Cessna 152 Specifications, Certified Limits and Production Changes

Cessna 152 specifications fall into several different kinds of evidence: certified limitations, published model-year summaries, configuration-dependent dimensions and changes tied to particular serials. A useful reference keeps those meanings separate. The standard 152 and A152 Aerobat have distinct speed-limit groups, while Reims F152 and FA152 require their own authority context rather than automatic U.S. inheritance.

For focused questions across the two families, use the specifications topic guide. This Cessna 152 reference retains the detailed family records and their applicability.

Use the model guide and serial reference before comparing numerical values. A familiar family name does not identify an engine variant, tip configuration, optional fuel installation or exact handbook. This page organizes the technical evidence so that a buyer, owner or pilot can see both the recorded figure and the conditions that keep it meaningful.

Certified Airspeeds and Category

the U.S. 152 limit group records Vne 149 kt, Vno 111 kt, Va 104 kt and Vfe 85 kt on an IAS basis. The A152 group records Vne 172 kt, Vno 125 kt, Va 108 kt and Vfe 85 kt. These are distinct category-specific source entries, not alternative values from which a pilot can choose the larger number.

A shared flap-speed limit does not erase differences in the other speeds. Nor does the same maximum takeoff weight make standard and Aerobat operating limitations interchangeable. Read the model, category and speed basis with the aircraft's controlling handbook. The A152 reference retains its separate identity and exceptional serials.

Published maximum speed and cruise speed are performance results, not substitutes for Vne or Vno. Maneuvering-speed context also belongs to the actual aircraft documentation; a summary entry does not reproduce every operating condition or weight relationship. The performance page keeps its metrics outside the certified-limit table to avoid that confusion.

Maximum Weight, Ramp Allowance and CG

The U.S. certified groups record 1,670 lb takeoff and landing weight. Later serial groups have a separate 1,675 lb ramp allowance. The distinction is operationally meaningful: a ramp allowance does not increase the approved takeoff weight. Early groups with a blank ramp entry must not acquire the later allowance through a family-wide assumption.

The weight-and-balance reference preserves the actual standard-model and Aerobat serial breaks, forward-CG points, aft limit, datum and baggage-area context. An aircraft below maximum total weight can still require a separate CG evaluation. The source groups describe limits, not the aircraft's current empty weight or loading condition.

The baggage summary also needs its area restrictions. A combined maximum is not permission to put that entire load in every baggage area, and the limits must remain consistent with the aircraft's category and operating documentation. Use the complete loading record rather than a headline maximum taken from a specification list.

Published Model-Year Specifications

The model-year table covers U.S. 152/A152 source summaries. The shared model field means the source presents those annual entries together; it does not override the separate certified category limits. Published empty weight, maximum speed and climb summaries remain attached to their year and source status.

A historical empty-weight figure can be useful for comparison but cannot establish the current useful load of an aircraft with decades of equipment changes. The same caution applies to a advertised payload calculated by subtracting a catalog empty weight from maximum gross weight. The actual aircraft report supplies the correct starting point.

The annual table should not be read as evidence that every year introduced a new redesign. Some changes are documented at specific serials, while a repeated figure can reflect continued source presentation. When a technical question concerns equipment or structure, follow the more specific change record and applicable manual rather than attributing every difference to the model year alone.

Dimensions Depend on Wingtip and Source Configuration

The source distinguishes the early 1978 published span and wing area from later tip-configuration figures. It also retains a handbook description with alternate tip/strobe geometry. These entries explain why a Cessna 152 wingspan search can produce different values without establishing that one must be an error.

Length and height should likewise remain with the stated configuration and source. A dimension used for hangar or equipment planning needs the actual aircraft configuration, including installed options. A source describing standard tips is not automatically a measurement of an aircraft with another approved tip arrangement.

The table does not resolve configuration by serial alone or assign U.S. dimensions to every Reims aircraft. The F152 reference keeps the French identity distinct. A similar appearance can help orient research, but the applicable aircraft document or actual measurement is needed where a precise installed dimension matters.

Changes at Particular Serials

The serial-break records include aileron rigging, crossover-turnbuckle relocation, ignition equipment, cabin door latches, ventilation and aileron-hinge changes. These are more specific than the family name and can occur without a new model designation. Their practical value is in narrowing the component or publication question.

The source records the Slick 4281 magneto change at separate standard and Aerobat serials. That is factory effectivity, not proof that those magnetos remain fitted now. Magneto identification and maintenance history remain necessary for an installed-component question, just as the engine guide distinguishes airframe production from actual engine equipment.

The crossover-turnbuckle entry and the systems control-Y/bellcrank entry have different descriptions and Aerobat boundaries. Do not merge them into one assumed aileron change merely because they share a broad system. The systems reference preserves the separate source descriptions so a mechanic can investigate the actual assembly and controlling figure.

Model-Year Development Versus Installed Equipment

The major-change table provides historical and technical context at the year level. Its serial-specific indicator helps distinguish a broad development description from an exact effectivity statement. A year-level change can explain the model's evolution without proving that an individual aircraft retains every original feature.

Repairs, replacements and approved alterations can change the current installation while leaving the airframe identity intact. For a prebuy comparison, distinguish an original-production feature from a verified present feature. Records and inspection are needed when the difference affects equipment, maintenance or an aircraft's advertised specification.

Fuel, Engine and Propeller Specifications Belong Together

The fuel guide separates standard and long-range tank quantities. Total fuel, usable fuel and a range calculation's reserve basis are independent concepts. Combining the larger tank capacity with a standard-tank weight assumption or another year's performance conditions would produce an unsupported specification.

The O-235-L2C and N2C have different installed power ratings despite a common aircraft RPM limit. The propeller application adds another distinct set of limits, including diameter and static RPM. A coherent aircraft comparison keeps those relationships together rather than assembling a family profile from unrelated maxima.

The same principle applies to modifications. An approval can change which supplement, limitation or performance evidence is relevant. A serial match to the original aircraft remains useful identity evidence, but it does not prove that the factory specification describes the current installation.

What Is Not Established for Reims Aircraft

The normalized certified-speed and weight/CG tables used here are U.S. model groups. They are not silently applied to F152 or FA152. The Reims source establishes its own model identity, engine and propeller context, but missing exact technical relationships remain unresolved in this reference.

This is a limit of the evidence presented, not a claim that Reims aircraft lack certified limits. The A13EU reference and the correct aircraft handbook are the appropriate next sources. U.S. figures should not become a substitute merely because the model suffix or installed engine appears similar.

Choosing a Figure for a Real Question

For an identity question, use model and serial evidence. For an operating limit, use the controlling aircraft documentation. For a historical comparison, retain the year and source status. For a loading calculation, use current empty weight and the complete applicable envelope. Each task calls for a different relationship to the data.

The manuals guide explains publication lineage, aircraft title-page serials and the limits of generic information manuals. The Cessna 152 pillar connects the wider subjects without replacing those specific sources. This separation makes specification comparisons useful while keeping unresolved equipment, dates and current condition visible.

Individual Cessna 152 Model References

• Cessna 152 - 1978-1985
• Cessna A152 Aerobat - 1978-1985
• Reims/Cessna F152 - 1978-1986
• Reims/Cessna FA152 Aerobat - 1978-1986

Related Cessna 152 Subjects

• Cessna 152 aircraft reference
• Serial ranges and identity exceptions
• Models and Variants
• Engines and Applicability
• Propellers and Approved Applications
• Performance by Model Year
• Fuel Capacity and Tanks
• Weight, CG and Loading
• Systems and Production Changes
• Airworthiness Directives
• Known Issues and Prebuy Research
• Manuals and Documents