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

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/engine/continental-c85-series.json.

Aircraft newest certificates first · 4,671

Tail no.	Maker and model	Group	Owner and base	Certificate	Registered	Status
N1991V	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Illinois	Standard	2003-03-27	Valid
N72156	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2003-03-26	Valid
N93246	Commonwealth 185	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Rhode Island	Standard	2003-03-11	Valid
N76555	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2003-02-26	Valid
N26762	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Arizona	Standard	2003-02-21	Valid
N99190	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2003-02-20	Valid
N76731	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2003-02-13	Valid
N1807E	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Lorobsco LLC Cavour, South Dakota	Standard	2003-01-23	Valid
N81L	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Arizona	Standard	2003-01-21	Valid
N3083N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	2003-01-17	Valid
N76633	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Standard	2003-01-16	Valid
N77712	Mcclish FUNK B85C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Texas Air Museum San Antonio, Texas	Standard	2003-01-16	Valid
N71179	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Colorado	Standard	2003-01-10	Valid
N76099	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2002-12-06	Valid
N93751	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	2002-11-05	Valid
N66329	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Nelco Farms INC Fairfield, Iowa	Standard	2002-10-31	Valid
N89262	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Gosshawk Unlimited INC Casa Grande, Arizona	Standard	2002-10-24	Valid
N6531H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2002-10-03	Valid
N3782	Grier FLY BABY 1A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Experimental	2002-09-23	Valid
N87248	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2002-09-09	Valid
N6273H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Utah	Standard	2002-08-22	Valid
N98413	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2002-08-19	Valid
N9455A	Cessna 140A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Illinois	Standard	2002-08-06	Valid
N1715K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2002-07-30	Valid
N1712N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2002-07-25	Valid
N89907	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2002-07-17	Valid
N76304	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2002-07-16	Valid
N89264	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Clydes Best LLC Willow Springs, Illinois	Standard	2002-07-15	Valid
N3FK	Ercoupe E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2002-07-11	Valid
N1773N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2002-07-10	Valid
N76874	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2002-06-19	Valid
N76826	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	2002-06-06	Valid
N89754	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Missouri	Standard	2002-06-05	Valid
N76051	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Odom James R Plainview, Texas	Standard	2002-05-29	Valid
N2529K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2002-05-21	Valid
N17NH	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner New Hampshire	Standard	2002-05-07	Valid
N96320	Taylorcraft BC12-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2002-03-15	Valid
N299DW	Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Jersey	Standard	2002-03-14	Valid
N23211	Piper J4A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Florida	Standard	2002-03-01	Valid
N76565	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Nebraska	Standard	2002-02-27	Valid
N1585K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Mexico	Standard	2002-02-26	Valid
N32484	Culver LCA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Standard	2002-02-25	Valid
N92077	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2002-02-20	Valid
N84031	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Standard	2002-02-15	Valid
N2681N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2002-02-11	Valid
N90025	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2002-02-06	Valid
N24RR	Ridihalgh T-40	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Experimental	2002-02-05	Valid
N72963	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Minier Tryg R Watsonville, California	Standard	2002-01-18	Valid
N2282K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Standard	2002-01-04	Valid
N45803	Luscombe 8A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2002-01-04	Valid
N55Y	Limbach-Weil GUSTY MK.1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Eaa Chapter 25 Saint Paul, Minnesota	Experimental	2001-12-10	Valid
N415LS	Engineering & Research 415-E	Fixed-wing, single engine	1St Resources Unltd INC Houston, Texas	Standard	2001-11-21	Valid
N1624V	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2001-10-24	Valid
N28123	Piper J5A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Webster Bart Rexburg, Idaho	Standard	2001-10-09	Valid
N92916	Commonwealth 185	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Standard	2001-09-26	Valid
N92927	Commonwealth REARWIN 185	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Standard	2001-09-26	Valid
N76689	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Webber Cris A Paso Robles, California	Standard	2001-09-18	Valid
N89566	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oregon	Standard	2001-09-05	Valid
N72568	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2001-08-30	Valid
N2499K	Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2001-08-21	Valid
N93355	Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Louisiana	Standard	2001-08-10	Valid
N54JG	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2001-08-02	Valid
N99181	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Standard	2001-07-25	Valid
N2236N	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2001-07-18	Valid
N103WE	Piper J3C-50	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2001-06-29	Valid
N72980	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2001-06-21	Valid
N82567	Champion 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2001-06-20	Valid
N3529E	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Illinois	Standard	2001-06-18	Valid
N7047H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Wisconsin	Standard	2001-05-19	Valid
N72544	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Louisiana	Standard	2001-05-18	Valid
N35809	Piper J3L-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Merritt Robert L Afton, Wyoming	Standard	2001-05-15	Valid
N2391K	Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2001-05-10	Valid
N80523	Globe GC-1A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2001-05-07	Valid
N90116	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2001-05-07	Valid
N76536	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2001-05-05	Valid
N789JJ	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Massachusetts	Standard	2001-04-28	Valid
N87040	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Michigan	Standard	2001-04-27	Valid
N2896N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Indiana	Standard	2001-04-24	Valid
N2925K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2001-04-17	Valid
N1773K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2001-04-10	Valid
N4181N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Vermont	Standard	2001-03-21	Valid
N90007	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2001-02-23	Valid
N76632	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Satanta Flying Service INC Satanta, Kansas	Standard	2001-02-14	Valid
N77446	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2001-01-09	Valid
N2879H	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Florida	Standard	2000-12-28	Valid
N90111	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2000-12-06	Valid
N419JF	Watson J W/Watson F G WATSON-PIETENPOL	Fixed-wing, single engine	Watson John W Chico, California	Experimental	2000-12-01	Valid
N76058	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2000-11-29	Valid
N415	Streifthau BABY GREAT LAKES	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Experimental	2000-11-09	Valid
N84306	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Petes Flight INC La Porte, Indiana	Standard	2000-10-24	Valid
N2088N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2000-10-17	Valid
N2004N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Michigan	Standard	2000-10-05	Valid
N3772	Boyles MINICAB COUPE	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Experimental	2000-10-04	Valid
N1819N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2000-09-26	Valid
N76558	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2000-09-22	Valid
N2697N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2000-09-16	Valid
N38511	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Standard	2000-08-31	Valid
N72913	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2000-08-24	Valid
N76470	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2000-08-24	Valid
N2018N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2000-08-23	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.