Engines · piston (reciprocating) · data as of October 7, 2026

Continental C85 series

4,671 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Continental C85 series engine, rated at about 85 horsepower. The Cessna 140 is the model most often fitted with it (1,253 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1940 and 2023.

The FAA records engines by code, usually at the level of a series ("O-320 series") rather than the exact variant; this page gathers every FAA code that reads as Continental C85 series. FAA spelling: C85 SERIES.

Fitted to model families

Cessna 1401,253Cessna 120602Piper J-3 Cub519Aeronca 7 Champion (Champ)360Luscombe 8 Silvaire321Ercoupe 415267Aeronca 11 Chief136Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415111Piper PA-11 Cub Special68Engineering & Research 41568Taylorcraft BC12 BC-12D60Commonwealth 18557

Cessna 140 · Cessna 120 · Piper J-3 Cub · Aeronca 7 Champion (Champ) · Luscombe 8 Silvaire · Ercoupe 415 · Aeronca 11 Chief · Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415 · Piper PA-11 Cub Special · Engineering & Research 415

Where they are owner's state

Texas401California397Florida267Washington191Alaska185Wisconsin167Minnesota162Ohio152Michigan149Illinois139

Kind of aircraft

Piston singles4,669 (100%)Piston twins1 (0.0%)Helicopters1 (0.0%)

When the aircraft were built by decade

What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Continental C85 series the component layer

The design is held under 1 type certificate (E-233, held by Continental Aerospace Technologies, INC.). The FAA has issued 7 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 12 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 4 of them in the last ten years.

FAA orders 7 airworthiness directives · newest first

1998-10-1998-17-11 · Crankshafts · engine

1996-02-1394-05-05 R1 · Cylinder Rocker · engine

1995-11-2895-21-15 · Aviation Gasoline · engine

1993-12-1493-22-05 · Carburetor Air Intake Housing Assemblies · engine

1981-04-0181-07-06 · AC Fuel Pumps · engine

47-40-02 · Piston Pins · engine

All orders naming the Continental C85 series

Failure reports 12 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Spar2Throttle Cable2Bearing1Control Unit1Downlock Switch1Elt1Exhaust Valve1Guide1Propeller1Rib1

Latest reports

2022-11-23Exhaust Valve: stuck

2022-01-07Propeller: broken

2013-09-05Throttle Cable: broken

2013-05-02Throttle Cable: broken

2008-02-29Rib: corroded

Certificates and bulletins

E-233Type certificate held by Continental Aerospace Technologies, INC. · 31 models listed · revised September 19, 2022

Safety bulletins 6 · advice, not orders

2018-09-10NE-18-27 · POWERPLANT Rocker Shaft Boss Inspection

2016-03-08NE-16-13 · Powerplant - Prohibited use of sealant

2012-10-31NE-13-04 · Continental Motors, Inc. (CMI) Connecting Rod Piston Pin Bushing Inspection

1998-06-10CE-98-21R1 ·

1997-12-31ACE-98-21 ·

Sources: the FAA's type certificate data sheets, airworthiness directives, supplemental type certificates, special conditions and special airworthiness information bulletins (Dynamic Regulatory System), and the FAA's service difficulty reports. A failure report is what an operator or repair station chose to file; the counts show reporting as much as reliability, and larger and commercial fleets report more. How the systems are grouped.

Connections how this engine series links to the rest of the register

Fitted to

Cessna 140 1,253 with this engine series
Cessna 120 602 with this engine series
Piper J-3 Cub 519 with this engine series
Aeronca 7 Champion (Champ) 360 with this engine series
Luscombe 8 Silvaire 321 with this engine series
Ercoupe 415 267 with this engine series
Aeronca 11 Chief 136 with this engine series
Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415 111 with this engine series

Where they are

Texas 401 of these aircraft
California 397 of these aircraft
Florida 267 of these aircraft
Washington 191 of these aircraft
Alaska 185 of these aircraft

Biggest operators

Plane Fun INC Tr Trustee 10 of these aircraft
Southern Aircraft Consultancy INC Trustee 8 of these aircraft
Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum 5 of these aircraft
Eaa Aviation Foundation INC 5 of these aircraft
Riggin Flight Service INC 4 of these aircraft

Airworthiness

FAA orders naming the Continental C85 series 7 airworthiness directives
Failure reports on the Continental C85 series 12 reports since 1995

Analytics

These connections as data: /graph/engine/continental-c85-series.json · about the eFlight graph.

Aircraft newest certificates first · 4,671

Tail no.	Maker and model	Group	Owner and base	Certificate	Registered	Status
N2537H	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2022-06-28	Valid
N72897	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-06-27	Valid
N82106	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2022-06-16	Valid
N82439	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Massachusetts	Standard	2022-06-16	Valid
N1800	Modified E.A.A. BIPLANE	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Experimental	2022-06-13	Valid
N23267	Piper J3C-50	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Massachusetts	Standard	2022-06-13	Valid
N4542M	Piper PA-11	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2022-06-11	Valid
N373AC	Charles Calvi BEARHAWK LSA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Experimental	2022-06-02	Valid
N2189B	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-05-31	Valid
N1316V	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2022-05-28	Valid
N2053N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Kellner Michael Marengo, Illinois	Standard	2022-05-28	Valid
N4285N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Schrag Jeremy M Garden Plain, Kansas	Standard	2022-05-28	Valid
N77248	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2022-05-28	Valid
N132JT	Theis James J VARIEZE	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Experimental	2022-05-26	Valid
N4131N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner New Mexico	Standard	2022-05-26	Valid
N96163	Taylorcraft BC12-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2022-05-26	Valid
N4128E	Aeronca 11CC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Alsup Alan D Gainesville, Texas	Standard	2022-05-24	Valid
N76946	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2022-05-24	Valid
N77159	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2022-05-24	Valid
N70532	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Landmark Aerial LLC Metuchen, New Jersey	Standard	2022-05-23	Valid
N55603	Eaa Chapter 61 SPORT TRAINER	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Hampshire	Experimental	2022-05-20	Valid
N77454	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2022-05-19	Valid
N4162N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2022-05-18	Valid
N76743	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2022-05-18	Valid
N2327H	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Delaware Aviation Museum Foundation Georgetown, Delaware	Standard	2022-05-17	Valid
N6603N	Taylorcraft BC12D-4-85	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2022-05-14	Valid
N3911A	Champion 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Jersey	Standard	2022-05-10	Valid
N72562	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Planes & Parts INC Weston, Florida	Standard	2022-05-10	Valid
N3142N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2022-05-04	Valid
N1761V	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Maryland	Standard	2022-05-03	Valid
N72977	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Mississippi	Standard	2022-05-03	Valid
N60J	Piper J4A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2022-04-29	Valid
N3065N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Simply Living LLC Fort Myers, Florida	Standard	2022-04-27	Valid
N1147Q	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Mississippi	Standard	2022-04-26	Valid
N2087V	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Tundra Aviation INC Casselton, North Dakota	Standard	2022-04-26	Valid
N26021	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Connecticut	Standard	2022-04-26	Valid
N2939H	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2022-04-22	Valid
N72569	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2022-04-20	Valid
N77521	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Mile High Cub LLC Erie, Colorado	Multiple	2022-04-19	Valid
N98162	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Georgia	Multiple	2022-04-19	Valid
N99183	Ercoupe 415-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2022-04-19	Valid
N81084	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2022-04-09	Valid
N4242E	Aeronca 11CC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2022-04-08	Valid
N76379	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Standard	2022-04-01	Valid
N77218	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Standard	2022-04-01	Valid
N2411H	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Jersey	Standard	2022-03-30	Valid
N2746N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2022-03-30	Valid
N2234V	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Standard	2022-03-29	Valid
N83927	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maine	Standard	2022-03-29	Valid
N1406B	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2022-03-28	Valid
N87215	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Washington	Standard	2022-03-28	Valid
N1454W	Weber Wayne H J 3	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Wisconsin	Experimental	2022-03-26	Valid
N4984E	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-03-26	Valid
N14J	Taylor Titch MARK III	Fixed-wing, single engine	Eaa Aviation Foundation INC Oshkosh, Wisconsin	Experimental	2022-03-24	Valid
N1646V	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	2022-03-24	Valid
N3697H	Forney 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2022-03-23	Valid
N25835	Piper J3F-50	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-03-22	Valid
N2131V	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-03-21	Valid
N96LH	Hamilton BABY GREAT LAKES	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Experimental	2022-03-19	Valid
N72917	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-03-18	Valid
N94176	Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2022-03-16	Valid
N72753	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2022-03-15	Valid
N99287	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Sweet Pea Flying Club LLC State Center, Iowa	Standard	2022-03-14	Valid
N1869B	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Nevada	Standard	2022-03-12	Valid
N72114	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2022-03-12	Valid
N1216B	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2022-03-09	Valid
N85522	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2022-03-09	Valid
N77564	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Camm Air LLC Lake Village, Arkansas	Standard	2022-03-05	Valid
N90120	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nevada	Standard	2022-02-24	Valid
N70355	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-02-23	Valid
N72979	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Utah	Standard	2022-02-19	Valid
N40859	Piper J3L-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2022-02-18	Valid
N45911	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2022-02-18	Valid
N89973	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Seward Leasing INC Guthrie, Oklahoma	Standard	2022-02-18	Valid
N4601C	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Hawaii	Standard	2022-02-17	Valid
N142PD	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Tj Air Holdings INC Trustee Wilmington, Delaware	Standard	2022-02-16	Valid
N55DC	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2022-02-16	Valid
N2402V	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Eph Aviation LLC Phoenix, Arizona	Standard	2022-02-15	Valid
N94580	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2022-02-15	Valid
N89632	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Jrh Wings LLC Alva, Oklahoma	Standard	2022-02-14	Valid
N11MG	C Piel Emeraude CP-301-A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Experimental	2022-02-09	Valid
N5703	Van Cleave BARNETT J4B	Rotorcraft	Individual owner Florida	Experimental	2022-02-08	Valid
N87336	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-02-07	Valid
N415DR	Ercoupe 415-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2022-02-04	Valid
N4007N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2022-02-03	Valid
N99753	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2022-02-01	Valid
N4180E	Aeronca 11CC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2022-01-31	Valid
N93684	Ercoupe 415-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2022-01-29	Valid
N98608	Piper J-3	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Standard	2022-01-29	Valid
N96409	Taylorcraft BC12-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2022-01-28	Valid
N2096N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Withheld at owner's request	Standard	2022-01-27	Valid
N37381	Interstate S-1A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	2022-01-25	Valid
N3925E	Aeronca 11BC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Indiana	Standard	2022-01-24	Valid
N71081	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2022-01-22	Valid
N87449	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2022-01-21	Valid
N2516H	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner West Virginia	Standard	2022-01-19	Valid
N42509	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Lake Placid Flyer LLC Lake Placid, Florida	Multiple	2022-01-18	Valid
N1603N	Mcclish FUNK B85C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Mississippi	Standard	2022-01-13	Valid
N4098E	Aeronca 11CC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-01-10	Valid
N76600	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	2022-01-08	Valid

Source: FAA Civil Aviation Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database (the engine reference table and each aircraft's engine code), October 7, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.