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I believe preventive maintenance is important so I run JPI engine data downloads every 30 hours or so to watch for engine trends, plus I do 100-hour inspections to catch things, hopefully, before they cause issues. The older 210s are some of the speediest because they are lighter, but Cessna did a good job of adding nice features as the years progressed. Because of this, my current ride is a 1982 T210N and I truly love it. This model, like any complex aircraft, needs to be maintained by a shop that is knowledgeable with the model.
AVIONICS, VAC PUMPS
The landing gear system was redesigned in 1970, thus apparently ridding the line of the problem once and for all. It is said of the Centurion that if you can close the doors it will fly. I can load 5.5 hours of fuel, 2.5 hours of deicing fluid and 900 pounds in the plane and fly within the weight and balance limitations. The 5.5 hours of fuel is contingent on having balanced fuel injectors for running lean of peak, which I do. The 2.5 hours of deicing is with the system running on the anti-ice setting. Some owners simply replace them whether they’re cracked or not.
Cessna 210F Centurion
The Cessna 210 Centurion offers good range and endurance, loading flexibility and go-places cruise speed. With six seats, the retractable-gear 210 is an appealing step-up airplane to those who got their feet in a 100-series Cessna. But buyers should pick one that’s been well maintained, and learn to fly it right—Centurions are not airplanes for tight maintenance budgets or careless engine management. The 210s lineage extends back to the late 1950s, when tricycle landing gear-much less a retractable-signified a newly designed airplane. First certified in 1959 and marketed as a 1960 model, the original 210 and 210A were 2900-pound airplanes powered by a Continental IO-470-E of 260 HP, a fuel-injected version of the 182s engine. Also belying its 182 roots were a strut-braced wing and seating for four.
Six Classic Utility Aircraft - FLYING
Six Classic Utility Aircraft.
Posted: Wed, 30 Jan 2013 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Cessna T210K Turbo-Charged Centurion
Model year 1977 saw an engine upgrade in the T210M to a TSIO-520-R engine that had a takeoff power rating of 310 hp (2,700 rpm with a five-minute limit). This more powerful turbocharged engine is relatively easy to install in earlier T210s via an STC held by RAM Aircraft of Waco, Tex. At 65 percent power at 16,000 feet the IM cites speeds of 170 knots at 14.3 gph. I believe this figure is still on the rich side of the peak EGT.
Performance and Handling
Riley also can turn a P210 into a Riley Rocket by installing a new engine and intercoolers. A more interesting engine swap is offered by O&N Aircraft Modifications, who will put an Allison turboprop on the airplane. Rudder, elevator and ailerons can be stiffened and mass balanced to improve the flutter margin by O&N as well. Buyers are more likely to compare the P210 to a high-performance turbocharged single, such as the Beech B36TC. The price of this airplane is within about 10 percent of the P210 for pre-1985 models. For comparison purposes, the 1983 Piper Turbo Saratoga SP retails for $195,500, more than $50,000 less than a same-year P210N.
Cessna 210: High Wing Cruiser
But with standard tanks and the above specified load, you might well get there first in the 210, since it has a tanks-full still air range of more than 1100 miles, versus only 700 miles for the 310. The twins cruise speed doesnt wipe out the burden of its higher fuel burn. The six-seat retractable single is a market niche to which many prospective owners aspire. They are as fast as many twins, can carry prodigious payloads, come with plenty of panel space to install any goodies the previous owner neglected and generally are easy to fly. The solo powerplant avoids a twins upkeep costs while most systems-with landing gear being a notable exception-are almost as simple as the trainer first soloed.
Specifications (T210N Turbo Centurion II)
The AiResearch TEO-4 turbo allowed flight as high as a theoretical 27,000 feet, though oxygen systems of the day weren’t rated for anything above 25,000 feet. Even so, the T210 was a great high flyer, capable of topping everything but the most aggressive of thunderstorms. Plane and Pilot builds on more than 50 years of serving pilots and owners of aircraft with the goal of empowering our readers to improve their knowledge and enthusiasm for aviation. Plane and Pilot expands upon the vast base of knowledge and experience from aviation’s most reputable influencers to inspire, educate, entertain and inform. In late 2014 I was a passenger during a demonstration flight of a P210 that had been upgraded with a turbo-normalized IO-550 engine in accordance with an STC owned by Vitatoe Aviation in Circleville, Ohio. My impression is that this modification solves any engine heating problems, thereby delivering better performance than the original powerplant installation.
Lightspeed Delta Zulu: Good Utility, Reliability
The first occurred on August 12th, 1964, when US Navy pilot Charles Clifford Ogle flew his 210A over California. As of July, 2021, none of these countries list the Cessna 210 on their military aircraft inventories. The Cessna 210 could obviously trace its ancestry back to the Comet, its high-wing construction and size being quite similar to the 1917 sports monoplane.
Centurion Crunches: Fuel, Gear
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. Insurance expense can be a significant concern for the owner of any six-place airplane. For a few points of reference, a P206 owner with 146 hours total time and a hull value of $150,000 reported annual premiums of $3,800. On the other end of the spectrum, a P210 owner with thousands of hours of tactical fighter experience and a hull value of $327,000 reported an annual premium of $4,600 per year. Some owners have found a creative way to reduce their premiums.
By the time the 1970 model 210K arrived, Cessna had added extra baggage space, two additional seats and a 3400-pound gross weight. A year later, the 210 got a boost in takeoff horsepower, to 300 HP, still using the tried and true IO-520-L. In 1977, the 210M came out, with a 3800-pound gross weight, to be followed in 1979 by removing the gear doors for the 210N.
With prices of P210Ns under $200,000, the idea of being able to have a pressurized single that cooks along at turbine speeds in the flight levels for $300,000 is attractive. The STC provides a supplement to the POH, however, it is primarily operational. From a performance standpoint, it simply states that the modified airplane will perform as well or better on takeoff and climb than the standard airplane. I was to find out that takeoff and climb performance has improved. Pilots transitioning from another twin or a heavy single into a Baron often remark on how pleasant it is to fly. Like the Bos, the Baron has light control forces (for a twin) and pitch and roll are well harmonized and not much affected by minor changes in CG, as with the Pipers.
At the same time, however, the gear-extension speed was raised to the top of the green arc, making it a good speed brake (more about this later). Takeoff and ClimbThe airplane was loaded to 200 pounds below gross weight on a day that was 15 degrees F below standard temperature. Takeoff acceleration was slightly better than I would expect in an unmodified P210, with more right rudder required. More rudder trim was required when transitioning to climb, cruise and descent than in an unmodified P210. For cruise, the maximum allowable horsepower is 262, which is 75% of the maximum capacity of the engine, 350 HP, although it is derated to 310 HP max continuous in this application. 362 HP is obtained at 30 inches MP, 2500 RPM and 17.5 GPH fuel flow LOP.
As with the Saratogas, opt for turbocharging in the TC version and youll run with the Baron at about 190 knots in the mid-teens. The 1980 Seneca II, with its turbocharged Continental TSIO-360s, cruises along in the 165 to 170-knot range. Obviously, being turbocharged, it does a bit better higher, especially in the low teens. 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.
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