Many Skylanes are nose-heavy because owners put heavier avionics in the panel. Always check your Weight & Balance. A 182 with two heavy pilots up front and no baggage aft can be difficult to flare.
To understand the , you must first understand the Cessna 180. Introduced in 1953, the Cessna 180 was a taildragger (conventional gear) with a 225 horsepower engine. It was powerful but required skilled piloting for ground handling.