Cessna 150s and 152s run the gamut between $25,000 basketcases in need of paint and engine overhauls on up to better-than-new, museum-quality examples with six-figure prices. While trending toward the upper end of the price range, this 152 has a lot going for it. Not only have many parts been upgraded—it’s been meticulously maintained and flown an average of 200 hours per year for the last five years.

• READ MORE: Bargain Buys on AircraftForSale: 1951 Mooney M-18 Mite

Among the various modifications, one of the most notable is the complete removal of the vacuum system. In its place are two AV30s, a Garmin Aera 660 GPS, and a Garmin GTX345 transponder with ADS-B in and out. A new nav/com and dual USB ports complete the refreshed panel, and a Tanis preheat system ensure cold weather doesn’t bring your flying to a halt.

A total of 1,134 hours since major overhaul on the Lycoming O-235 means the engine is approximately halfway to TBO. This equates to many years of flying for most owners. Additionally, the last five annual inspections have been performed by Poplar Grove Airmotive, one of the most renowned maintenance facilities in the Midwest. 

For a simple, proven airplane that has been extremely well sorted, thoroughly updated, and flown regularly, this 152 is tough to beat.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance and quickly calculate your monthly payment using the airplane finance calculator. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com. 

The post Bargain Buys on AircraftForSale: 1979 Cessna 152 appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

This is Pegaso, a European ultralight that expresses a beautiful style we expect from Italy.

Promecc is better known for its low-wing Sparviero, but Pegaso drew many admiring looks at Aero 2023.

Let’s take a deeper look at an aircraft that can help imagine what we’ll see as Mosaic emerges from FAA rule making in the second quarter of 2025.

Promecc Pegaso

Promecc Aerospace specializes in the design and manufacture of European-style ultralight aircraft predominantly using carbon fiber construction. As is more common in Europe, the company behind Pegaso and Sparviero has a larger operation involved in professional aviation.

The company’s first design, Sparviero, which translates to Sparrowhawk in English, was introduced in the early 2000s. This low-wing design evolved into the faster Freccia Anemo (in English: Fast Arrow) that was introduced in 2011, with a new wing design and aerodynamic refinements that produced a cruise speed of 260 kilometers per hour (140 knots) on 100 horsepower.

European aviation journalist Marino Boric, writing for the ByDanJohnson website stated, “Italian ultralight manufacturer Promecc, with deep roots in manufacturing of commercial aviation subassemblies, brought to Aero Friedrichshafen their Pegaso all-composite, sleek, high-wing aircraft, which derives from the low-wing Freccia.

“Pegaso offers now a new, more ergonomic interior and Marino reported it was “ready for series production.” Its access doors are now front-hinged, “making cabin entry much easier.”

The well-established, fast, retractable-gear, low-wing aircraft Freccia, which successfully passed the static load tests for the 600-kilogram (1,320-pound) certification in Germany, was also showcased together with Promecc’s best-priced fixed-gear low-wing.

In addition to the Rotax 912 and Rotax 914 turbo, the newer Freccia RG has the more powerful Rotax 915iS under the cowling. As Marino heard from company owner Mauro Dono at Aero 2022, the event was “terrific good” with several sold aircraft. It was not reported if Promecc plans to add the 915iS or (more increasingly, designers say) Rotax’s newest 160 horsepower 916iS. To my eyes, the Pegaso could easily accommodate the larger engine in its long, spacious nose cowling.

Promecc informed Marino that it contemplated bringing its aircraft to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. If they do, I can imagine a warm response to this handsome airplane. Of course, pilots always want to know the price and Marino believed Promecc’s were enticing.

Marino reported that the company intends to offer to the U.S. public the full range of aircraft as factory built but also as “price-competitive” kits.

Kit prices in Europe: Sparviero €40.000 ($43,500 at posting), Pegaso €65.000 ($70,800), and Freccia €69.000 ($75,000). The full configuration of these kits was not known as this article went online. However, that much detail is moot until someone offers to represent the aircraft here because builder support from Italy would be challenging.

What may be most interesting is the potential for those relatively modest kit prices to translate into more affordable factory built prices once American representation is secured.

Here’s how Promecc describes the technical qualities of Pegaso:

• The fuselage is made of carbon fiber and resin certified for aviation industry
• The wing spars and every structural support are completely made of carbon fiber
• Painted with two-component polyurethane varnish, very resistant to UV rays
• The undercarriage is strong and flexible and made of composite materials
• The cockpit is spacious, ergonomic with a sporty finish
• Side-by-side ergonomic seats
• The cockpit is yet comfortable setting and offers excellent visibility
• Plexiglass canopy is available in transparent or with blue tint

How would Pegaso perform if Promecc engineers could fit the potent Rotax 916iS? The 160 horsepower engine has many designers planning installation.

With only 100 horsepower, Pegaso can achieve a cruise speed of 255 kilometers per hour (138 knots). Never exceed speed is 300 kilometers per hour (162 knots). Pegaso’s cantilevered wing construction may not allow MOSAIC weight capability (up to approximately 3,000 pounds is expected) but its sleek lines assure it can slip through the air smoothly.

Qualify Pegaso to ASTM standards with Rotax’s potent 916iS and the Italian producer could have a MOSAIC candidate on its hands. Of course, this still leaves the not-trivial challenge of establishing a distribution beachhead in the world’s largest aviation market. That’s an effort yet to be determined.

As Promecc is a producer of professional aviation components, it may be able to manage efficient manufacturing processes and use its size for economies of scale in the purchase of raw materials. Its work with other large producers may give it connections to create U.S. representation.

This combination of attributes could give the Italian company market entry into the world of MOSAIC—and what a beautiful shape it brings to the fleet.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
all data supplied by the manufacturer

Maximum Takeoff Weight — 1,320 pounds
Maneuvering Speed — 98 knots
Stall Speed — 38 knots
Cruise Speed — 119 knots
Takeoff Roll — 490 feet
Landing Distance — 720 feet
Fuel Capacity — 2 wing tanks holding 14.5 gallons each

The post Pegaso: Another Light Sport Airplane You Probably Haven’t Seen appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Like so many others, my journey toward a career in aviation began in the left seat of a shiny, polished, aluminum-and-red 1959 Cessna 150. N5709E was the prize possession of the Virginia Tech aviation department and carried me and my friends on our first flights, first solos, and private pilot check rides, and then on to a career in military or commercial aviation. We were not alone. The Cessna 150 taught the post-1950s world to fly. So, how did this remarkable little airplane come to be such a success?

Those pilots who subscribe to the axiom “never fly the A model of anything” will be pleased to know the first model of this small but sturdy aircraft was simply the Cessna 150. Spanning the 1959 and 1960 model years, the original was an extensive update of the successful Cessna 120/140 line. Cessna 140 production had ended in 1951 as the postwar aviation boom flagged. However, by the end of the decade, the training market was beginning to heat up, and Cessna decided to get into the game.

The Cessna 150 prototype squared off the wingtips and tail surfaces of the 140, featured a straight, windowless tail cone, manual 40-degree Fowler flaps, and most important for the training market, tricycle landing gear. The systems were simple and even a bit rudimentary. The stout little Continental O-200A, 100 hp four-banger was started by pulling on a shiny “T” handle at the top of the minimal instrument panel. The handle tugged a cable that engaged the starter. Venturis powered the basic vacuum system, and the generator was driven directly off the accessory drive, eliminating the need for a drive belt.

Of the first Cessna 150 model, 683 were produced in 1959 to ’60, and they are, by most accounts, the lightest, fastest and, many will say, most fun to fly. Three models were offered—the standard, trainer, and intercity commuter. The latter added luxuries such as a vacuum pump, attitude indicator, and rotating beacon. The major shortfall of the tiny Cessna was its narrow cabin. Advertisements of the time usually featured what appeared to be 7/8-scale pilots and passengers sitting happily side by side with their luggage neatly behind the seats. In reality, two standard FAA 170-pound occupants would find the cockpit a bit cramped, and extensive crew coordination was often required for simple acts such as putting on a jacket.

However, none of this really matters because the Cessna 150 remains to this day a delight to fly. It cruises at 90 mph (78 knots), stalls at 47 mph (41 knots), and the manually actuated, 40-degree flaps allow for very precise short-field performance. Its 22.5-gallon fuel tanks and 6-gallon-per-hour fuel consumption allow for a realistic no-reserve range near 300 nm. Control forces are light and visibility is good, as long as a wing is lifted before each turn, and the spring steel “Land-O-Matic” main landing gear forgives the wide variety of student pilot landings. To top it off, the secret to the longevity of the Cessna 150 was its ability to be upgraded, modernized, and adapted to the needs of newer generations of pilots.

The Cessna 150A, introduced in 1961, increased the size of the rear side windows and moved the main landing gear legs rearward by 2 inches. This counteracted the original’s disturbing habit of settling on its tail.

The next big upgrade occurred in 1964. The Cessna 150D model introduced the ubiquitous “Omni-Vision” rear window. Both the 1964 D model and 1965 E model combined the manually activated 40-degree flaps and the straight vertical tail from the earlier models, making them a favorite of the National Intercollegiate Flight Association’s (NIFA) annual precision landing competition. By 1965, the F Model introduced a 35-degree swept vertical tail, electric flaps, and a list of aerodynamic improvements, including a standard spinner in all models.

One of the most welcome additions arrived in 1967 with the 150G model’s curved entry doors, which provided an additional 3 inches of cabin width. Not to be outdone, the 1970 model heralded the introduction of the Cessna 150K Aerobat. The Aerobat—with its six positive and three negative G limits, shoulder harnesses, distinctive checkerboard paint, and dual skylights—was an instant hit. Still powered by the 100 hp Continental O-200A, the Aerobat is no Pitts Special or Extra 300, but it provides a great platform for basic aerobatic training, and spin and upset recovery, as well as energy management training.

The Cessna 150 proved to be an international success too. Nearly 2,000 Cessna 150 models were constructed in Reims, France. While these aircraft usually mirrored their stateside models, many featured the Rolls-Royce-built Continental O-240 variant that increased horsepower by 30 percent.

The Cessna 150 enjoys many aftermarket modifications to the Cessna 150. At least two supplemental type certificates (STCs) allow for the installation of the Lycoming O-320 or O-360 in place of the original Continental. This mod increases fuel consumption and reduces range significantly, but it dramatically increases performance at high and hot airports. And in a return to its Cessna 120/140 roots, the “Texas Taildragger” conversion puts the Cessna 150 back on conventional gear, providing the added benefit of reduced drag and weight associated with the removal of the nose landing gear.

By 1977, the final year of Cessna 150 production, the reduced availability of 80 octane fuel and a nearly 150-pound empty weight increase over the original Cessna 150 necessitated a change to the Lycoming O-235. Designated the Cessna 152, power increased modestly to 108 hp and, because of concerns about full-flap go-arounds, the electric flaps were limited to 30 degrees. Approximately 7,500 Cessna 152s were produced in the U.S. and France during its 10-year production run that ended in 1988.

When production halted, the company had built 31,471 Cessna 150/152s, placing the 150 in fifth on the list of most produced aircraft, just behind the entire Piper PA-28 line and just ahead of the Cessna 182. As to that original question—“Why not just restart the production line?”—you will have to ask Cessna. It may be increased production costs, an effort to avoid clashing with its incredibly successful Cessna 172 (the most produced airplane in the world), or competition from the growing LSA market, just to name a few. In any event, the Cessna 150 stands out as the definitive two-seat trainer of its time with nearly 23,000 registered around the world.

Oh, and how about N5709E? Lovingly restored to its 1959 livery, it is still on the active rolls and can be seen flying to various events where classics are appreciated. So, next time you talk to your pilot friends, ask them about their first airplane. You might be surprised how many got their start in the sturdy Cessna 150. 

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the September 2023 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine. 

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