Aircraft model
CESSNA A150K
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The A150K is the Aerobat, the aerobatic version of the Cessna 150 introduced in 1970. Cessna strengthened the airframe, added quick-release door pins, four-point harnesses, a g-meter and skylight windows, and certified it for spins, loops, barrel rolls and other basic manoeuvres. Externally it is distinguished mainly by its chequerboard paint scheme.
It is the cheapest certified aerobatic aeroplane available and it is used for introductory aerobatic training and spin endorsements, which is exactly the job it does well. It is not a competition machine: 100 hp gives leisurely vertical performance and manoeuvres must be flown with energy in hand. The airframe carries a life limit on aerobatic use in some service documents and the logbooks need reading for how hard it has been flown. Otherwise it is a 150 — cheap to run, universally supported, and tight for two adults.
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- CESSNA A150K
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What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental O-200-A |
| Horsepower | 100 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1970 |
| Production end | 1970 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 100 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 330 nm |
| Service ceiling | 12,650 ft |
| Climb rate | 670 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 42 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,385 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,075 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 540 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 405 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,600 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,060 lb |
| Usable fuel | 22.5 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 5.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $40,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $94,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $24,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $34,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 171 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 72 |
| Median year built | 1969.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 13.89 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 13.89 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 8 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 11.11 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 5 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 72 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 72 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 72 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 8.6 of 103 |
| Support | 4.6 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 1.2 of 105 |
These record scores treat CESSNA A150K as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes the record of aircraft once registered under CESSNA / DE CANIO. Prices are not combined.
- Accident record: class median 29.1 · 174 models in class.
- Severity: class median 9.09.
- Access: class median 974.
- Support: class median 81.
- Liquidity: class median 20.47.
- 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.