Aircraft model
CESSNA 150L
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
Built 1971-1974 and the most numerous single version of the 150. It introduced the tubular spring-steel main gear legs, which widened the track and made the aeroplane markedly better behaved on the ground and in a crosswind than the earlier flat-spring models. Otherwise it is the same 100 hp two-seater used for training everywhere.
Buy it for the running costs and nothing else. By this point in the production run the empty weight has crept up enough that useful load with full fuel is around 415 lb, which is two average adults and nothing more — and two genuinely large adults will not fit both the cabin and the weight limit. The other honest complaint is noise and vibration; long flights are tiring. The upsides are that it is cheap to insure for anyone including a brand-new pilot, cheap to annual, cheap to fuel, and easy to sell. If a 150 has been converted to 150 hp under the popular Texas Taildragger or engine-upgrade STCs, that changes both value and handling significantly.
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 | 1971 |
| Production end | 1974 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 102 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 350 nm |
| Service ceiling | 12,650 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 | 550 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 415 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,600 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,050 lb |
| Usable fuel | 22.5 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 5.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $30,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $80,000 |
| 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 | 3,502 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 1,448 |
| Median year built | 1972.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 46 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 8 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 31.77 per 1,000 active · base 1,448 active |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 19.34 per 1,000 active · base 1,448 active |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 409 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 28.25 per 100 active · base 1,448 active |
| Airworthiness directives | 6 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
Peer scores
A score runs from 0 to 10 within the model's peer class: a position, not a grade, and the six are never added together.
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 5.9 of 10 · class median 25 · 181 models in class |
| Severity | 3.2 of 10 · class median 5 |
| Access | 8.3 of 10 · class median 987 |
| Support | 9.8 of 10 · class median 72 |
| Liquidity | 8.1 of 10 · class median 20.59 |