VH-OPA was not the first aeroplane that we’d owned. In1996, a Piper Archer II, had been in the family for the preceding eight years; it served us well, but not without issues. (I’ll save the story about the in-flight engine failure for another day.)
An Archer makes a marvellous private aircraft. They are easy to fly and maintain, economical and fast enough for travelling between towns, although none of them ever set any speed records. On the other hand, the Archer’s range was barely adequate for our mission, and accommodating people and baggage within limits was frequently an issue. Hot weather, the defining feature of regional Australian aviation, made it all even harder.
Performance aside, there was also the ‘low wing problem’. Back in those days, I flew in and out of an unpaved airstrip most weeks, which wasn’t compatible with the Archer’s pitot tube and other delicate bits so close to the surface.
So, it was time for a change.
A New 182
Bounding back after a decade of building nothing except turbines, an inspired management team at Cessna Aircraft Company saw the opportunity to re-enter the single-engine piston market. There was great promise for new and much smarter 172R, 182S and 206H aircraft, especially in the US domestic market. The company leveraged its experience with Citations and Caravans to design updated variants that kept the time-honoured Cessna advantages, but with new engines, propellers, avionics, interiors and many other components. It did not take long to figure out that a new 182S was the best replacement option. The only problem was getting one.
Cessna initially appointed Australian Jet Charter, its
