Why a Cessna 150

Safety

First of all 150s are safe. They have one of the best safety records recorded. In light of the understanding that 150s are usually flown as trainers by one just learning to fly it is a very noteworthy achievement. Few of us have the opportunity to fly as much as we would like which usually means we aren't as proficient as we could be. So, what better plane to fly than one that is safer in many respects.

Easy to Fly

Secondly, 150s are easy to fly. I believe flying should be fun. That means enjoying the view and sometimes sharing of the experience with another. Flying shouldn't require so much thought and effort that one misses the enjoyment of the moment. These planes pretty much fly themselves. That's not to say one shouldn't be skilled, one should fly only when comfortable with the task at hand which includes a wide variety of variables. Paul Metz, test pilot for Lockeed Martin's F-22 Raptor, in an attempt to indicate the ease at which the new stealth fighter flys said "If you can fly a Cessna 150, you can fly this airplane". One might conclude that 150s set the standard for easy to fly airplanes.

Economical to Buy

Third, 150s are economical to purchase. Well, relatively speaking anyway. For airplanes, they don't come much cheaper. Cessna 150s can be purchased for about the same as a good used car. I'd say anything less than $17,000 is going to need quite a bit of work before long. I purchased 60146 for just under $9,000 in 1994 knowing that and expensive overhaul was just around the corner. I'm thinking one should pay around $20,000 for a relatively good airplane. They haven't seemed to increase in price over the years.

Economical to Fly

Fourth, 150s are economical to fly. They burn about 5 gallons an hour. There is, as with most any hobby, no end to the money one can spend. There are nice new GPS receivers, noise cancelling headsets, places to go - again this weekend, and the list goes on.

Maintenance

Fifth, maintenance is not a big problem with 150s. There are literally thousands of them and parts, although sometimes expensive, are available. Many A&Ps have or routinely work on Cessna 150s. 150s are also rather simple, so whatever does go wrong can generally be easily fixed.

I could go on and on but these are what I feel are major advantages 150s have over other aircraft. Great deals can be made. As the very satisfied owner of a Cessna 150, I feel they are hard to beat.

For comments, suggestions, or questions please e-mail me at ken@cessna150.net.