Aircraft model
CESSNA T310Q
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The turbocharged 310Q, with 285 hp a side and a 27,000-foot ceiling, cruising at 223 knots in the low twenties. It is the fast version of Cessna's light twin and was used heavily by air taxi and small freight operators alongside private owners.
The turbochargers are what you pay for and what costs money. The TSIO-520 runs hot, is less tolerant of careless power handling than a normally aspirated engine, and is hard on exhaust systems and turbochargers — cracked exhaust components are the recurring inspection item and a carbon monoxide risk. The tip-tank fuel system with optional auxiliary and locker tanks remains complicated. Without pressurisation the ceiling means oxygen for everyone aboard, which limits how the altitude capability is actually used.
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Put CESSNA T310Q side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA T310Q
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Continental TSIO-520-B (turbocharged) |
| Horsepower | 285 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1973 |
| Production end | 1974 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance;multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 223 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 900 nm |
| Service ceiling | 27,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,700 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 69 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,700 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,790 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 2,050 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,438 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 5,500 lb |
| Empty weight | 3,450 lb |
| Usable fuel | 102 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 33.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $90,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $300,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,400 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $60,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $85,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 118 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 50 |
| Median year built | 1973.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 20 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 20 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 5 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 10 · 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 50 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 50 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 50 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, piston, 2 engines, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 3.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 0.4 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.