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
N89284	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2013-04-22	Valid
N221VH	Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2013-04-19	Valid
N76728	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2013-04-17	Valid
N49G	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Nebraska	Standard	2013-04-15	Valid
N6117H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2013-04-12	Valid
N10500	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	2013-04-10	Valid
N2966C	Piper J5A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2013-04-05	Valid
N2585N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2013-04-04	Valid
N4012N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2013-04-04	Valid
N9UP	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Mexico	Standard	2013-04-04	Valid
N1032E	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Florida	Standard	2013-04-03	Valid
N4553E	Aeronca 11CC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2013-04-03	Valid
N4642H	Piper PA-17	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2013-03-28	Valid
N84228	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Missouri	Multiple	2013-03-28	Valid
N6041V	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2013-03-27	Valid
N70211	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2013-03-22	Valid
N73021	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2013-03-22	Valid
N72328	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2013-03-15	Valid
N6484D	Eaves COUGAR	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Experimental	2013-03-14	Valid
N687H	Hostetler Rolland GN1 AIRCAMPER	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Experimental	2013-03-14	Valid
N75369	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	2013-03-14	Valid
N89837	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Missouri	Standard	2013-03-14	Valid
N2047K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Tr Pegasus Glenwood, New Jersey	Standard	2013-03-06	Valid
N90089	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2013-03-04	Valid
N94099	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Tr Pegasus INC Glenwood, New Jersey	Standard	2013-03-04	Valid
N4263N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2013-02-27	Valid
N78427	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2013-02-27	Valid
N2775N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Louisiana	Standard	2013-02-25	Valid
N207E	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Flannery John J Atkinson, Nebraska	Standard	2013-02-22	Valid
N71212	Luscombe 8A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2013-02-20	Valid
N89046	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2013-02-14	Valid
N89858	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Standard	2013-02-14	Valid
N2784H	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2013-02-05	Valid
N31209	Commonwealth 185	Fixed-wing, single engine	Hockenson Roy D Auburn, Washington	Standard	2013-02-04	Valid
N842B	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2013-01-29	Valid
N98178	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2013-01-29	Valid
N72741	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Georgia	Standard	2013-01-28	Valid
N72699	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2013-01-25	Valid
N34401	Aeronca S-65-CA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Puddle Jumpers Flying Club INC Lake Ann, Michigan	Standard	2013-01-23	Valid
N72216	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Wisconsin	Standard	2013-01-23	Valid
N76932	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kentucky	Standard	2013-01-18	Valid
N1888N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2013-01-16	Valid
N77312	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Maryland	Standard	2013-01-16	Valid
N73086	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Standard	2013-01-15	Valid
N33526	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2013-01-14	Valid
N6633N	Taylorcraft Aviation Corp 19	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Standard	2013-01-08	Valid
N93667	Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Georgia	Standard	2013-01-04	Valid
N71632	Luscombe 8A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2013-01-03	Valid
N3073K	Culver V	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2013-01-02	Valid
N22764	Piper J4A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Idaho	Standard	2012-12-27	Valid
N72547	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2012-12-19	Valid
N2123V	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2012-12-17	Valid
N4765M	Piper PA-11	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maine	Multiple	2012-12-11	Valid
N2442N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Minnesota	Standard	2012-12-10	Valid
N3174H	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2012-12-05	Valid
N66583	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2012-12-04	Valid
N44384	Taylorcraft BC12-D1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2012-12-03	Valid
N99075	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Estuarial Medical Consultants South Boston, Virginia	Standard	2012-11-30	Valid
N84919	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	2012-11-27	Valid
N2804E	Champion 7DC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2012-11-21	Valid
N61903	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Piper Cub N 61903 INC Trustee Wilmington, Delaware	Standard	2012-11-19	Valid
N154TB	Emerson/Smith CUBY	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Experimental	2012-11-08	Valid
N4162E	Aeronca 11CC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Ground Loopers Flight Club LLC Gunnison, Utah	Standard	2012-11-06	Valid
N94821	Ercoupe 415-E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2012-11-06	Valid
N8519K	Laycock Gary R BABY GREAT LAKES	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Experimental	2012-10-30	Valid
N2164N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Crane Kelly D Sterling, Alaska	Standard	2012-10-24	Valid
N22705	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Standard	2012-10-23	Valid
N3158N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2012-10-11	Valid
N76014	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2012-10-11	Valid
N2826K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Fallbrook Air Service INC Fallbrook, California	Standard	2012-10-10	Valid
N98495	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2012-10-09	Valid
N77048	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Chapman Gary Milton, West Virginia	Standard	2012-10-03	Valid
N1770N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	2012-10-01	Valid
N6292F	Garcia Roberto P CUBLOOKALIKE	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Experimental	2012-09-27	Valid
N90044	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	2012-09-26	Valid
N77008	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Standard	2012-09-25	Valid
N2188B	Luscombe 8A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2012-09-17	Valid
N77333	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2012-09-17	Valid
N980F	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Fairchild Argus LLC Evergreen, Colorado	Standard	2012-09-17	Valid
N34124	Commonwealth 185	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maine	Standard	2012-09-14	Valid
N89836	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Colorado	Standard	2012-09-06	Valid
N2765K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2012-09-04	Valid
N1881V	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2012-08-20	Valid
N89775	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2012-08-14	Valid
N99KH	Hellmann Norma J CORBEN JR ACE E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Dakota	Experimental	2012-08-10	Valid
N120VW	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	South Platte Flying Club LLC Kansas City, Missouri	Standard	2012-08-09	Valid
N1616N	Funk B85C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Illinois	Standard	2012-08-09	Valid
N1851V	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Dakota	Standard	2012-08-09	Valid
N90648	All American 10A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Warbirds of the World Air Musuem Los Lunas, New Mexico	Standard	2012-08-02	Valid
N4823M	Piper PA-11	Fixed-wing, single engine	Piper 11-335 LLC Strafford, New Hampshire	Standard	2012-07-27	Valid
N6284C	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Yardley & CO INC Quinn, South Dakota	Standard	2012-07-27	Valid
N1761N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2012-07-26	Valid
N4069E	Aeronca 11BC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2012-07-26	Valid
N42468	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2012-07-26	Valid
N11S	Piper PA-11	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Restricted	2012-07-25	Valid
N1805N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2012-07-25	Valid
N5962V	Eaa Biplane JM-1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Experimental	2012-07-25	Valid
N1109B	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2012-07-23	Valid
N4151N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Withheld at owner's request	Standard	2012-07-23	Valid
N1880K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2012-07-19	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.