From C152/C172 to C210
 

Hello,
I have been flying C152s and 172s, logging up around 120 flying hours, and wish to start flying a C210 at a flying school. From your expeirence, do you think 1 good checkout will do to fly it on my own or do you think you would need a couple of flying hours on it before going solo?

Thanks for your input guys

The C210 is a hugely capable ac and is a fair step up.
You will need a complex sign off and I would be surprised if a conversion could be done in as little as a couple of hours.
D.O.

Agree with DO here. Beautiful a/c, though !!

Mr. 152,

You should definately go fly the 210. You should definately not expect to be checked out, compotent, or sent solo, after an hour's flying in it.

This will be one of those opportunities you will have as a newer pilot, to demonstrate your serious attitude toward professional piloting, by not trying to convince yourself, or the instructor, that you don't need some mentoring.

Allow yourself 5 hours, perhaps you'll do it in less. Will the insurer cover you as PIC in less?

Pilot DAR is correct.

210 is a wonderful airplane - you'll love it. I would consider five hours an absolute minimum period for moving from a 172 - and I also agree you may not find an insurer who thinks it's a good idea.

I've just done the complex endorsement in an Arrow.

I got the endorsement itself signed off in under five hours, but the insurance requirements were for ten hours dual before solo.

The 210 is a wonderful aircraft but a completely different beast from the 172. I progressed from a Hawk XP to a 210 and it took some time to catch up and then keep up with it then be proficient.

Don't let that put you off, but its not the sort of machine you can do a check out (or even a couple of hours in) and then go off into the wild blue yonder.

Take the opportunity if its there, just be safe... and keep some of that power on right into the flare ;)

Agree with post #4

I've only ever flown one twice - had considerable Bonanza and Cessna 310/402 time.

Lovely aeroplane - even if it did not reek of that Jaguar/Beech well built quality standard.

My two flights were out and back and I think it was 4 hrs each way! But I do remember them!

The Cessna 210 and the Beech Bonanza became known as "doctor killers" because they are excellent performing aircraft, but were always on the more expensive scale of the general aviation single fleet. They were flown by doctors and lawyers who had the money to buy them, but who didn't necessarily invest in the training to warrant their ownership.

The 210 is a very clean, nice flying airplane. You'll love it. The 210 has great performance, handles nicely, and is easy to fly. It's also got the ability to lead you into trouble, and to come apart in bad weather if you get disoriented and take it where you shouldn't. It's a very capable platform. It's more expensive to operate than a 172 of course, and it does have retractable gear and a constant speed propeller. As you step up you'll be needing to concentrate on systems knowledge.

It's not enough in the 210 to know that the gear is electrohydraulic, for example. A thorough understanding of the plumbing and why the gear does what it does can make the difference between a gear-up landing, and a successful gear down landing. Understanding the importance of a hot solenoid, the shuttle valve, and servicing in flight can be some important information.

Most of the 210's that I've flown are turbocharged. If you happen to be flying a T210 then you'll need to understand the implications of turbocharging too, as well as how this affects leaning, power settings and power management. No more idle descents or yanking the power to idle.

Fuel management is important. It's not a hugely complex system, but the 200 series Cessnas do have unique features to the fuel system that aren't found in other Cessna products. Chief among them is the use of small kidney shaped header tanks under the fuselage on each side where the strut joins on older models, or where it would join on strutless models. This tank accepts return bypass fuel from the fuel pump, and vents back to the tank the same way it gets fuel from the tank. Under certain circumstances, this can cause vapor lock in the fuel feeding to the header tank, and that can cause fuel flow fluctuations or even engine stoppage. I've had both. This is one such place where systems knowledge comes in very handy.

The 210 is a heavier airplane than what you've been flying, and initially you may notice this difference. It feels more solid, and feels like a bigger, faster airplane. You'll have to stay a little farther ahead of the airplane; think farther ahead as you plan for altitude changes, speed reductions, and landing. You'll fly the pattern a little faster, land a little faster.

You'll doubtless enjoy the transition, but don't expect it to happen in an hour. Take your time, go at your own pace, and don't rush.

If you happen to be flying one with the long range tanks with the deeper fuel filler necks, bear in mind that what looks like a topped tank will give you nearly exactly one hour less in each fuel tank. I've known two individuals who didn't heed my counsel in that regard, and both made off-field forced landings because they ran out of fuel.

Extremley valid posts here guys, thanks a lot. That definitely changes my perspective of the 210 and what to expect from it, it earned my respect hehe!