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Introduced in the late 1950s, the Cessna 150 was a revolutionary airplane at the time. A tricycle gear, side-by-side two-seater, the model gave instructors and students exactly what they were looking for, an easier-to-fly and -land trainer that held up to a seemingly endless succession of bad student landings. This works out to a useful load of 515, 620, and 489 lbs., respectively.
Cessna 150 – Performance and Handling
The Cessna 150’s original Vne (do not exceed speed) was 136 KCAS, which was improved to 141 KCAS on follow-up variants. Stall speeds are 48 knots clean and 42 knots in landing configuration, a stark difference from the Cessna 172 family, where it had significant changes over the years. All models from 1966 onwards have larger doors and increased baggage space. With the 1967 Model 150G, the doors were bowed outwards 1.5 inches (38 mm) on each side to provide more cabin elbow room.
Landing distance ground roll
Spare parts for it are abundant in the market, there is very little unplanned maintenance to worry about, and the engine has relatively low consumption, which puts it very close to ‘as cheap as it gets for owning an aircraft. The two-seater configuration is not ideal for someone wanting to fly the whole family out on holiday. Still, for someone learning to fly, giving out lessons, or just enjoying joyrides, be it alone or with a passenger, it is hard to beat.
Specifications (1976 Commuter II)
All variants had the same fuel tank arrangement, with a baseline capacity of 26 gallons. Cessna offered long-range tanks that expanded this to 42 gallons on the original model, which was reduced to 38 from the Cessna 150H onwards in exchange for crew comforts. If you fly, you know of Cessna aircraft, and you certainly have heard of the Cessna 150. You may have even flown in one, or at least aboard its younger brother, the Cessna 152. Pilots love the 150 for its simple handling, owners adore the easygoing maintenance, and the low fuel consumption makes it easy to get behind too.
For the 1960 model, the generator in the Commuter was upgraded to 35 amperes. All 150s for 1959 had included a 20-ampere generator, and this was retained in the Standard and Trainer for 1960; the 35-ampere generator was offered as an option for these configurations. Also for 1960, "Patroller" options were introduced for patrol-type work. The 1969 model was the 150J, which externally looked identical to the 150H. The 150J's biggest change was its instrument panel layout, which finally adopted the "basic-T" arrangement that would be used for all later 150 models.
A total of 3097 "M" models were built during its three-year run.[1] An additional 285 were built by Reims as the F150M and 141 FA150M Aerobats. It is not designed for purely aerobatic flight, though some maneuvers are permitted as per the aircraft’s POH. The aircraft is equipped for day and night VFR and may be equipped for day or night IFR with additional equipment.
The 150D moved the heavy electrical battery from the previous rear location, behind the baggage compartment, to the front, just ahead of the engine firewall. It had a broader range for its center of gravity than earlier models, which allowed more flexibility in loading. The 150D also had more permissive airspeed limits for its never-exceed speed, its maneuvering speed, and particularly its maximum flaps-extended speed, which was raised from 85 mph (137 km/h; 74 kn) to 100 mph (161 km/h; 87 kn). Fuel is supplied to the engine from two 13-gallon tanks, one in each wing. From these tanks, fuel flows by gravity through a fuel shutoff valve and fuel strainer to the carburetor. Fuel capacity can be increased to 38 gallons total with the optional long-range system.
Baggage capacity
The Cessna 150 was the first flight experience for many pilots who learned to fly anytime after 1959. It’s an all-metal tricycle gear high wing airplane with two side-by-side seats. The Cessna 150 had limited visibility, because it didn’t have a rear window (in the original model), and high wing aircraft have essentially no upward visibility anyway due to the wing. However, it did have fairly large windows on each cabin door, and two smaller windows on the sides of the fuselage near the baggage compartment.
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With a low hull value and tricycle gear, it’s a safe and insurable little plane. Additionally, the purchase cost is excitingly low as well, making it a smart first plane for many low-time pilots. Depending on the year and upgrades, you can pick up your own Cessna 150 for between $12,500 and $49,500, though most often you can get them at the lower end of that range, at an average of around $20,000.
As I mentioned earlier, the Cessna 150 went through 12 unique variations, and each one brought about changes. The Cessna 150 is incredibly versatile- depending on the variant, you can upgrade it to a pretty good aerobatic trainer, a great backcountry plane, a light cross-country plane, or leave it as is as a standard trainer. For pilots who fly solo, there doesn’t seem to be many more plentiful, affordable options out there that can beat the Cessna 150. Like with all legacy models, there are plenty of little things to fix, but most of the used C150’s on the market have already been taken care of and well-loved as a family plane or commuter. The later versions that have a rear window are obviously a better option, but it’d be hard to be disappointed with a standard, trustworthy plane like the Cessna 150.
Modifications to the aircraft’s baggage compartment increased its capacity from 80 lbs. Cessna built nearly 25,000 of the birds (along with around 7,000 of the closely related 152, another good value). The engine in the 150 is the Continental O-200, which purportedly produces 100 hp and burns around 7 gph.
A common complaint in terms of handling is the rather sudden onset of stalls and spins. Unlike other aircraft, the Cessna 150 does not provide the pilot with noticeable buffeting as it approaches a stall, skipping straight to dropping the left wing. American-made 150s were all produced with the Continental O-200-A engine of 100 horsepower (75 kW). Most Reims-built aircraft are powered by a Continental O-200-A built under license by Rolls-Royce, but some have the Rolls-Royce-built version of the Continental O-240-A. Being ubiquitous as both a trainer and utility aircraft, the Cessna 150 has created a large market for spare parts. Owners can service their aircraft at most shops in either the United States or abroad, which extends to some modifications that have almost become standard among the airworthy 150 fleets today.
The main gear has a small step on each side to make it easier to access the cockpit. The first C-150s came off the production line with a 100-hp Continental O-200 engine. It had a "turtledeck" fuselage, no back window, and a straight, squared-off tail. These unflattering characteristics meant poor visibility to the rear, modest baggage space, and a placard against spins.
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