In an email today, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) stoked interest from members concerning this year’s 1950s-vintage sweepstakes Cessna 182. The main news, not exactly new, is that the airplane’s instrument panel remake has been completed.
With the goal to maintain the vintage “resto-mod” feel, AOPA tapped Garmin for the ingredients of a panel “that preserves the charm of the original aircraft while integrating cutting-edge Garmin avionics,” including the GFC 500 digital autopilot—technology that the Skylane’s original 1950s pilots couldn’t even dream of. “The new floating panel design, complete with a glove box, has become highly popular among Cessna enthusiasts,” AOPA wrote. Click here for a video tour of the new/old panel.
AOPA shared with members—and prospective members—that the vintage Skylane has also been equipped with Whelen lighting, McFarlane Aviation control knobs, CiES fuel senders and updated wiring. Next on tap is a Power Flow Systems exhaust and an Electroair electronic ignition. Skylane N4000D will be touring airports nationwide in the run-up to this year’s sweepstakes. Current AOPA members are already entered in the sweepstakes, but the association offers an additional second entry.
