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A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The Skywagon is a six-seat member of Cessna's utility-aircraft line. Its fixed conventional undercarriage distinguishes it from the tricycle-gear Stationair family. The prototype flew in 1960, with production aircraft following in 1961. Floats and skis expanded the uses of an aircraft already suited to carrying people and supplies.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗A working partnership across the western states
Hirschman spent several days travelling with photographer Mike Fizer and their equipment through the northern plains, mountains and desert Southwest. Snow and heat gave the trip very different settings, while the Skywagon kept asking for firm, timely control inputs. He describes an aircraft with considerable physical presence: its weight and large controls made it feel like a machine intended to work.
AOPA Pilot · June 2015. Cross-country flying with photographer Mike Fizer; observations concern the 185 family, with the flown variant not specified.
AOPA Pilot · Read more ↗The Skywagon’s Marketplace release
Microsoft’s Famous Flyer 11 announcement identifies the Cessna 185F for both Microsoft Flight Simulator and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. At that announcement, it was offered free to MSFS 2024 owners and sold separately in the earlier simulator’s Marketplace. Entitlement and installation are shown in the in-sim Marketplace.
Cessna 185F · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
Microsoft · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Backcountry182 · 19 min ·
Cessna 185 a plane a Spy would love, Instrument panel review, Its Amazing.
A closer look at one Cessna 185's instrument panel and equipment choices.
Family reference · Cessna 185; exact subvariant not identified
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Cessna 185F
The Skywagon is a six-seat member of Cessna's utility-aircraft line. Its fixed conventional undercarriage distinguishes it from the tricycle-gear Stationair family. The prototype flew in 1960, with production aircraft following in 1961.
Floats and skis expanded the uses of an aircraft already suited to carrying people and supplies. The 185F in the catalogue is a particular development of the design; its developer's package determines which undercarriages, avionics and other options are available in the simulator.
Cessna 185F
Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
Part of Cessna’s tailwheel utility line
The 185 belongs to the succession of Cessna utility taildraggers that includes the 170 and 180. Its identity became closely tied to hauling people and equipment into the backcountry, with owners fitting wheels, skis or floats to suit the work. Individual aircraft often reflect decades of modification and care.
AOPA Pilot · Cessna 185 Skywagon: Brawny, backcountry workhorse ↗AOPA Pilot · June 2015 · family background
Pilot accounts
A working partnership across the western states
Hirschman spent several days travelling with photographer Mike Fizer and their equipment through the northern plains, mountains and desert Southwest. Snow and heat gave the trip very different settings, while the Skywagon kept asking for firm, timely control inputs. He describes an aircraft with considerable physical presence: its weight and large controls made it feel like a machine intended to work.
That initial impression became more comfortable in cruise. Once trimmed, it held its heading and altitude without demanding continuous effort, and turbulence did little to disturb its equilibrium. Landings remained a more active part of the relationship, with Hirschman personally preferring three-point arrivals. His account combines respect for the attention the aircraft requires with the satisfaction of using it for a long trip carrying people and photographic equipment.
AOPA Pilot · June 2015. Cross-country flying with photographer Mike Fizer; observations concern the 185 family, with the flown variant not specified.
Read the full account · AOPA Pilot ↗A Skywagon for the ranch and the family
Rose’s connection with aviation began around his family’s cotton farm and the crop-dusting aircraft working nearby. Years and many aircraft later, he chose a Skywagon to serve his Texas ranch and family travel. Maintaining a twin had begun taking more of his time than flying it, and trading his Scout and Twin Comanche for the A185F brought those needs into one aircraft.
Ownership still involved considerable hands-on work. He describes correcting older repairs, improving the panel and interior, and choosing tyres that suited the asphalt he actually used. Tail handles made moving it on the ground more practical. Even with extensive tailwheel experience, Rose acknowledges that wind can make the Skywagon demanding. His affection for it comes with the work of maintaining an older aeroplane and adapting it to everyday use.
Cessna Owner Organization interview · January 2025. Rose’s 1974 A185F, N185SS, bought in 2015 and subsequently modified.
Read the full account · Cessna Owner Organization ↗Making room for a growing family
Wright wanted an aircraft that could carry his growing family and their camping equipment while still making longer trips practical. His earlier Super Cub and PA-12 experiences had given him a taste for that kind of flying, but a third child changed the space he needed. The Skywagon occupied a useful place between those smaller taildraggers and the twin he used for business.
Restoring N60EC became part of making it their own, with a modern panel, refreshed interior and changes suited to the places he hoped to visit. He also sought instruction to understand how the heavier aircraft behaved, especially when loaded. His account looks ahead as much as back: he hoped his children would eventually learn to fly the Skywagon themselves. The project joined a practical transport choice to a longer family ambition.
Cessna Owner Organization · November 2023. Wright’s restored 1979 A185F, N60EC.
Read the full account · Cessna Owner Organization ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →MSFS 2024Cessna 185F
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Cessna 185F
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
MSFS 2020185F Skywagon
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
185F Skywagon
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
The Skywagon’s Marketplace releaseCessna 185F · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
Microsoft’s Famous Flyer 11 announcement identifies the Cessna 185F for both Microsoft Flight Simulator and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. At that announcement, it was offered free to MSFS 2024 owners and sold separately in the earlier simulator’s Marketplace. Entitlement and installation are shown in the in-sim Marketplace.
Official Famous Flyer 11 announcement · gathered 10 September 2026; historical offer
Microsoft · Read the source ↗The original MSFS 2020 release185F Skywagon · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
Microsoft explicitly offers the 185F in both simulator generations. The March 2025 release distinguishes a paid MSFS 2020 Marketplace aircraft from the free aircraft offered to MSFS 2024 owners.
2025-03-25 · release and package scope
Microsoft Flight Simulator Team · Read the source ↗Pilot account
A working partnership across the western statesAOPA Pilot · June 2015. Cross-country flying with photographer Mike Fizer; observations concern the 185 family, with the flown variant not specified.
Hirschman spent several days travelling with photographer Mike Fizer and their equipment through the northern plains, mountains and desert Southwest. Snow and heat gave the trip very different settings, while the Skywagon kept asking for firm, timely control inputs. He describes an aircraft with considerable physical presence: its weight and large controls made it feel like a machine intended to work. That initial impression became more comfortable in cruise.
Dave Hirschman
AOPA Pilot · Read the source ↗A Skywagon for the ranch and the familyCessna Owner Organization interview · January 2025. Rose’s 1974 A185F, N185SS, bought in 2015 and subsequently modified.
Rose’s connection with aviation began around his family’s cotton farm and the crop-dusting aircraft working nearby. Years and many aircraft later, he chose a Skywagon to serve his Texas ranch and family travel. Maintaining a twin had begun taking more of his time than flying it, and trading his Scout and Twin Comanche for the A185F brought those needs into one aircraft. Ownership still involved considerable hands-on work.
Bryan Rose
Cessna Owner Organization · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
Cessna 185 SkywagonWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 762488707 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
C185F availabilityMicrosoftType designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 1 profile choice
Cessna 185F
Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Cessna 185F: The selected mechanical yoke response remains nominal for the named Skywagon equipment; a float or ski kit does not calibrate hand force.
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