The overwhelming success of the Cessna Skylane can be summed up in one word: practicality. Although it’s not the best at any one thing—flying fast, hauling a lot, short field work, economy, low ownership cost—it does each of those well enough to be a sensible choice for many owners who really use their airplanes for going places.

That, more than anything else, may explain why nearly half a century after it was first introduced, the Cessna still sells a couple of hundred 182s a year which, in the world of reduced GA expectations, counts for strong demand. Amazingly, Cessna recently announced that the venerable Skylane is now being delivered with a…