Engines · piston (reciprocating) · data as of October 5, 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
N1924K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner North Dakota	Standard	2024-10-29	Valid
N37841	Culver LFA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arkansas	Standard	2024-10-29	Valid
N6403H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arkansas	Standard	2024-10-29	Valid
N88162	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2024-10-29	Valid
N72981	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	2024-10-28	Valid
N797	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2024-10-28	Valid
N2331N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	642 Flyers LLC Mankato, Minnesota	Standard	2024-10-25	Valid
N1917N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2024-10-24	Valid
N2768K	Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Standard	2024-10-24	Valid
N98735	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2024-10-24	Valid
N77140	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2024-10-22	Valid
N83468	Aeronca 7DC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Skyhawk Aero LLC Montevideo, Minnesota	Standard	2024-10-21	Valid
N88445	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Standard	2024-10-21	Valid
N98813	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2024-10-21	Valid
N35601	Piper J5A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	2024-10-19	Valid
N41025	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Mississippi	Standard	2024-10-18	Valid
N82686	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Connecticut	Standard	2024-10-16	Valid
N87018	Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Standard	2024-10-16	Valid
N2360H	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2024-10-15	Valid
N3698E	Champion AERONCA 7DC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2024-10-12	Valid
N1758N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2024-10-11	Valid
N2212N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	2024-10-10	Valid
N89156	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner	Standard	2024-10-09	Valid
N99092	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2024-10-09	Valid
N2025K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2024-10-08	Valid
N4284C	Harbin Bowers Fly Baby 1A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Experimental	2024-10-08	Valid
N4434H	Piper PA-15	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Washington	Experimental	2024-10-07	Valid
N72284	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2024-10-04	Valid
N76464	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2024-10-04	Valid
N76370	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	International Air Services INC Trustee Carson City, Nevada	Standard	2024-10-03	Valid
N24846	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Fly8Ma LLC Big Lake, Alaska	Standard	2024-10-02	Valid
N1775N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2024-10-01	Valid
N2813N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Florida	Standard	2024-09-30	Valid
N88146	Piper J-3C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2024-09-28	Valid
N2890N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2024-09-27	Valid
N3736E	Champion 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Avila Raul Lakeland, Florida	Standard	2024-09-27	Valid
N77123	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Jersey	Standard	2024-09-27	Valid
N94003	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2024-09-26	Valid
N94887	Ercoupe G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Ohio	Standard	2024-09-26	Valid
N76994	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2024-09-25	Valid
N72135	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Tropic Aviation Services INC Indiantown, Florida	Standard	2024-09-24	Valid
N2453K	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Walden Taylor G Pueblo, Colorado	Standard	2024-09-21	Valid
N3853	Clinton BOWERS FLY BABY 1A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Experimental	2024-09-21	Valid
N2353V	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2024-09-20	Valid
N77202	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Standard	2024-09-19	Valid
N99174	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Illinois	Standard	2024-09-19	Valid
N4361C	Champion 7EC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2024-09-18	Valid
N72891	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Connecticut	Standard	2024-09-18	Valid
N117ED	Deel Earnest VARI=EZE	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Experimental	2024-09-17	Valid
N42445	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2024-09-17	Valid
N149JA	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2024-09-16	Valid
N2933N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Welch Aviation Services LLC Houston, Texas	Standard	2024-09-16	Valid
N87112	Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Morrilton Flying Club INC Conway, Arkansas	Standard	2024-09-13	Valid
N1874V	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2024-09-11	Valid
N4535E	Aeronca 11CC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2024-09-11	Valid
N4642M	Piper PA-11	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Standard	2024-09-11	Valid
N199GP	Gildersleeve Hayden P GN-1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Experimental	2024-09-10	Valid
N2547E	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Four Seven Echo LLC Lenexa, Kansas	Standard	2024-09-10	Valid
N6646N	Taylorcraft Aviation Corp 19	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2024-09-10	Valid
N27732	Stinson 10	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2024-09-07	Valid
N93828	Ercoupe 415-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2024-09-01	Valid
N666TB	Bernie Thomas S GN-1 AIRCAMPER	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Massachusetts	Experimental	2024-08-31	Valid
N630SA	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2024-08-29	Valid
N77083	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2024-08-27	Valid
N2159B	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Standard	2024-08-23	Valid
N4181A	Erickson Jr 1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Experimental	2024-08-23	Valid
N70329	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2024-08-23	Valid
N89270	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner New York	Standard	2024-08-23	Valid
N2034G	Nottling John A SPORT TRAINER	Fixed-wing, single engine	Big Sky Flyers LLC Billings, Montana	Experimental	2024-08-22	Valid
N2133N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2024-08-22	Valid
N22934	Piper J3F-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Sonex Aircraft LLC Oshkosh, Wisconsin	Standard	2024-08-22	Valid
N89947	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Utah	Standard	2024-08-21	Valid
N22004	Luscombe 8E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2024-08-20	Valid
N1237E	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2024-08-19	Valid
N80799	Globe GC-1B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Globe Swift LLC Chino Valley, Arizona	Standard	2024-08-19	Valid
N3168N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner West Virginia	Standard	2024-08-18	Valid
N89942	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Hawgwild Aviation & Holdings LLC Kansas City, Missouri	Standard	2024-08-18	Valid
N93543	Ercoupe 415-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2024-08-17	Valid
N1894N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2024-08-16	Valid
N72310	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Jackson Air LLC Savannah, Georgia	Standard	2024-08-15	Valid
N4256E	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Dakota	Standard	2024-08-14	Valid
N72169	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2024-08-14	Valid
N6045V	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2024-08-10	Valid
N92273	Piper J-3	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2024-08-09	Valid
N2475N	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2024-08-06	Valid
N99596	Ercoupe 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2024-08-02	Valid
N221DN	Crawford BOWERS FLY BABY	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Experimental	2024-08-01	Valid
N7096J	Aeronca 7BCM	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2024-08-01	Valid
N98775	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nebraska	Multiple	2024-08-01	Valid
N55PL	Cessna 140A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2024-07-31	Valid
N76208	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2024-07-31	Valid
N89458	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2024-07-31	Valid
N2485H	Engineering & Research 415-C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2024-07-30	Valid
N72777	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2024-07-29	Valid
N73003	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	2024-07-29	Valid
N77493	Cessna 120	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2024-07-29	Valid
N1965N	Cessna 140	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Wisconsin	Standard	2024-07-27	Valid
N42259	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2024-07-27	Valid
N99055	Ercoupe 415-D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Ag-Aero Services LLC Spring Hill, Florida	Standard	2024-07-27	Valid
N2028E	Champion AERONCA 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Arkansas	Standard	2024-07-26	Valid

Source: FAA Civil Aviation Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database (the engine reference table and each aircraft's engine code), October 5, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.