Aircraft model
CESSNA 210-5A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1964 Cessna 205A, which the type certificate calls the 210-5A: a Centurion with the retractable gear replaced by fixed legs and the cabin stretched to six seats. Cessna built it for two years as the answer to people who wanted the 210's room without the 210's undercarriage, and then replaced it with the 206. 260 hp Continental IO-470-S, 3,300 lb.
The 205 is the cheapest way into a six-seat Cessna single and it is genuinely underrated: no gear system to maintain, no gear insurance loading, and a useful load that embarrasses a lot of retractables. What it is not is fast — the fixed gear costs about twenty-five knots against a 210 of the same year. Parts commonality with the 206 is good, the type has no notorious structural problem, and the IO-470 is one of the better big Continentals. Look for corrosion and for a hard working life, because many were used as haulers.
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental IO-470-S |
| Horsepower | 260 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1964 |
| Production end | 1964 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 138 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 515 nm |
| Service ceiling | 16,100 ft |
| Climb rate | 965 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 50 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,465 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,510 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,550 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,160 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,300 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,750 lb |
| Usable fuel | 65 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 14.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $90,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $325,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,500 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $42,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $58,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 23 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 12 |
| Median year built | 1963.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | — |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | — |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 0 |
| Transfers per 100 active | — |
| Airworthiness directives | 5 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | none |
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, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | — · class median 38.14 · 73 models in class |
| Severity | — · class median 8.33 |
| Access | — · class median 1,794 |
| Support | 1.8 of 10 · class median 81 |
| Liquidity | — · class median 17.96 |