Is the Cessna 152 still being built?

No. Production of the 152 ended in 1985 when Cessna paused its piston single line. Cessna's 2008 attempt to replace the 152 with the LSA-class Cessna 162 Skycatcher reached only 192 airframes before being cancelled in 2013, so the 152 has no factory-built modern successor in the Cessna line.

Can the Cessna 152 be used for IFR training?

Officially the 152 can be IFR-equipped if the avionics and pitot-static system are appropriately certified, and a number of clubs have IFR-capable 152s with G5 / GFC 500 retrofits. In practice most schools transition students to a 172, PA-28-181 Archer, or DA40 for IFR training because of the 152's modest useful load and limited panel real estate.

Why is the Cessna 152 so common at flying clubs?

Acquisition cost ($25k–$75k for a flyable airframe), fuel burn around 6 gph at 100LL, and a parts ecosystem supported by the Cessna 150-152 Club and Cessna Owner Organization make it the cheapest two-seat ab-initio platform on the FAA registry. Tens of thousands of airframes are still flying despite the 1985 production end.

What is the difference between the Cessna 150 and 152?

The 152 (1977–1985) replaced the 150 (1958–1977) primarily to switch from the Continental O-200-A on 80/87-octane fuel to the Lycoming O-235-L2C on 100LL. The 152 is rated at 110 hp versus 100 hp, has a slightly higher 1,670 lb MTOW, and small interior and aerodynamic refinements. Operationally the two are interchangeable for ab-initio training.

Cessna (Textron Aviation)

150 / 152

Single-engine piston · Primary trainer · Pre-1980 classic

discontinued

Photo: MilborneOne via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Power: 110 hp
Cruise: 107 kt
MTOW: 1,670 lb
Range: 415 nm
Fuel: 100LL avgas

🇺🇸Specs shown in Imperial.

Performance

Cruise speed (Vc)107 kt
Never-exceed speed (Vne)149 kt
Stall (landing config) (Vs0)35 kt
Climb rate715 fpm
Service ceiling14,700 ft
Range415 nm
Endurance4 h
Takeoff roll1,340 ft
Landing roll1,200 ft

Weights

MTOW1,670 lb
Empty weight1,081 lb
Useful load552 lb
Baggage capacity120 lb

Dimensions

Wingspan33.3 ft
Length24.1 ft
Height8.5 ft
Cabin width39 in

Powerplant

EngineLycoming O-235-L2C — 110 hp · 100LL · 6 gph
Total horsepower110 hp
Primary fuel100LL avgas
Unleaded pathLeaded only — needs G100UL or engine swap

Cockpit & avionics

Cockpit typeanalog
Autopilot commonly availableNo
Typical packages
- Six-pack analog with single nav/com— as-delivered 1977–1985
- Garmin G5 / GFC 500 retrofits— common modern retrofit
Training note
Almost universally analog cockpits as delivered. The 152 sees frequent Garmin G5 / GFC 500 and ADS-B retrofits at active flying clubs.

Certification

RegulatoryFAR Part 23 (CAR 3 origin)
Certified rolesNormal category · Utility category · Aerobatic category (A150 / A152 only)
IFRNo
Spin approvedYes
Aerobatic-categoryNo
TailwheelNo
Complex (FAR 61.31)No
High-performance (FAR 61.31)No

Why is the 150 / 152 popular?

Structured popularity-driver evidence. Each axis below carries one factual statement; we don't grade, the facts speak.

Production volume

Approximately 31,000 Cessna 150 and 152 airframes were built between 1958 and 1985 — second only to the 172 in Cessna piston production.

Operating economics

Lycoming O-235-L2C burns 100LL at roughly 6 gph in cruise; acquisition cost between $25,000 and $75,000 makes the 152 the cheapest two-seat ab-initio platform on the FAA registry today.

Parts and MRO ecosystem

Type-club support through the Cessna 150–152 Club and Cessna Owner Organization keeps a parts and maintenance ecosystem alive nearly four decades after production ended in 1985.

Pedagogy and handling

Approved for intentional spins in the Utility category; A150 / A152 Aerobat variants extend approval to limited aerobatic manoeuvres, supporting departure-from-controlled-flight training in the same airframe family used for primary instruction.

Industry network effects

Workhorse two-seat ab-initio trainer at US flying clubs, small Part 61 schools, and a subset of Part 141 schools; CFI familiarity is universal.

Before you buy more aircraft

The next airframe is rarely the highest-leverage move.

Flight school revenue is a function of three things — utilization, dispatch reliability, and student progression — that multiply rather than add. Most schools running below 850 hours per aircraft per year have hidden capacity worth more than the next purchase, already paid for and sitting on the ramp.

Read: Why buying more aircraft probably won't grow your school

Operations

Record hours, no profit

Where margin actually leaks when the schedule looks full.

Strategy

The three hurdles to profitability

The structural barriers most expansion plans miss.

How flight schools track this aircraft in Aviatize

Most schools running 152s in Aviatize configure them as low-cost ab-initio airframes paired with a 172 or PA-28 for the four-seat / cross-country / IFR portion of the syllabus. Engine reserve typically tracked against the Lycoming O-235 1,800-hour TBO. Useful-load constraints often modelled as a per-booking validation rule that warns when student + instructor + planned fuel exceed the envelope.

Smart Planning & Booking Training Management Maintenance Control Billing & Payments

Weighing up the numbers? Model the operating economics of a 150 / 152 fleet with our free profitability calculator — no signup required.

Editorial confidence

Medium confidenceLast reviewed 2026-05-26

2 primary sources cited. Spec data is partially attributed; some operating details are editorial synthesis pending additional research.

Sources

Primary sources are POH / TCDS / manufacturer pages; derived sources record where Aviatize editorial synthesis is layered on top.

Primary sourceFAA TCDS·Retrieved 2026-05-26
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
https://drs.faa.gov/browse/TCDS
FAA TCDS 3A19 covers 150 and 152 variants.
Primary sourceType Club·Retrieved 2026-05-26
Cessna Owner Organization
https://www.cessnaowner.org/
Cessna Owner Organization.
Editorial synthesisAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-05
Aviatize editorial
Entry authored by Aviatize from accumulated industry knowledge cross-referenced against the primary sources cited above. Specific fleet figures, fleet wins, and recent production status changes are research-backlog candidates and should be verified against primary sources before flipping verified: true.
Secondary sourceAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-26
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_152
Cessna 152 (current Wikipedia spec block for the 152). Confirms 7,584 152s built 1977-1985 (plus ~23,839 of the 150), length 24 ft 1 in, wingspan 33 ft 4 in, height 8 ft 6 in, empty 1,081 lb, gross 1,670 lb, Lycoming O-235-L2C 110 hp (152), McCauley 2-blade fixed-pitch, range 415 nm, service ceiling 14,700 ft, climb 715 fpm.

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