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

Model families, as a table

	aircraft
Cessna 140	1,253
Cessna 120	602
Piper J-3 Cub	519
Aeronca 7 Champion (Champ)	360
Luscombe 8 Silvaire	321
Ercoupe 415	267
Aeronca 11 Chief	136
Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415	111
Piper PA-11 Cub Special	68
Engineering & Research 415	68
Taylorcraft BC12 BC-12D	60
Commonwealth 185	57

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

By state, as a table

	aircraft
Texas	401
California	397
Florida	267
Washington	191
Alaska	185
Wisconsin	167
Minnesota	162
Ohio	152
Michigan	149
Illinois	139

Kind of aircraft

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

By kind, as a table

	aircraft	share
Piston singles	4,669	100%
Piston twins	1	0.0%
Helicopters	1	0.0%

When the aircraft were built by decade

By decade built, as a table

	aircraft
1930	37
1940	3,453
1950	83
1960	43
1970	65
1980	46
1990	36
2000	22
2010	7
2020	2

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

Failure reports by year, as a table

	reports
95	1
01	1
02	1
03	1
05	1
07	2
08	1
13	2
22	2

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Spar2Throttle Cable2Bearing1Control Unit1Downlock Switch1Elt1Exhaust Valve1Guide1Propeller1Rib1

Parts most reported, as a table

	reports
Spar	2
Throttle Cable	2
Bearing	1
Control Unit	1
Downlock Switch	1
Elt	1
Exhaust Valve	1
Guide	1
Propeller	1
Rib	1

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
N77443	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2017-03-14	Valid
N2131C	Stinson 10	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2017-03-09	Valid
N4159N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2017-03-08	Valid
N4341E	Champion AERONCA 7DC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2017-03-07	Valid
N77401	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2017-03-07	Valid
N81130	Mcclish FUNK B85C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Indiana	Standard	2017-03-07	Valid
N1670V	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wyoming	Standard	2017-03-02	Valid
N96861	Taylorcraft BC12D-85	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2017-03-01	Valid
N797PT	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-02-27	Valid
N89454	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nebraska	Standard	2017-02-27	Valid
N2048E	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arkansas	Multiple	2017-02-22	Valid
N3388N	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Restricted	2017-02-22	Valid
N89530	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-02-21	Valid
N6404C	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2017-02-16	Valid
N76785	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kentucky	Standard	2017-02-16	Valid
N2516N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Nevada	Standard	2017-02-08	Valid
N42523	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Utah	Standard	2017-02-08	Valid
N9EM	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-02-08	Valid
N76509	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-02-07	Valid
N7335H	Piper J-3C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Hangar 39 LLC Culpeper, Virginia	Standard	2017-01-31	Valid
N2879E	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2017-01-30	Valid
N4591E	Aeronca 7DC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2017-01-27	Valid
N7451B	Champion 7EC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2017-01-27	Valid
N99164	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2017-01-26	Valid
N94002	Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2017-01-25	Valid
N2192M	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Van Wagner Aerial Media LLC Hollywood, Florida	Restricted	2017-01-20	Valid
N4132E	Aeronca 11AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2017-01-19	Valid
N2178N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2017-01-13	Valid
N4112N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Wisconsin	Standard	2017-01-12	Valid
N1703N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2017-01-09	Valid
N4244A	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wyoming	Standard	2017-01-05	Valid
N42559	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2017-01-04	Valid
N6634N	Taylorcraft Aviation Corp 19	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-01-04	Valid
N72278	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2017-01-04	Valid
N10508	Aeronca 7DC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-01-03	Valid
N2778N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Mexico	Standard	2016-12-30	Valid
N1625N	Mcclish FUNK B85C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2016-12-29	Valid
N1411B	Luscombe 8F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Idaho	Standard	2016-12-22	Valid
N4185H	Piper PA-15	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Experimental	2016-12-16	Valid
N78822	Piper PA-11	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2016-12-15	Valid
N47FV	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2016-12-14	Valid
N89965	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2016-12-14	Valid
N116E	Schroeder-Meyer SPECIAL	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Experimental	2016-12-12	Valid
N44205	Taylorcraft Aviation Corp 19	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2016-12-12	Valid
N6691H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2016-12-12	Valid
N70918	Piper J-3C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Restricted	2016-12-12	Valid
N1390B	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2016-12-09	Valid
N41729	Culver LFA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2016-12-09	Valid
N1143V	Champion AERONCA 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Missouri	Standard	2016-12-06	Valid
N89996	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nebraska	Standard	2016-12-06	Valid
N2248N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2016-12-02	Valid
N88936	Brown CASSUTT 111M	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Experimental	2016-12-02	Valid
N80271	Culver V	Fixed-wing, single engine	Kansas Aviation Museum Wichita, Kansas	Standard	2016-11-30	Valid
N101GR	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2016-11-29	Valid
N7103H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2016-11-28	Valid
N4087N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2016-11-22	Valid
N89777	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	C&D D LLC Conway Springs, Kansas	Standard	2016-11-22	Valid
N89598	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2016-11-21	Valid
N83948	Aeronca 7EC CONV	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Tennessee	Restricted	2016-11-17	Valid
N6181H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Nevada	Multiple	2016-11-09	Valid
N89941	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2016-11-09	Valid
N4286N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Nebraska	Standard	2016-11-07	Valid
N74P	Clayplane FC-1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Experimental	2016-11-02	Valid
N110RH	Hyman Bernard-Reginald WAGA A BOND	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Missouri	Experimental	2016-10-27	Valid
N1611V	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2016-10-21	Valid
N1977N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2016-10-21	Valid
N76049	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2016-10-18	Valid
N1815B	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2016-10-17	Valid
N4079E	Aeronca 11BC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Standard	2016-10-17	Valid
N94432	Engineering & Research 415-G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Aerospace Trust Management LLC Trustee Wilmington, Delaware	Standard	2016-10-17	Valid
N77163	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2016-10-12	Valid
N1891N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2016-10-11	Valid
N76356	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2016-10-05	Valid
N89278	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2016-10-05	Valid
N76894	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2016-10-04	Valid
N88499	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2016-10-04	Valid
N6573H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Multiple	2016-09-22	Valid
N2771N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Indiana	Standard	2016-09-20	Valid
N39916	Taylorcraft BC12-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Standard	2016-09-19	Valid
N3946E	Aeronca 11BC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2016-09-14	Valid
N2458N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2016-09-12	Valid
N2363V	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2016-09-09	Valid
N2282N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2016-09-07	Valid
N26081	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Dakota	Multiple	2016-09-06	Valid
N4628E	Aeronca 11CC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2016-09-06	Valid
N720CU	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Standard	2016-08-30	Valid
N72911	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kentucky	Standard	2016-08-30	Valid
N76102	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2016-08-30	Valid
N1115B	Luscombe 8F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2016-08-29	Valid
N73804	Commonwealth 185	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2016-08-29	Valid
N77363	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Jazz Air LLC Melbourne, Florida	Standard	2016-08-25	Valid
N2508N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2016-08-23	Valid
N1834E	Aeronca 7DC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner West Virginia	Standard	2016-08-08	Valid
N1835K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2016-08-01	Valid
N7HD	Dahler Harley DP-1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Illinois	Experimental	2016-07-28	Valid
N7238H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Stage One Associates LLC Oxford, Connecticut	Standard	2016-07-27	Valid
N4514E	Aeronca 7DC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner South Dakota	Standard	2016-07-20	Valid
N33044	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Montana	Restricted	2016-07-18	Valid
N94886	Ercoupe G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Standard	2016-07-18	Valid
N2035K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2016-07-15	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.