AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2016 - 36

PILOT BRIEFING
BUDGET BUY

VREF VALUE

Vref, an AOPA partner,
lists the 1960 Cessna 150 at
$14,000 while the 1977 C150 is
$21,000. The 1979 Cessna 152
is $23,750 while the 1985 C152
is $30,000.

Trusty trainer
Cessna 150/152

RECENT ADVERTISED PRICES

B Y A LTO N K . M A R S H

Listed in Trade-A-Plane at
the time this was written
were 20 Cessna 150s and
152s priced from $16,000 to
$60,000, the $60,000 one
appearing to be a restoration
and available from Van Bortel
Aircraft. There were three Aerobats ranging from $34,000
to $38,000. Barnstormers.
com had 18 priced mostly in
the teens.
INSURANCE COSTS

AOPA Insurance Services
estimates a $25,000 Cessna
150 or 152 flown by a 100-hour
(total time) pilot will cost $750
per year to insure. That's one
of the least expensive airplanes in the fleet to insure.

THE CESSNA 150 came to life in 1959, became widely known in the early 1960s, and was
upgraded as the Cessna 152 in 1978 before production ended in 1985. It was once the trainer
everybody used, so many on the market have had a good beating from students. With more
than 11,000 on the registry, it's a good bet that many continue as the first trainer a student
sees. You can buy one for $20,000 or less to build time, but you may end up with more than
the purchase price in repairs. AOPA has championed the Reimagined Cessna 150 and 152
built by Aviat Aircraft in Afton, Wyoming, which provide an alternative. The refurbished
aircraft will hold their value for resale and are unlikely to break down while you build time.
AOPA Finance offers special financing for flying clubs purchasing the Reimagined aircraft.
(An appraisal has confirmed the true value of the Reimagined 150/152 for those purchasing
through the factory.)
THE REAL WORLD

Dan Meler owned a 1966 150F for 20 years. He is also the president of the 1,000-member
Cessna 150-152 Club based in Central Point, Oregon. Meler had a 160-horsepower engine with
a conversion to the Texas Taildragger. He also had the Horton STOL kit and long-range tanks
(40 gallons total). He converted it to a tailwheel airplane so he could do backcountry flying,
and also wanted the challenge of learning to fly a tailwheel. Only about five percent of the
150s and 152s have 160-horsepower engines with the tailwheel conversions. Meler estimates
his per-hour cost was $75, including all consumables and maintenance. "It's not a labor intensive airplane unless you get a lemon," he said. He suggests not getting a fixer-upper. He could
cruise up to 140 miles an hour burning 7.5 gallons per hour, while his friends in the standard
150/152 got 110 mph in cruise burning six gallons per hour. "The things that seem to plague
the 150 sometimes are sticking valves in the 100-horsepower Continental engines," Meler
said. He didn't baby his engine and thinks that is for the best. He noted the Continental is
sensitive to carburetor ice, more so that the Lycoming. His friends
with 152s and 115-horsepower Lycoming engines have had few
WHOM TO CONTACT
Cessna 150-152 Club, Post Office
problems. Meler also believes that because the 152 had a 28-volt
Box 5298, Central Point, Oregon
electrical system, radios cost more.
EMAIL alton.marsh@aopa.org

36 | AOPA PILOT August 2016

97502; 541-772-8601; email
membership@cessna150152.
com; www.cessna150152.com.

HOW MANY IN THE FLEET?

Airpac PlaneBase shows 11,864
registered Cessna 150 and 152
aircraft, not counting those
built in France.
FINANCING

AOPA Finance estimates $227
per month for a $25,000
10-year loan at 6.5 percent
with 20 percent down. A loan
for a Reimagined 150 or 152
depends on an appraisal of the
aircraft's actual value. AOPA
Finance offers special financing to flying clubs for its two
Reimagined models.
AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES

Make sure the rudder-stop
kit is installed. Otherwise no
biggies.

BIGGEST PLUS

Costs $65 per hour to operate, even counting the loan
payment.
BIGGEST MINUS

Could have been beaten up
during training flights.
THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR

Beware of fixer-uppers.

WHAT ELSE TO CONSIDER

Piper Cherokee 140, Grumman
American AA-1B/C

http://www.Barnstormers.com http://www.Barnstormers.com http://www.cessna150152.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2016