While some of us may not be able to easily recall our earliest childhood memory, Jim Densmore, Jr. can. In fact, he has a spectacularly vivid first memory.
“I was three years old, sitting in the back seat of a Cessna 195, and Dad’s trying to start the airplane. It wouldn’t start, but it did start a fire,” chuckles Jim, “and my mom leaps out of the airplane with the fire extinguisher and puts the fire out!”
Fortunately, that scenario hasn’t been repeated. Jim continues to enjoy his family-related aviation memories while making plenty of new ones himself in the Cessna 180 Skywagon he owns. N6555A has been in the family ever since his parents bought it in 1960.
Pilot Parents
Jim’s father, Jim Sr., earned his professional degree in aeronautical engineering at Cal Tech in 1949 and got married, and then bought a 50-hp Aeronca Chief in which he learned to fly.
“Dad said he had six engine failures before his first solo, because there was something wrong with the ignition system and they kept thinking they’d fixed it,” Jim recounts.
After earning his private pilot certificate in 1951 he sold the Chief.
“Then he bought an Ercoupe and flew it from Los Angeles to Philadelphia to visit my aunt — can you imagine going across the country in the 1950s in an Ercoupe? Then Dad and Mom bought a Tri-pacer, which they sold in order to buy one-half interest in the Cessna 195.”
The Densmore’s partner in the 195 bought them out, and Jim’s father used that money to buy the Cessna 180 (s/n 32452) when Jim was four years old. Jim’s mother, Linda, who was already a glider pilot, learned to fly in the 180 in 1964.
“She learned to fly power in this airplane at Van Nuys Airport in the mid-1960s. Van Nuys was the busiest airport in the world at that time, and she did get her license,” says Jim with a note of pride in his voice.
“So one day, I didn’t have school and Dad was at work. Mom said, ‘Want to go to Catalina Island?’ So off we go! Just imagine this blonde bombshell getting out of the left seat of this 180 and this little snot-nosed kid getting out of the right seat, and the peanut gallery’s like, ‘where’s the pilot?!’ Well, she ate that stuff up, fortunately!” Jim says with a laugh. “Looking back on it all, I’m just blown away by my mom.”
Privileged Soul
All of those family flying experiences obviously had an effect on Jim. When he was 11, he was thrilled to be the “autopilot” while his father was instrument flying. At 14, he soloed a Schweizer 2-33 glider and also flew a Schweizer single-place 1-26 for a while before moving on to airplanes. Jim can still occasionally be found at the local glider operation, towing gliders with the club’s Super Cub.
By 2002, Jim was living in Colorado and his parents were in Solomons, Maryland.
“My dad calls me and says, ‘I’ve got a medical problem we can’t figure out and I can’t fly the airplane anymore. Do you want the airplane?’ Well yes I do! I was happy and distraught at the same time,” shares Jim poignantly. “I later realized the reason I had rented airplanes for so many years was because this 180 is the only airplane I ever wanted. I am a privileged soul — I’ve been flying it ever since.”
“The 180 really is a journeyman’s airplane,” he continues. “It gets up and goes 130 knots without any trouble at all, and then lands on these little postage stamps.”
180 Makeovers
Today, Jim bases N6555A northeast of Colorado Springs at Meadow Lake Airport (KFLY – formerly 00V). Through the decades, Jim has tried to keep the 180 fairly stock, but since it’s a frequent flier, a few of the radios and instruments have naturally been upgraded, including the transponder and the addition of ADS-B. Jim had the interior re-upholstered in 2014, and the paint scheme has also changed from time to time.
“When we bought it in 1960, it had exactly this pattern, but the factory colors were a brighter white and a black and garish-1950s-yellow. So in 1965 my parents painted it white with a wide ‘puke green’ stripe. I never told them how much I hated that green, but they loved it. So when I got the airplane in 2002, the very first thing I did was have it painted,” chuckles Jim. “This is the original 1956 pattern painted by Gene Kear at Meadow Lake. He hand painted what had been an original decal, and he painted the Cessna logo on the wing tip, which isn’t original.”
The 1956 models, says Jim, “had seven stripes on the rudder, and mine had eight for some reason. Gene figured out how to reproduce the original livery from the rivet pattern and photos. There were a few guys at Cessna who painted, and this curved oval shape indicated which guy painted the airplane, and Gene duplicated that.”
“We are really pleased with this scheme. My wife, Linda, chose the colors. I didn’t think they’d look good, but she was right.”
Linda accompanies Jim on destination flights occasionally, and Jim tries to ensure her comfort during the flight.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to make Linda happy, because I just love having her in the airplane,” beams Jim. “We’ll do several stops along the way, and we solved the problem of her getting airsick by getting comfortable pillows so she can sit high enough to see out of the airplane. The service ceiling is 25,000 feet, and I have oxygen in the airplane, so we can avoid the bumps and go right on up to wherever it’s smooth.”
Fuel, Fire, and Prop
As a longtime Skywagon owner and regional director of the International 180/185 Club, Jim is quite knowledgeable about the breed. His 180 is a 1956 model, powered by a 230-hp Continental O-470, holds 60 gallons of fuel, and burns 11 gph. It has a gross weight of 2,550 pounds and an empty weight of 1,680 pounds. Amazingly, it still has the original fuel bladders in the wings.
“My dad always filled up the fuel tanks right after he flew, so they never dried out and I do the same thing most of the time — but sometimes I can’t [due to density altitude], because Meadow Lake is nearly 7,000 msl.”
N6555A was originally powered by a Continental O-470K, which was overhauled in 1975. By 2004, it was making metal, and Jim found an O-470R engine advertised online.
“It had 1,497 hours and had just been pulled off a 182. It’s a 1,500 hour TBO engine, but that TBO is only a suggestion for Part 91. We bolted it on, and it has 2,200 hours on it now — these Continentals just run like a top.”
“The R is the best engine for this airplane because, well, it makes the most noise,” he adds with a laugh. “It runs at 2,600 rpm whereas the O-470U is probably a better engine overall, but it runs at 2,400 rpm. So the R is the ultimate evolution of the O-470 series. The only problem with the installation is that I used the original engine mount, and that puts the oil quick drain right above the mount and it’s really hard to get to.”
Jim wanted to use the original exhaust for the O-470R installation, and that presented a paperwork challenge.
“It took a while to get the 337 approved to use the original exhaust, because you also have to use the original K induction with that exhaust. So we wrote it all up and sent it to the FSDO and they said no. Then I contacted somebody in Alaska who had the K exhaust, K induction and an R engine on a 1953 180, which he had installed with a DER’s approval. I bought a copy of his paperwork and we showed it to the FSDO, and they approved it. If I’d had to change all those parts, I would have had to change the cowling as well. This O-470R has been fabulous. I love the engine.”
In 2007, Jim was looking over the original 82-inch constant speed McCauley propeller and saw that it was leaking a little bit. He mentioned to Linda that he was going to need another prop. Linda told him to get a new one — meaning brand new and not a good used one.
Jim says he happily replied, “Yes, dear! After all, it’s half her airplane! So I bought a new 88-inch McCauley prop. It makes lots of good noise, but if you dial it back to 2,450 rpm, all that supersonic stuff goes away and it’s not that noisy. So you have the choice of how you want to operate your airplane, and I appreciate being able to do that.”
Treasured Memories
Jim cherishes his airplane for the memories it evokes and its efficient flight performance.
He says he just can’t walk away from it after a flight without giving it an affectionate touch.
“I sort of feel like it’s Dad in a way — I give it a pat and say ‘thanks, Dad.’ I was real close to him, and he’s gone now,” shares Jim. “Mom is 90, and she’s always happy to hear airplane talk when I call or visit. What a privilege it is to fly and have the freedom to go places!”
Great story!
Keep having fun with the 180.
That’s my cousin Jim (current owner), and Uncle Jim in the article. I have had a few fun times in that very same plane. One time while visiting my Uncle Jim in California, MD, he took me up in the 180. We flew around the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay and at one point we started to circle a yard on the River and he said “look down there, what do you see?” I said, that looks like a tank. He said “yep, that is author Tom Clancy’s house.”
I know that 180 Skywagon has brought my Uncle Jim and Aunt Linda, and now cousin Jim and wife Linda many hours of enjoyment. Thanks for sharing the 180, Jim. Super fun.
I love those old 180’s. My first job in aviation was flying skydivers at the former Littleton Airport south of Denver while in college. We had three or four of them over the course of my career there, usually at least two at any given time. I remember a 53 a 55 and a 56. In 1978 a friend bought a new 185 and I went with him to the factory to pick it up. What a difference. I later owned a share one 180 and three 185’s. Always one of my top three airplanes along withe the Pitts S1S and the Learjets. Medically retired now I miss them all.
It is not only the metal and plastic of the airplane but the memories of great times and wonderful people from the past. Keep her flying.
I’ve owned my 172M for 36 1/2 years so I get it, too. At some point, it’s not an airplane … it IS a part of the family. And — it turns out — the “M” is the one to have. With a 160hp new engine in it, it’s a great mini 182. I’ve had it up to 18K’ and it still had a bit more left in her. She’s lived in three different regions of the Country and has always treated me well. Great article !
Beautiful airplane, and a great article!
I’ve only owned my own 1953 Cessna 180 for a bit over 6 years,
but I plan on owning it for many many more.
So I know just how the Densmores feel about theirs!
Love this article!! Sparky and Jim are 2 of my favorite people, but that’s not the only reason I love it. The first thing I noticed is that Sparky and Jim packed the article with very specific information that another 180 restorer will be able to use! That, for me, is Sparky’s trademark. She combines the passion and the details in her stories. For that reason, I always look for a Sparky article in any aviation publication, and read it first!
That very airplane has graced my front yard in TX a few times. Jim and Linda are fantastic folks. Nice article!
Totally get it. we have a Stinson 108 that has been in the family since 1962. I am now the caretaker. I grew up with it. Mom and dad have pics at airshows with me falling over the wheel pants or sitting on the horizontal stab. About to go for recover and engine retrofit. Probably going to exceed the value of the aircraft but its what it means to someone.
The feelings our airplanes evoke from us,
and the various reasons they do, are what makes
our activity what it is.
Great story, excellently written.