​This 1971 Cessna 150L Is a Training and Time-Building ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1971 Cessna 150L.

The Cessna 150 is a legend, even though its small size, relatively slow cruise speed and minimalist design tend to overshadow its true status. If we consider the big shoes this midcentury machine had to fill, including those of the Piper J-3 Cub, Aeronca 7AC Champ, and other classic taildraggers, the 150 starts to look more impressive.

While pilots wax nostalgic about learning to fly in those older trainers, the all-metal 150 is more capable, much more robust, and has been more prolific in minting new pilots after dominating the basic trainer fleet for more than 60 years. Generations of pilots have stories about learning to fly in Cessna 150s and 152s, and many of those tales are laced with fond recollections.

Unlike some trainers of an earlier vintage, the 150 can also make an ideal mount for personal travel, commuting, and building time toward an aviation career. Years ago, when I was working toward my private pilot certificate in Sussex, New Jersey (KFWN), I would look across the ramp or down the taxiway and see one of my friends taxiing his barebones 150, often on his way to his fourth or fifth flight of the day. He was pursuing a commercial certificate to help him grow his fledgling skydiving business more aggressively.

Fast forward more than a dozen years and his operation is a well-known hub for skydivers across the Northeast. On busy days he runs a pair of Cessna Caravans or even a Shorts Skyvan to accommodate the jumpers who flock to the field. It’s a far cry from the old days, when he hired commercial pilots to take a handful of jumpers up in a Cessna 206 with the cargo doors removed. How’s that for nostalgia?

This 1971 Cessna has 6,035 hours on the airframe, 1,493 hours since overhaul on its 100 hp Continental O-200 engine, and 1,493 hours on its McCauley two-blade propeller. The aircraft has an empty weight of 1,108 pounds and a useful load of 491 pounds.

The VFR panel includes a Bendix AS248A audio panel, Bendix KX170B nav/com, Bendix/King KT76A transponder, and Electronics International EGT indicator.

Pilots looking for an efficient and economical aircraft for training, timebuilding, and two-up travel should consider this 1971 Cessna 150L, which is available for $42,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use our airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Why Aren’t Cessna 140s/150s Considered Light Sport Aircraft?
• FLYING Magazine: Passenger Lands Cessna 150 After Pilot Incapacitation
• FLYING Magazine: I Learned About Flying From That: 18,300 Feet in a Cessna 150
• Plane + Pilot: Incredible Plane: Cessna 150
• Plane + Pilot: Cessna 150/152
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Cessna 150/152