The 210 owners who have contacted us are realistic about one thing: This is not a cheap airplane to own. Owners report a significant maintenance burden with annuals that run around $2500 to $3000. Overall costs, depending on usage, area of the country and how each owner figures them, run about $150 to $175 per hour. Although production of 210s ended in 1986, owners report good parts availability, albeit with high prices. Used parts are sometimes an option, given the relatively high population of 210s. The main gear doors on 210s have been an ongoing problem for years. One of the more popular mods has been to simply remove them, a step eventually taken by the factory as noted above. The service difficulty report (SDR) database shows many gear-related problems in the 210. Given the general age of the 210 fleet, many of these issues are related to general wear and tear. Many of them, too, are related to the systems general complexity. On example SDR: "Rivets holding nose gear drag brace fitting in place worked loose over years of operation causing fitting to pull loose from aircraft structure. This, in turn, caused nose gear to retract on ground."Various components get blamed for gear problems but the overall issue is sheer complexity: Theres a lot going on when the gear is cycled. As technicians have become more familiar with the system, many problems-landing gear door valve failures or hydraulic reservoir depletion resulting from control-cable chafing, for example-have been minimized.These days, however, it seems long-term service of basic components like rod ends and other mechanical parts is exacting a toll. Read another SDR entry: "Nose landing gear failed to extend. Nose gear uplock act. clevis assy failed, causing nose gear assy. to stay in up and locked position. Uplock assy is spring loaded to the locked position to relieve hydraulic system press.... Submitter recommends every 100 hours check clevis assy for security of cotter key in clevis assy for locking effectiveness."Too, the historic nemesis of older Centurions-fatigue cracks in landing gear saddles-has apparently not abated completely. While a repetitive AD from 1976 addresses the issue, it still crops up from time to time in the SDRs. All 210s built from 1960 to 1969 live under the shadow of this problem. With luck, the cracks are found during annual inspections and are fixed in any airplanes now on the market. If for some reason theyre missed, the saddles eventually break and the pilot finds out when one landing gear leg hangs up in the halfway position. Saddle replacement was required for 1960 and 1961 models. But even they must be replaced every 1000 hours. Buyers should check the saddles and replacement times on these aircraft. Some owners simply replace them whether theyre cracked or not. Later, 1968 and 1969 models came with improved saddles as original equipment, but they must be inspected at 1200 hours and annually thereafter and still run the risk of eventual cracking. The landing gear system was redesigned in 1970, thus apparently ridding the line of the problem once and for all.If that werent enough, our SDR queries discovered an eye-opening number of entries involving McCauley propellers. Prop problems included cracked and corroded hubs, corroded fasteners and cracked blades. Many of these SDR submissions were from prop shops.Potential buyers should also take care to check the horizontal tail for a variety of problems, including stabilizer and bracket cracking. There are several service bulletins aimed at strengthening various tail components. And make sure the elevator skin itself has not become corroded thanks to water absorption by the foam filler, especially in older 210s. Back in the 70s, the FAA received numerous reports of damage (loose or broken rivets, cracking and other problems) near the forward fittings, bulkhead and doublers. The problem is confined to fuselage station 209 and Cessna has kits to repair the problems or prevent them from happening. Cessna has issued service bulletins dealing with cracks in the lower forward doorpost and strut fitting, which affects other Cessna singles as well; if any are found, a mod must be done. If not, repetitive inspections at 1000-hour intervals are called for. Another bulletin warns of cracking in the nose gear downlock actuator pins. Again, its a repetitive inspection or installation of a service kit. Failure of the part could prevent the gear from locking down. Some notable ADs include: AD 91-22-1, which calls for replacing cracked and chafing wires in the nose gear tunnel on all 210s; AD 94-12-8, regarding calibration and labeling of the fuel system; and AD 93-13-9,
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concerning replacement of the air induction hose on T210s. Theres one more thing to be aware of about the 210, a trait that could bring the pilot who pushes the limits of range to grief. The position of the fuel caps on top of the wing, as designed, places them at the high point of the tanks. Its entirely possible that, if the airplane is not level or if the nose strut is not properly inflated, the tanks cant be fully topped. Given the dismal accuracy to be expected from aircraft fuel gauges, this potential mismatch between what the pilot thinks is on board and what is actually there poses a possible hazard. When flying to maximum range, be diligent in getting the tanks topped correctly. Mods, ClubsMost airplanes are draggy or underpowered enough that speed mods are marketable options. Its a testament to the 210s basic good performance that this is not the case. Still, like any high-performance single, the 210 can benefit from the installation of speed brakes. Both Precise Flight (800-547-2558, www.preciseflight.com) and Knots 2U (262-763-5100, www.knots2u.com) make electric-actuated speedbrakes that work well and are a good value.Also of interest is an IO-550 engine upgrade, which is generally done in conjunction with a prop upgrade. Atlantic Aero (800-334-2001, www.atlantic-aero.com), Texas Skyways (830-755-8989, www.txskyways.com) and John Jewell (866-552-2210, www.johnjewellaircraft.com) offer upgrades to the TCM 550-series engine. (Jewell owns the former Bonaire STCs.) Theres also the aforementioned gear door elimination mod from Sierra Industries (830-278-4481, www.sijet.com). Sierra also makes STOL kits, as does Horton (620-326-2241, www.stolcraft.com).Other popular mods include high intensity discharge (HID) lighting, available from Knots 2U and Precise Flight, plus auxiliary fuel tanks from Flint Aero (619-448-1551, www.flint-aero.com) and from O&N Aircraft Modifications (570-945-3769, www.onaircraft.com). O&N also offers the Silver Eagle II conversion, which mounts a 450-SHP Rolls-Royce 250-B17F/2 turboprop engine on the non-pressurized 210M, T210M, 210L, T210L, and 210N and T210N. This mod formerly was available only for Pressurized Centurion models.As an invaluable source of wisdom and support, 210 owners should join the Cessna Pilots Association (805-922-2580, www.cessna.org). CPA has an excellent buyers guide on the 210. Another group is the Cessna Owner Organization at 888-692-3776 or http://www.cessnaowner.org/. Owner CommentsNearly five years ago, I paid slightly more than $20,000 for share of a mid-time 1970 Cessna 210 with three-bladed prop and main gear door mods. For me and my family of six, it has been a great ride. Last summer, we made a trip from our home in Dallas to Portland, Maine, with a visit to Niagara Falls, returning home through New York City.Throughout, I could expect an average of 155 knots fully loaded with 90 gallons of fuel, after accounting for headwinds and climbout. But with tailwinds our groundspeed reached as high as 205 knots in level flight. We flew circles around Niagara Falls, and later my children were thrilled as we circled the Statue of Liberty on the 4th of July. The trips cost was considerably less than paying for six airline tickets, and by eliminating some hotel stays it was cheaper than driving my minivan.My share of fixed costs, for hangar, reserve for annual inspection, insurance, GPS and IFR map subscriptions is only $175 per month. We each contribute $23 per engine hour into an overhaul reserve fund. Operating lean-of-peak, it burns under 15 GPH. Shortly after purchasing the 210, we installed new leather, a Plane Plastics interior and a WAAS-capable Garmin GNS480 with a Garmin MX20 multi-function display.Since the initial upgrades, we may average around $1000 to $1500 per year per partner for upgrades and maintenance such as tire replacement, oil changes, various random system repairs, and a nose gear door mod to mechanically close the doors without servos. The most important items, for the health of the engine, are a six-cylinder engine analyzer and Blackstone engine oil analysis. Our balanced GAMIjectors allow us to fly lean of peak smoothly, but Blackstone helped us identify a few winter flying episodes where low flights at 75 percent power caused some temporary valve wear. We found out that flying from extremely cold, dense air to hot air in the winter (Iowa to Dallas) will shift the mixture so much richer that you can find yourself directly on top of peak EGT without changing altitude and without touching the mixture knob after originally setting it well lean of peak. But oil analysis has helped us catch all of our issues before they became a trend, and our last oil report said we are flying one of the best-wearing IO-520s Blackstone had seen for some time, at around 1600 hours. Our engine longevity is also a credit to a partnership that flies the airplane almost every week, eliminating internal corrosion that can plague one-owner aircraft.We stripped out the installed oxygen tanks for added hauling capacity. It will carry so many people and luggage that I cannot rent a mid-sized SUV at our destination without expecting to put luggage under our feet in the car. I am amazed every time I load it up, thinking that this time I am surely exceeding the envelope. But I calculate weight and balance almost every flight, and have never been able to exceed the envelope, even when my heavier older children sit in the way-back seats. It lands gracefully when loaded.No other new or used piston-powered airplane will fill my need for speed, seat and payload, at any cost. For less than I spent for my Honda minivan, my quarter share gives me a fantastic flying family SUV.Wes Schlenker,Dallas, TexasWe have four partners owning a 1977 Cessna T210M. Last fall, we had a new instrument panel installed, including a Garmin G600, Garmin SL-30 nav/com, audio panel and a Garmin 496 dock. The new equipment supplemented our existing Garmin GNS530W. The copilots panel has backup airspeed, attitude indicator, altimeter, and turn and bank instruments. Garmins G600 STC requires standby instruments on the pilot panel be retained.
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The G600 along with the 530 are great instruments enhancing situational awareness. We saved money by not installing the GDL 69-instead, were using the XM weather and XM radio on the 496. The Century III autopilot works great after Depot Avionics cleaned all the contacts. During the instrument panel modification we located the transponder and JPI EDM 800 to the pilots instrument panel. We are based at Centennial Airport near Denver. The T210 is a great airplane at altitude since the MEAs west of Denver are 16,000 feet, where we use the factory-installed oxygen system. David Grossman,Aurora, ColoradoMy partner and I bought our 1982 T210 in 2001. The engine was near TBO, so we put an overhauled engine in shortly thereafter. Weve put 700 hours on the engine since and it has performed admirably. We also put in an engine monitor and a JPI fuel totalizer, and have GAMI fuel injectors. The plane is equipped with a Garmin 430 WAAS, two-axis autopilot, Strikefinder, and has the wiring for a portable Garmin 496 for weather as well as a Zaon unit for traffic, which is displayed on the 496. All have been good additions. We recently upgraded the interior to all leather seats/trim as well.Using the totalizer and the engine monitor (and having the GAMIs) has allowed us to run lean-of-peak EGT for most of our cruise operations. We typically get around 13 GPH and 160 KTAS down low, while the same power settings yield around 175 KTAS at 18,000 or 19,000. Weve had the plane as high as 25,000 feet, where it runs just fine. I regularly fly from San Jose to Denver and can make it non-stop in no-wind conditions without extended range tanks.Owner-assisted annuals run in the range of $700 for those years when nothing is wrong (not very often) and can run as high as $5000 in the years when many things are found. This also assumes that you take care of things during the year as they show up. But doing the owner assist is a great learning experience. You learn way more about your plane than you save in labor costs. Insurance has been running around $3500 per year with a hull value of $180K and $1M smooth liability.I fly Cirruses (Cirri?) pretty regularly as a flight instructor. Comparing the handling of the Cirrus to the 210 is like comparing a sports car to a SUV. But the light controls of the Cirrus also make it more difficult to handle in IMC-the 210 is nice and stable. Put it somewhere and it stays there. With the Garmin 430W and 496 setup, theres nothing we miss not having that you would get with the Cirrus panel. Try making it to Denver non-stop in a Cirrus!The SUV analogy is a good one in other areas as well. The 210 will haul full fuel (90 gallons) and still have load left for six adults and some bags. With just four adults or two adults and four kids, and full fuel, there is enough load (and room) left over to take everyones bags and the kitchen sink. The last two seats can be thought of more as kiddie seats. They are comfortable, but there is just not enough length in the fuselage to have six adults stretch out their legs. There is no way you would ever be able to fit six adults in a 210 for longer than it takes to get an advertising photo. Having said that, its tough to load the plane outside of the CG range-something you cant say for pretty much all other GA planes. Its a tradeoff that actually is worth making-many other six-passenger passenger aircraft dont have the CG range or useful load for six adults anyway.Ive heard many folks complain about poor heating in the 210. They clearly dont know how the system works. What most folks will do is turn the heater control to "Max" and the outside air to "Off." This gives a trickle of very hot air and the front row ends up cooking, the middle row is cool and the third row is often referred to as a meat locker. The solution is easy. With the heat on full add in some outside air. These two will mix in a plenum above the rudder pedals and youll have a hurricane of warm air that will easily reach the baggage area. Ive flown in temps well below zero and had the third row passengers ask me to turn down the heat.All in all, I think the 210 is the best combination of economy, range, cost and particularly useful load/CG anywhere. Ken Maples,San Jose, California
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/features/used-aircraft-guide-the-cessna-210-centurion