Cessna A185F Market Report
Single-Engine Piston · generated 2026-08-31 · fyiAero market data, FAA registry, NTSB, aircraft.com sold records.
Market summary
1,110in operation (FAA)
12for sale · 1.1% of fleet
$345kaverage asking
$325kmedian asking
28avg days on market
26registry transfers, 6 mo
12.4 yravg length of ownership
| Low | Avg | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asking price | $249k | $345k | $550k |
| Model year | 1973 | 1978 | 1985 |
| Airframe time | 2,505 | 6,753 | 17,192 |
| Days on market | — | 28 | 78 |
For sale & average asking by month reconstructed from listing history
| Month | For sale | Avg asking | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06 | 1 | $275k | |
| 2026-07 | 5 | $391k | |
| 2026-08 | 19 | $407k |
Features of aircraft for sale
| ADS-B | 92% (11) | |
| GPS navigator | 50% (6) | |
| Autopilot | 33% (4) | |
| Glass flight deck | 25% (3) | |
| FIKI | 0% (0) | |
| GTN 750 / 750Xi | 0% (0) |
Fleet & safety
110NTSB events, 10 yr
6fatal
80.6per 1,000 airframes
Where the fleet is based top states, FAA registry
| AK | 312 | |
| WA | 75 | |
| TX | 64 | |
| MN | 51 | |
| ID | 51 | |
| MT | 50 | |
| CO | 48 | |
| ME | 40 | |
| CA | 39 | |
| OR | 35 |
478 of 1,110 are individually registered.
Registry transfers by month new registration certificates, 12 mo
| 2025-09 | 5 | |
| 2025-10 | 7 | |
| 2025-11 | 7 | |
| 2025-12 | 6 | |
| 2026-01 | 5 | |
| 2026-02 | 9 | |
| 2026-03 | 4 | |
| 2026-04 | 2 | |
| 2026-05 | 6 | |
| 2026-06 | 7 | |
| 2026-07 | 7 |
Aircraft for sale 12 units · asking vs fyiEstimate
| Year | Reg | Serial | Asking | fyiEstimate | vs est | TTAF | Engine | Seller | DOM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | N192JR | 18502286 | $385,000 | $314,000 | +23% | 7,800 | 400 | Wisconsin Aviation | 33 |
| 1975 | N103AM | 18502615 | $249,000 | $312,000 | -20% | 7,653 | 431 | Hiller Aviation Brokerage & | 22 |
| 1976 | C-FTLM | 18502952 | $550,000 | $373,000 | +48% | 2,505 | 1,068 | Nelson Morberg | 10 |
| 1977 | N7560H | 18503396 | Inquire | $434,500 | — | 3,814 | 56 | North American Flight Servic | 27 |
| 1977 | N585Z | 18503266 | Inquire | $357,500 | — | 3,590 | 435 | Mike Green | 38 |
| 1977 | N866PH | 18503167 | $357,500 | $355,750 | +0% | 3,890 | 510 | Jet Air Inc | 22 |
| 1979 | — | Inquire | $316,500 | — | — | — | 19 | ||
| 1979 | N4095L | $324,324 | $333,750 | -3% | 10,904 | 343 | AEROMECCANICA SA | 22 | |
| 1980 | — | 18504118 | $330,000 | $356,500 | -7% | 3,740 | 191 | Riley Aviation | 22 |
| 1982 | N185TK | 185-04366 | $310,000 | $276,500 | +12% | 17,192 | 1,219 | Thomas Koff | 1 |
| 1985 | — | $275,000 | $302,750 | -9% | 6,602 | 1,990 | VOLATION LIMITED | 78 | |
| 1985 | ZK-MCR | 18504429 | $325,000 | $343,250 | -5% | 6,602 | — | NZAero | 42 |
Market by model year fleet · for sale · asking
| Year | Fleet | For sale | % | Low | Avg | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1972 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1973 | 62 | 1 | 1.6% | $385k | $385k | $385k |
| 1974 | 105 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1975 | 110 | 1 | 0.9% | $249k | $249k | $249k |
| 1976 | 133 | 1 | 0.8% | $550k | $550k | $550k |
| 1977 | 120 | 3 | 2.5% | $358k | $358k | $358k |
| 1978 | 97 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1979 | 93 | 2 | 2.2% | $324k | $324k | $324k |
| 1980 | 77 | 1 | 1.3% | $330k | $330k | $330k |
| 1981 | 88 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1982 | 26 | 1 | 3.8% | $310k | $310k | $310k |
| 1983 | 14 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1984 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1985 | 14 | 2 | 14.3% | $275k | $300k | $325k |
| 1986 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1993 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
fyiEstimate values by model year and airframe time
| Model year | Units | Avg fyiEstimate |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 1 | $314,000 |
| 1975 | 1 | $312,000 |
| 1976 | 1 | $373,000 |
| 1977 | 3 | $382,583 |
| 1979 | 2 | $325,125 |
| 1980 | 1 | $356,500 |
| 1982 | 1 | $276,500 |
| 1985 | 2 | $323,000 |
| Airframe hours | Units | Avg asking | Avg fyiEstimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000–3,999 | 5 | $412,500 | $375,450 |
| 6,000–7,999 | 4 | $308,500 | $318,000 |
| 10,000–11,999 | 1 | $324,324 | $333,750 |
| 16,000–17,999 | 1 | $310,000 | $276,500 |
Recent market activity last 60 days
| Date | Event | Aircraft | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-30 | Newly listed | 1982 N185TK | $310k |
| 2026-08-30 | Price change | 1979 N4095L | $327k → $324k |
| 2026-08-23 | Price change | 1979 N4095L | $324k → $327k |
| 2026-08-21 | Newly listed | 1976 C-FTLM | $550k |
| 2026-08-12 | Off market | 1975 N185HR | $580k |
| 2026-08-12 | Newly listed | 1979 | Inquire |
| 2026-08-12 | Newly listed | 1973 | Inquire |
| 2026-08-09 | Newly listed | 1978 N4800Q | $900k |
| 2026-08-09 | Off market | 1978 N4800Q | $900k |
| 2026-08-09 | Newly listed | 1973 N53044 | $545k |
| 2026-08-09 | Off market | 1973 N53044 | $545k |
| 2026-08-09 | Newly listed | 1975 N103AM | $249k |
| 2026-08-09 | Newly listed | 1977 N866PH | $358k |
| 2026-08-09 | Newly listed | 1980 | $330k |
| 2026-08-09 | Newly listed | 1980 N666SB | $285k |
| 2026-08-09 | Off market | 1980 N666SB | $285k |
| 2026-08-09 | Newly listed | 1979 C-GAIX | $285k |
| 2026-08-09 | Off market | 1979 C-GAIX | $285k |
| 2026-08-09 | Newly listed | 1979 N4095L | $324k |
| 2026-08-07 | Newly listed | 1976 C-GYIS | Inquire |
| 2026-08-04 | Newly listed | 1977 N7560H | Inquire |
| 2026-07-29 | Newly listed | 1973 N192JR | $385k |
| 2026-07-24 | Newly listed | 1977 N585Z | Inquire |
| 2026-07-20 | Newly listed | 1985 ZK-MCR | $325k |
| 2026-07-15 | Newly listed | 1975 N185HR | $580k |
Sold aircraft.com sold records · last asking at sale
8sold records
$224kavg last asking
$113k – $1,000krange
| Month | Sold | Avg asking |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08 | 8 | $224k |
| Date | Year | Reg | TTAF | Asking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-16 | 1975 | N185HR | 459 | $113k |
| 2026-08-16 | 1978 | 3,109 | $113k | |
| 2026-08-16 | 1974 | N185 | 8,520 | $113k |
| 2026-08-16 | 1978 | YV1742 | 7,429 | $113k |
| 2026-08-16 | 1974 | TF-ORN | 4,504 | $113k |
| 2026-08-16 | 1975 | N3463Y | 3,490 | $113k |
| 2026-08-10 | 1977 | 1,632 | $113k | |
| 2026-08-10 | 1978 | N4800Q | 997 | $1,000k |
Operating costs full cost analysis →
$32,892annual budget · 122 hrs
$133variable cost / hour
$1.02cost per nm
16.5gph fuel burn
fyiEstimate values are market estimates from comparable asking prices (which skew high versus sold prices), not certified appraisals. Fleet and ownership figures from the FAA Releasable Registry; "registry transfers" count new registration certificates issued. Sold records from aircraft.com reflect the last asking price, not the transaction price. Monthly history is reconstructed from when listings first and last appeared.
