Aircraft model
CESSNA 310Q
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Cessna 310 is the light twin most people picture from 1960s television, with its tip tanks and swept fin. The 1973 Q model is a six-seat, 260 hp-a-side aeroplane cruising at about 190 knots, used for business travel, light charter and by owners who wanted two engines without moving to a cabin-class aircraft. It is fast for its era and pleasant to fly.
What a buyer must understand is the fuel system. The 310 carries fuel in wingtip tanks with auxiliary and locker tanks optional, and the cross-feed and tank-selection rules are genuinely complicated — fuel mismanagement is a recurring cause of accidents in the type and the checklist must be learned properly, not skimmed. Beyond that, the ordinary light-twin economics apply: two six-cylinder Continentals to overhaul, two propellers, and an annual inspection that runs several times a single's. Single-engine climb is adequate rather than generous. Insurance requires a multi-engine rating and, for most owners, formal recurrent training.
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 | 1972 |
| Production end | 1974 |
| 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) | 69 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,795 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,790 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 2,150 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,538 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 5,500 lb |
| Empty weight | 3,350 lb |
| Usable fuel | 102 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 29.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $90,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $200,000 |
| 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 | 609 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 277 |
| Median year built | 1973.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 7 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 25.27 per 1,000 active · base 277 active |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 18.05 per 1,000 active · base 277 active |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 71 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 25.63 per 100 active · base 277 active |
| Airworthiness directives | 9 |
| 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 multi-engine, piston, 2 engines, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | — · class median 22.1 · 57 models in class |
| Severity | — · class median 25 |
| Access | 3.3 of 10 · class median 2,924.5 |
| Support | 9 of 10 · class median 57 |
| Liquidity | 7.7 of 10 · class median 21.42 |