Aircraft model
CESSNA 150A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1961 Cessna 150, from the straight-tail years. It exists to teach people to fly at the lowest cost per hour, and it still does that, along with cheap hour-building and local flying. It is small, slow, noisy and about as forgiving as a powered aeroplane gets.
At 1,500 lb gross the useful load is tight: two adults and full fuel is near the limit with nothing left for luggage, and anyone much over six feet will be uncomfortable after an hour. The 100 hp Continental burns around five and a half gallons an hour and is simple to maintain. The inspection priorities are corrosion, and the nose gear and firewall for evidence of student arrivals. A 150 with unusable radios is cheap for a reason and the upgrade costs more than the aeroplane.
Compare with…
Put CESSNA 150A side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA 150A
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental O-200-A |
| Horsepower | 100 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1961 |
| Production end | 1961 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 102 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 350 nm |
| Service ceiling | 15,300 ft |
| Climb rate | 670 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 42 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,385 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,075 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 530 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 395 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,500 lb |
| Empty weight | 970 lb |
| Usable fuel | 22.5 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 5.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $25,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $60,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $24,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $34,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 309 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 122 |
| Median year built | 1961.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 32.791 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 32.792 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 24 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 19.673 |
| Airworthiness directives | 3 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 122 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 122 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 122 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 7 of 103 |
| Support | 6.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 5.1 of 105 |
These record scores treat CESSNA 150A as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 4 aircraft registered under P Z L KOLIBER. Prices are not combined.
- Accident record: class median 29.1 · 174 models in class.
- Severity: class median 9.09.
- Access: class median 974.
- Support: class median 81.
- Liquidity: class median 20.47.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.