Aircraft model
CESSNA 310J
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1965 Cessna 310. Mechanically it matches the I model — 260 hp fuel-injected Continentals, canted tip tanks, six seats — with trim and equipment changes. It cruises at 185 knots and carries a useful 1,900 lb.
The model letters in this part of the run differ so little that condition is the only sensible basis for choosing between them. What matters is engine time, corrosion, damage history and whether the avionics have been brought up to date, which on a sixty-year-old twin is a substantial exercise. The tip-tank fuel system needs learning properly. Two engines, two propellers and a light-twin annual are the standing costs, and currency in asymmetric flight is what makes the second engine an asset rather than a liability.
Compare with…
Put CESSNA 310J side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA 310J
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Continental IO-470-U |
| Horsepower | 260 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1965 |
| Production end | 1965 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance;multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 185 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 850 nm |
| Service ceiling | 19,750 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,600 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 67 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,600 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,700 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,910 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,298 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 4,990 lb |
| Empty weight | 3,080 lb |
| Usable fuel | 102 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 29.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $75,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $160,000 |
| 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 | 197 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 59 |
| Median year built | 1965.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 33.9 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 16.95 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 18 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 30.51 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 6 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 59 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 59 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 59 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, piston, 2 engines, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 0.7 of 103 |
| Support | 5.2 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 8.5 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 28.74 · 56 models in class.
- Severity: class median 33.33.
- Access: class median 2,812.25.
- Support: class median 57.
- Liquidity: class median 21.91.
- 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.