Aircraft model
CESSNA 310P
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1970 Cessna 310, the last of the 260 hp normally aspirated models before the 285 hp 310Q arrived. It seats six, cruises at 190 knots and carries a useful 1,950 lb, which with six aboard leaves a realistic allowance for luggage and something close to full tanks.
It is a mature, well-sorted aeroplane and the cheapest way into a late-model 310 airframe. Everything in the ownership picture is the family standard: two engines and two propellers to overhaul, roughly 28 gallons an hour, and a light-twin annual. The tip-tank fuel system with optional auxiliary and locker tanks is complicated and has caused accidents. Corrosion and damage history dominate value on an airframe of this age, and the avionics will need bringing up to current airspace requirements if that has not already been done.
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Continental IO-470-V |
| Horsepower | 260 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1970 |
| Production end | 1970 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance;multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 190 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 900 nm |
| Service ceiling | 19,750 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,540 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 68 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,700 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,750 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,950 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,338 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 5,200 lb |
| Empty weight | 3,250 lb |
| Usable fuel | 102 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 29.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $70,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $245,000 |
| 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 | 159 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 61 |
| Median year built | 1969.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 0 per 1,000 active · base 61 active · thin base (low) |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 0 per 1,000 active · base 61 active · thin base (low) |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 15 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 24.59 per 100 active · base 61 active · thin base (low) |
| Airworthiness directives | 9 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
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 multi-engine, piston, 2 engines, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | — · class median 22.1 · 57 models in class |
| Severity | — · class median 25 |
| Access | — · class median 2,924.5 |
| Support | 5.5 of 10 · class median 57 |
| Liquidity | 7.1 of 10 · class median 21.42 |