Cessna P210N

The Pressurized Centurion, built from 1978, is the only pressurised single-engine piston aeroplane Cessna ever produced in quantity. It carries six people at about 195 knots in the low twenties with a cabin altitude low enough that oxygen masks are not needed, which is the entire point — for a family, the difference between a pressurised and unpressurised cabin at those altitudes is the difference between a pleasant trip and an ordeal.

It is also the most demanding piston single to own on this list. The 310 hp turbocharged Continental in a pressurised installation runs hot and hard; cylinder and turbocharger problems are common and the engine frequently does not reach its nominal overhaul life. Cracked exhaust components are especially serious here because cabin pressurisation air comes off the engine. Add the pressurisation system itself, the retractable gear, and the 2020 wing spar carry-through airworthiness directive that applies across the 210 series. One useful detail: the maximum operating altitude is 23,000 ft, below the threshold in the regulation, so no high-altitude endorsement is legally required — though any sensible insurer will want the training anyway.

Variants of the Cessna 210 Centurion

• 210 · 1960 · 188 active
• 210A · 1961 · 84 active
• 210B · 1962 · 101 active
• 210C · 1963 · 57 active
• 210D · 1964 · 123 active
• 210E · 1965 · 74 active
• 210F · 1966 · 34 active
• T210F · 1966 · 65 active
• 210G · 1967 · 39 active
• 210H · 1968 · 38 active
• 210J · 1969 · 55 active
• 210K · 1970 · 50 active
• 210L · 1972 · 234 active
• T210L · 1975 · 306 active
• 210M · 1977 · 123 active
• T210M · 1977 · 321 active
• P210N · 1978 · 421 active · this page
• 210N · 1979 · 81 active
• T210 · 1979 · 1 active
• T210N · 1979 · 468 active
• 210R · 1985 · 1 active

Also consider

• Beechcraft B36TC
  Score 21.7/50 · 6 seats · 190 kt
• Piper PA46R-350T
  Score 28.8/50 · 6 seats · 213 kt
• Cessna TU206G
  Score 27.7/50 · 6 seats · 164 kt

Compare these side by side