180s and 185s on floats arrive from lodges, guide operations, bush operators and private owners on northern lakes. They are among the most valuable aircraft in this class, and among the hardest worked: high time, repaired damage, and a maintenance history that reads like a working logbook rather than a hangar queen's. None of that is a problem here, and a 185 on good amphibious floats is one of the stronger donations we receive.
What moves the number on a 185
Floats: straight, amphibious, and what they are worth. On a 185 the floats can represent a substantial share of the total value. Type, hours, last inspection, and whether the compartments are dry. Amphibious floats with a serviceable gear system are worth considerably more than straight floats, and both are worth documenting.
Engine time and the working history. IO-470 or IO-520, time since overhaul, and how the aircraft was flown — short-field float operations are hard on an engine in ways that cross-country hours are not. We would rather know than guess.
Damage history, repaired properly. Working float airplanes accumulate repairs. A dock strike or a gear-up on amphibs with the 337s on file is a known quantity and does not frighten a buyer. Unrecorded work does. Send what the logs show.
Corrosion from the operating environment. Belly, control cables, float attach fittings and hardware. Freshwater northern operation with regular washing is a very different picture from coastal work, and we build the inspection around whichever yours was.
How a 185 gets to us
Most 185s are airworthy enough to fly out, and on amphibious floats that is straightforward: a pilot current in floats flies it to a hard-surface airport under our insurance. On straight floats we need a lake with road access, or a crane at the dock. For remote lake pickups we plan around ice-out and freeze-up and the state of the access road, and we will tell you plainly if waiting for spring gets a better outcome than forcing it in October.
What the first call covers
What you can deduct for this aircraft
A 185 on floats is normally sold, and given what these aircraft bring, your deduction is the gross proceeds and it is usually a significant figure. Two things follow from that. The qualified appraisal above $5,000 is not a formality on this type — get an appraiser who knows float aircraft and can value the floats as well as the airframe. And if the aircraft was owned through a lodge, guide operation or other business and depreciated, the deduction is generally limited to adjusted basis, which is worth settling with your CPA before you file.
The appraisal is the donor's expense and the donor's choice of appraiser; we sign Form 8283 Section B as the recipient charity.
Rules for aircraft gifts are in IRS Publication 526, valuation in Publication 561. Nothing here is tax advice — confirm your figures with your CPA. How the deduction works · FAA paperwork
Other models in this class
Start with the N-number
We will pull the registry record before we call you back.