Cessna 205
A fixed-gear six-seat forerunner of the Stationair line, short-lived and now scarce, prized as an affordable load-hauler.
Made to order: your copy is researched, fact-checked, and typeset to our standard, then delivered within about two weeks. We'll email you the moment it's ready.
About the Cessna 205
The Cessna 205 is a six-seat, high-wing single that Cessna built by taking its retractable-gear Model 210 and fixing the landing gear in place. Certified in 1962 and sold as 1963 and 1964 models, it gave owners the cabin room and payload of the 210 without the complexity and maintenance of a retractable system. Cessna designated it internally as the 210-5, and it slotted between the four-seat 182 and the workhorse 206 that soon replaced it.
For a pilot, the appeal is honest utility. A Continental IO-470 up front, a strut-braced wing, fixed tricycle gear, and a big cabin with two rear doors make it an easy airplane to load, fly, and maintain. It hauls people and gear off modest runways and asks little in return, which is exactly why the survivors are still flying family trips, backcountry strips, and utility missions six decades on.
Specifications at a glance
| Type | Six-seat fixed-gear single (derived from the Cessna 210) |
| Years | 1963 to 1964 (type certified 1962) |
| Engine | Continental IO-470-S, fuel-injected flat-six |
| Horsepower | 260 hp |
| Seats | 6 |
| Landing gear | Fixed tricycle |
| Production | 576 units |
Known issues to check before you buy
- Airframe corrosion. These are 1960s airframes, so inspect the wing spar carry-through, strut attach fittings, control surfaces, and any area that has seen water or coastal air. Ask whether the shop has worked through Cessna's supplemental inspection guidance.
- Engine time and condition. Many IO-470s are at or past recommended time between overhauls. Verify hours since major overhaul, review recent cylinder compressions and oil analysis, and read the logs for how the engine has been operated and stored.
- Fuel bladder tanks. The bladder-type fuel cells can wrinkle with age and trap water where it will not fully drain. Check bladder condition and drain behavior carefully during preflight and prebuy.
- Seat rails and tracks. Worn seat rails and locking pins are a documented inspection point across the Cessna single-engine line. Confirm the seats lock positively and that the rails are not worn or elongated.
Owning one
A well-kept 205 rewards an owner with real load-carrying ability and simple, fixed-gear maintenance, but the value is entirely in the logbooks: corrosion history, engine time, and how honestly the airplane has been cared for. This volume documents the Cessna 205 specifically: verified specifications, the documented weak points and how to inspect each, the maintenance and inspection data, and the parts and owner community that keep them flying.
Inside this volume
Known issues & a pre-buy guide
The documented weak points for this exact type, the airworthiness directives and service bulletins that bite, and what a pre-buy should catch.
Full specifications
Every published figure, engine and airframe detail, weights, and performance data, with the conflicts flagged, not guessed.
Systems & maintenance
Powerplant, fuel, electrical, and airframe, plus inspection intervals and the operating numbers that keep it flying.
Parts, shops & type club
Where the parts are, what cross-references, and the type clubs and owner groups that keep the fleet in the air.
Make it your aircraft.
We fold in your year, your engine and avionics, your mods and STCs, your registration, and your own aircraft's photo on the cover. The book stops describing the type that left the factory and starts describing the one in your hangar.