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Cessna 180.

Yes Mr Hazard. In answer to your question on 06 Dec 2020. Yes, I had ad C180-J, VH-BBF. It was a good utility aeroplane. It was useful insofar as it would always get airborne regardless of what was loaded into it. We did many trips in it, self, wife Patsy and 4 kids. I taught my 2 sons to fly in it, all off country ag strips and roads. Not an easy aeroplane in ground handling or takeoff and landing but they weren’t to know this. They went on to tow gliders and were very popular with the towplane owners.
One son accrued nearly 5,000 and crashed it; not looking where he was going. I did not rebuild it.

It was not an aeroplane I enjoyed flying. Heavy on controls particularly elevator. The later (mine) was slightly concaved on the underside of the wing - about 10 inches aft of the leading edge. I did once get to fly an earlier model with the short cabin and original Cessna type wing. Light on controls, faster roll and it was fun to fly. Totally different aeroplane.
I much preferred to fly the Bonanza but the C180 had 1 great advantage. It was cheap to operate. I also liked the engine. A Continental o-470. Sweet running and did a lot of work on a gallon of gas. Lycomings are more popular engines but that Continental O-470 is a beaut.

To fly agriculture in Australia one is required to undergo specialized training and is then issued an “ag rating”. My training was done in a C180 spreading super phosphate. We carried either 7 or 9 cwt and spread 7 or 9 ton an hour, I don’t recall which. That was 1968. To understand my uncertainty do read my signature below this story, the third line.
For Christmas I’d take farmers and the farm community for a fly. Here is one such occasion. I had to think who they were since this shot was 35 years ago. They’ve all aged. The young one in the aeroplane is David Link who has gone on to be a hot-shot police helicopter pilot. His story is number 117 on 26 June 2018 and is well worth a read. I had the aeroplane repainted and trimmed in maroon with grey to support the maroon. It was a head turner.
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