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Aircraft model

CESSNA 310G

Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.

The 1962 model, and the one that gave the whole Cessna twin line its signature: the canted, slimline tip tanks that replaced the earlier straight-on cylinders and were then fitted to almost everything Cessna built with two engines. Takeoff weight went up again to 4,990 lb and a six-seat cabin became available as an option, although the type certificate still lists five as standard. 156 were built. The 260 hp injected Continental IO-470-D carries over unchanged from the 310F.

The canted tanks are not cosmetic — they were meant to reduce drag and to put the fuel load in a better place — but they do not change the fundamental discipline the fuel system demands, and a 310G pilot still has to fly the tank selector rather than set it. As a used aeroplane this sits in the sweet spot of the early series: modern enough to be quick and carry a real load, old enough to cost less than a well-equipped single. The two Continentals at overhaul remain the number that decides whether the purchase was clever.

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What it is

Seats5
Landing geartricycle
Engines2
EngineContinental IO-470-D
Horsepower260 hp
Fuel100LL
Certification basisCAR3
Production start1962
Production end1962
Endorsements requiredcomplex;high-performance;multi-engine

Performance

Cruise speed191 KTAS
Range678 nm
Service ceiling21,300 ft
Climb rate1,800 ft/min
Stall speed (Vso)73 KCAS
Takeoff over 50 ft1,395 ft
Landing over 50 ft1,720 ft

Load and fuel

Seats5
Useful load1,941 lb
Full-fuel payload1,329 lb
Max takeoff weight4,990 lb
Empty weight3,049 lb
Usable fuel102 gal
Fuel burn at cruise29.1 gal/h

Cost of ownership

Price, low$60,000
Price, high$245,000
Prices as of2026
Engine TBO1,500 h
Overhaul cost, low$42,000
Overhaul cost, high$58,000

The fleet and its record

Registered, all time155
Active fleet41
Median year built1962.0
NTSB events, last 10 years3
Fatal events, last 10 years0
Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years73.17 · thin base (low)1
Personal-flying events per 1,000 active24.39 · thin base (low)2
Ownership transfers, last 24 months7
Transfers per 100 active17.07 · thin base (low)3
Airworthiness directives5
Directives, last 5 years0
Rate confidencelow
  1. Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 41 active.
  2. Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 41 active.
  3. Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 41 active.

Peer scores6

Peer classFixed wing multi-engine, piston, 2 engines, 5-6 seats
Accident record—1
Severity—2
Access1.1 of 103
Support3.1 of 104
Liquidity2.9 of 105
  1. Accident record: class median 22.1 · 57 models in class.
  2. Severity: class median 25.
  3. Access: class median 2,924.5.
  4. Support: class median 57.
  5. Liquidity: class median 21.42.
  6. 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.