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
N1858N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-11-05	Valid
N9084C	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2020-11-05	Valid
N42071	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2020-11-04	Valid
N77086	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-11-04	Valid
N2472H	Ercoupe 415-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2020-11-03	Valid
N6236U	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2020-11-03	Valid
N76136	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2020-11-02	Valid
N1350B	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Minnesota	Standard	2020-10-22	Valid
N3177H	Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-CD	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-10-22	Valid
N4643H	Piper PA-17	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2020-10-22	Valid
N90051	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-10-22	Valid
N3115E	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Experimental	2020-10-20	Valid
N1960K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2020-10-19	Valid
N89988	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2020-10-15	Valid
N89958	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2020-10-14	Valid
N38536	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Tavernaero Cub Club LLC Tavernier, Florida	Standard	2020-10-13	Valid
N85009	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	2020-10-13	Valid
N89601	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, Alaska	Standard	2020-10-09	Valid
N89338	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2020-10-08	Valid
N89395	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Indiana	Standard	2020-10-06	Valid
N19AN	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2020-10-05	Valid
N2247H	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-10-02	Valid
N2366K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-10-02	Valid
N3970E	Aeronca 11BC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Standard	2020-10-02	Valid
N84BC	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Experimental	2020-10-01	Valid
N90698	Commonwealth 185	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oregon	Standard	2020-09-29	Valid
N1357B	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2020-09-28	Valid
N2493K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2020-09-28	Valid
N72637	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-09-28	Valid
N2988H	Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	2020-09-24	Valid
N72A	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Massachusetts	Standard	2020-09-23	Valid
N140LD	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-09-22	Valid
N3888H	Engineering & Research 415-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Maryland	Standard	2020-09-22	Valid
N71079	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arkansas	Standard	2020-09-22	Valid
N7111	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2020-09-21	Valid
N42B	Aeronca L-3B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2020-09-17	Valid
N90112	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2020-09-17	Valid
N1617N	Funk B85C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-09-16	Valid
N37996	Piper J4E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Ohio	Standard	2020-09-16	Valid
N76795	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-09-16	Valid
N1634N	Funk B85C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2020-09-15	Valid
N799LJ	Wither Louis J PIETENPOL AIRCAMPER	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Experimental	2020-09-14	Valid
N2466N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2020-09-10	Valid
N1655N	Funk B85C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Washington	Standard	2020-09-08	Valid
N1906N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Mexico	Standard	2020-09-02	Valid
N99477	Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Indiana	Standard	2020-09-01	Valid
N2886N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-08-31	Valid
N251C	Cessna 140A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Louisiana	Standard	2020-08-29	Valid
N76240	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Stick and Rudder Aero LLC Millwood, Washington	Standard	2020-08-29	Valid
N50834	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Riggin Flight Service INC Madison, South Dakota	Standard	2020-08-28	Valid
N6626N	Taylorcraft BC12D-4-85	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2020-08-28	Valid
N2652N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-08-25	Valid
N72930	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Fox Industries of Ms INC Canton, Mississippi	Standard	2020-08-25	Valid
N16585	Piper-Hoesch J-3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Experimental	2020-08-24	Valid
N1690E	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arkansas	Multiple	2020-08-24	Valid
N1794N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2020-08-24	Valid
N5648R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2020-08-24	Valid
N89765	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Miller Aviation INC Norton, Kansas	Standard	2020-08-22	Valid
N21JW	Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Maximus Aviation LLC Cheyenne, Wyoming	Standard	2020-08-21	Valid
N140DT	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Washington	Standard	2020-08-20	Valid
N83124	Aeronca 7DC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Louisiana	Standard	2020-08-19	Valid
N45765	Luscombe 8A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Jhaco LLC Lake Charles, Louisiana	Standard	2020-08-17	Valid
N76774	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2020-08-17	Valid
N2802N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	2020-08-15	Valid
N76445	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Washington	Standard	2020-08-15	Valid
N241SB	Aeronca 7DC-CONV	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2020-08-14	Valid
N2557N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Standard	2020-08-13	Valid
N72536	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Sutton Aircraft Salvage LLC Palmer, Alaska	Standard	2020-08-13	Valid
N3017N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	2020-08-08	Valid
N3481E	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	2020-08-07	Valid
N77405	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2020-08-07	Valid
N2523H	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2020-08-06	Valid
N76290	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-08-05	Valid
N10KS	Globe GC-1A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Standard	2020-07-30	Valid
N2367N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2020-07-30	Valid
N7100H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2020-07-30	Valid
N73806	Commonwealth REARWIN 185	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oklahoma	Standard	2020-07-30	Valid
N4291E	Aeronca 11CC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Nodorft Aviation LLC Orlando, Florida	Standard	2020-07-29	Valid
N72209	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2020-07-29	Valid
N93576	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Larson Daniel M Fergus Falls, Minnesota	Standard	2020-07-28	Valid
N106FB	Partridge Frank N FRANKNSTEIN I	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nevada	Experimental	2020-07-24	Valid
N87171	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2020-07-23	Valid
N89221	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-07-23	Valid
N1145K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2020-07-22	Valid
N39299	Taylorcraft BC12-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Nevada	Experimental	2020-07-22	Valid
N6887H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Missouri	Standard	2020-07-22	Valid
N24520	Piper J4A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner New York	Standard	2020-07-20	Valid
N76995	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	2020-07-20	Valid
N72234	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2020-07-17	Valid
N1763E	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2020-07-16	Valid
N2738H	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Dieter Walter T Salome, Arizona	Standard	2020-07-15	Valid
N94438	Ercoupe G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Ohio	Standard	2020-07-15	Valid
N2596H	Engineering & Research 415-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2020-07-13	Valid
N94175	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nebraska	Standard	2020-07-13	Valid
N2827K	Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2020-07-10	Valid
N66361	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2020-07-10	Valid
N96035	Taylorcraft BC12-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2020-07-10	Valid
N2604H	Ercoupe 415-E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Stahl Flying Services INC Petersburg, West Virginia	Standard	2020-07-09	Valid
N29393	Superior CULVER LCA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2020-07-09	Valid
N99315	Ercoupe 415-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2020-07-09	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.