Target Audience:
Student pilots, private pilots, flight schools, and aircraft maintenance technicians
Aircraft Class:
Two-seat, single-engine light training aircraft
Competitive Advantage:
Most widely used primary trainer of its era, valued for forgiving handling and low operating cost
Configuration:
High-wing, two-seat, fixed tricycle landing gear
Powerplant:
Lycoming O-235 series four-cylinder piston engine
Use:
Primary flight training, rental, and personal flying
Coverage Areas:
General operating procedures, performance data, weight and balance, emergency procedures, operating limitations, systems description
Manual Type:
Pilots Operating Handbook and FAA Approved Flight Manual
Page Count:
N/A - varies by serial number and revision status
Delivery Method:
Instant high-speed download
Compatibility:
All versions of Windows, Mac, and Linux
Requirements:
Adobe PDF Reader
Airframe and Structure:
Fuselage, wings, empennage, flight controls, and landing gear description
Powerplant:
Engine operation, controls, instruments, and related systems
Fuel System:
Tank capacity, fuel grade, gauges, and fuel management
Electrical System:
Battery, alternator, master switch, circuit breakers, and lighting
Avionics:
Factory-installed communications and navigation equipment as equipped
Pitot-Static System:
Airspeed, altimeter, and vertical speed instrument sources
Normal Procedures:
Preflight inspection, starting, taxiing, takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, landing, and shutdown
Emergency Procedures:
Engine failure, forced landing, fire, electrical failure, spin recovery, and ditching
Performance Data:
Takeoff and landing distances, climb performance, cruise performance, and range charts
Weight and Balance:
Loading data, moment envelopes, and sample loading problems
Operating Limitations:
Airspeed limits (V-speeds), maneuvering speed, load factors, and placarded restrictions
Technical Depth and Parts
Technical Depth:
Factory-published operating data at the level required for FAA-approved flight manual status
Parts Information:
Component identification within systems descriptions; not a parts catalog
Maintenance Content:
Operating-level guidance only; separate Cessna 152 Service Manual covers overhaul procedures
Supplements:
Equipment and avionics supplements as applicable to specific serial numbers
Revision Status:
Content reflects factory handbooks for the 1977-1985 production run
File Format:
PDF (searchable, bookmarked, zoomable)
Compatibility:
Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android — any device with a PDF reader
Requirements:
A PDF reader application (e.g. Adobe Acrobat Reader, free)
Searchability:
Fully text searchable for fast lookup of any topic
Print Quality:
High-resolution digital pages, printable at full clarity
Binding Type:
N/A — digital download, no physical binding
Paper Type:
N/A — digital download, no physical paper
Primary Engine:
Lycoming O-235-L2C four-cylinder, air-cooled, horizontally opposed piston engine (later models O-235-N2C)
Rated Power:
110 horsepower at 2,550 RPM
Displacement:
235 cubic inches (3.8 liters)
Propeller:
Fixed-pitch McCauley metal propeller
Fuel Grade:
100LL aviation gasoline (originally approved for 100/130)
Total Fuel Capacity:
24.5 US gallons (long-range tanks); 26 gallons usable on later models
Fuel System Type:
Gravity-fed from wing tanks to carburetor
Wingspan:
32 ft 10 in (10.0 m)
Length:
24 ft 1 in (7.3 m)
Height:
8 ft 6 in (2.6 m)
Wing Area:
160 square feet (14.9 square meters)
Maximum Takeoff Weight:
1,670 lb (757 kg)
Typical Empty Weight:
Approximately 1,100 lb (499 kg), varies by equipment
Useful Load:
Approximately 570 lb, depending on installed equipment
Certification Basis:
FAR Part 23 normal category
Approved Maneuvers:
Standard version limited to normal category; A152/F152 aerobatic version approved for limited aerobatics
Spin Recovery:
Published spin recovery procedures included in emergency/abnormal procedures
Load Factor Limits:
Published in operating limitations section of the handbook
Passive Features:
Shoulder harnesses and lap belts; energy-absorbing structure
Active Features:
Stall warning horn, carburetor heat, and stall characteristics certified per FAR Part 23
Standard Equipment:
Basic flight instruments, engine gauges, and comm/nav radio as factory equipped
Autopilot:
N/A - not factory standard; available as optional equipment on some aircraft
Driver Assistance Equivalent:
N/A - not applicable to this aircraft type
Annual Inspection:
FAA annual inspection required for all aircraft regardless of use
100-Hour Inspection:
Required for aircraft used for hire or flight instruction
Oil Change:
Per Lycoming service intervals, typically every 50 flight hours (25 hours with full-flow filter at extended intervals)
Engine Oil:
Aviation piston engine oil per Lycoming specification; grade by ambient temperature
Fuel System Care:
Carburetor icing is a known operating concern; carburetor heat use is covered in procedures
Common Wear Items:
Tires, brake linings, and nose gear shimmy dampener
Manufacturer:
Cessna Aircraft Company, Wichita, Kansas, USA
Model Evolution:
Introduced in 1977 as successor to the Cessna 150, with a more powerful O-235 engine; aerobatic A152 and French-built F152 variants followed
Production Run:
1977 through 1985, when production of light piston twins and trainers was suspended
Production Location:
Wichita, Kansas, USA; F152 variants built by Reims Aviation in France
