Continental O-200-A: Cessna 150 Installation and Engine Reference

The Continental O-200-A is the 100 hp engine associated with the standard Cessna 150 and many 150-family Aerobats. Its aircraft rating is 100 hp at 2,750 RPM in the reference. That familiar description is useful, but it does not identify the engine now fitted to a particular aircraft. The exact model, serial group, modification history and engine data plate still have to agree. Reims FRA150 aircraft require particular care: their O-240 configurations are covered separately in the O-240 reference.

What the engine designation establishes

The O-200-A is a four-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, normally aspirated engine with carbureted induction and direct drive. The recorded displacement is 201 cubic inches. These characteristics distinguish the engine itself from the aircraft installation around it: propeller, cowling, exhaust, engine controls, fuel supply and instruments are separate parts of the approval and maintenance picture. An advertisement describing a “Continental 100 hp” installation leaves several of those questions unanswered.

The engine certificate reference is E-252. Aircraft eligibility is a different question, addressed through the aircraft certification and serial relationships. The 3A19 document guide explains the U.S. aircraft reference; A13EU provides the Reims context. Neither certificate number should be treated as a declaration that every accessory or replacement installation is acceptable on every aircraft in the family.

Which aircraft and serial groups are recorded

The installation table retains the original model-year groups and their first and last serials. U.S. 150 and A150 entries, Reims F150/FA150 entries and Argentine identities remain separate. This matters when ordering research around a model suffix: a broad description such as “150 family” is less precise than the aircraft model and applicability basis printed in the individual row. A year appearing here is a source model-year assignment, not proof of a particular aircraft's manufacturing or registration date.

Use the Cessna 150 serial guide to resolve exceptions and local numbering before using the table. In particular, an Argentine cross-reference may identify a block relationship without establishing a unique one-to-one mapping for every record. An eligible factory engine is also not proof of current installation: conversions, replacements and subsequent changes need their own records.

Propellers differ within the O-200 aircraft group

The same engine appears with several propeller applications. Early 150 models, later L/M models, Aerobats and approved float configurations do not all share one diameter, pitch designation or static-RPM window. The table therefore carries the complete application name beside the aircraft model and model-year/configuration field. Static RPM is an installation check under its specified conditions; it is not a replacement for the engine's maximum operating RPM.

For the later aircraft, the McCauley 1A102/OCM6948 guide follows a particularly useful example: the designation crosses U.S. and Reims references, but its year coverage is not identical for every standard and Aerobat entry. Approved seaplane applications remain distinct. A propeller that physically fits is not thereby shown to meet the aircraft's approved installation requirements.

Weight, fuel and maintenance interpretation

Published engine dry weights are not aircraft empty weights. The underlying engine record distinguishes historical and current manufacturer weight figures, so a single catalogue weight cannot establish the weight change after an engine replacement. Installed accessories and the actual work accomplished matter. The aircraft's resulting empty weight, moment and equipment list belong in its own weight-and-balance records; the useful-load guide explains why a brochure subtraction is insufficient.

The recorded fuel description likewise belongs to the engine and approved configuration. It does not authorize an alternative fuel or establish that a fuel-related modification was installed. Follow the aircraft's applicable documentation and any relevant supplement when researching grades, fuel-system changes or operating limits. The Cessna 150 fuel reference separates tank configurations and usable quantities rather than assigning one capacity to every O-200 aircraft.

A prebuy review should connect the actual engine identification and history with its exhaust, controls, ignition, induction and propeller records. Component ADs can depend on a particular accessory, repair history or conversion rather than the O-200 name alone. The family AD guide preserves those conditions; this page does not assign its whole list to an individual engine. Continue through the prebuy guide with the aircraft's records and qualified maintenance support.

Keep the engine product and installation distinct

Continental lists O-200-A and O-200-D separately. The engine-family sheet also contains an IO-240 entry, which is not a Rolls-Royce O-240 installation reference. Keep the complete model name when selecting technical material. The TBO guide explains why a brochure interval alone does not settle an installed engine's overhaul eligibility.