO-550 engine in the airframe, which became the preferred conversion, driving a three-blade 2.08 m (82 in) or 2.18 m (86 in) propeller, along with modifications to reduce drag, wing extensions, increased gross weight, a heavy-duty undercarriage and Cleveland brakes. Some 45.7 cm (18 in) was added to each wing to help reduce the stalling speed, this becoming known as the Wing-X.
Conversions were made to Cessna 182P, 182Q and 182R models from 1970 to 1980 and 7,700 were converted during that time. Some had wet wings. The Katmai had a high-lift canard wing installed parallel to the thrust line which was actuated by push rods to a collar around the pilot’s control column and was in a neutral position when the elevator was neutral.
At least one example of the Katmai conversion has been registered in Western Australia, this aircraft, described as a Cessna 182Q 260SE Super STOL, becoming VH-VJB (c/n 182-66636 – exN95803) to Jean Bely of Singapore on 25 August 2016, being fitted with a Continental IO-470-F fuel-injected engine providing 194 kw (260 hp), driving a Hartzell propeller, and a BRS Aerospace whole aircraft parachute system.