Cessna 150 and 152 Landing Distance: Roll versus Obstacle Distance

A Cessna landing ground-roll figure covers a different part of the maneuver from a landing-over-50-feet figure. The obstacle-distance record includes the airborne segment associated with the stated reference height. Identifying that difference is the first step in a useful 150-versus-152 landing comparison.

View through a Cessna 152 windscreen on final approach to Wedderburn — A Cessna 152 on final approach to Wedderburn Airport. The cockpit view connects the instruments with the view toward the runway. Photo: Seaplane silly · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized, WebP.

Read the complete measurement

Each table row retains the published metric, year, model, value and units. The obstacle field remains visible when populated. A blank condition note does not mean every relevant condition is unrestricted; it means the normalized historical record does not supply that detail. Follow its source reference to establish the underlying publication before relying on the result.

Landing records with separate roll and obstacle metrics (42 records)

Landing records with separate roll and obstacle metrics
Reference family	Year	Model	Metric	Value	Units	Obstacle ft	Source
Cessna 150	1960	150	Landing ground roll	360	ft	-	[1]
Cessna 150	1960	150	Landing over 50 ft	1055	ft	50	[1]
Cessna 150	1961	150A	Landing ground roll	360	ft	-	[2]
Cessna 150	1961	150A	Landing over 50 ft	1055	ft	50	[2]
Cessna 150	1962	150B	Landing ground roll	360	ft	-	[3]
Cessna 150	1962	150B	Landing over 50 ft	1055	ft	50	[3]
Cessna 150	1963	150C	Landing ground roll	360	ft	-	[4]
Cessna 150	1963	150C	Landing over 50 ft	1055	ft	50	[4]
Cessna 150	1964	150D	Landing ground roll	445	ft	-	[5]
Cessna 150	1964	150D	Landing over 50 ft	1075	ft	50	[5]
Cessna 150	1965	150E	Landing ground roll	445	ft	-	[6]
Cessna 150	1965	150E	Landing over 50 ft	1055	ft	50	[6]
Cessna 150	1966	150F	Landing ground roll	445	ft	-	[7]
Cessna 150	1966	150F	Landing over 50 ft	1075	ft	50	[7]
Cessna 150	1967	150G	Landing ground roll	445	ft	-	[8]
Cessna 150	1967	150G	Landing over 50 ft	1075	ft	50	[8]
Cessna 150	1969	150J	Landing ground roll	445	ft	-	[9]
Cessna 150	1969	150J	Landing over 50 ft	1075	ft	50	[9]
Cessna 150	1970	150K	Landing ground roll	445	ft	-	[10]
Cessna 150	1970	150K	Landing over 50 ft	1075	ft	50	[10]
Cessna 150	1971	150L	Landing ground roll	445	ft	-	[11]
Cessna 150	1971	150L	Landing over 50 ft	1075	ft	50	[11]
Cessna 150	1972	150L	Landing ground roll	445	ft	-	[12]
Cessna 150	1972	150L	Landing over 50 ft	1075	ft	50	[12]
Cessna 150	1973	150L	Landing ground roll	445	ft	-	[13]
Cessna 150	1973	150L	Landing over 50 ft	1075	ft	50	[13]
Cessna 150	1974	150L	Landing ground roll	445	ft	-	[14]
Cessna 150	1974	150L	Landing over 50 ft	1075	ft	50	[14]
Cessna 150	1977	150M	Landing ground roll	445	ft	-	[15]
Cessna 150	1977	150M	Landing over 50 ft	1075	ft	50	[15]
Cessna 152	1978	152	Landing ground roll	475	ft	-	[16]
Cessna 152	1978	152	Landing over 50 ft	1200	ft	50	[16]
Cessna 152	1979	152	Landing ground roll	475	ft	-	[17]
Cessna 152	1979	152	Landing over 50 ft	1200	ft	50	[17]
Cessna 152	1980	152	Landing ground roll	475	ft	-	[18]
Cessna 152	1980	152	Landing over 50 ft	1200	ft	50	[18]
Cessna 152	1981	152	Landing ground roll	475	ft	-	[19]
Cessna 152	1981	152	Landing over 50 ft	1200	ft	50	[19]
Cessna 152	1982	152	Landing ground roll	475	ft	-	[20]
Cessna 152	1982	152	Landing over 50 ft	1200	ft	50	[20]
Cessna 152	1985	152	Landing ground roll	475	ft	-	[21]
Cessna 152	1985	152	Landing over 50 ft	1200	ft	50	[21]

Cessna 150 airborne just above a runway — A Cessna 150 taking off. This photograph illustrates the flight phase; it is not a source of takeoff distances or operating speeds. Photo: Navigator-avia · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized, WebP.

What the table can support

The historical series helps explain what figures were published for successive aircraft and where more detailed handbook research is needed. It does not establish the runway distance required by today's aircraft under today's conditions. Approach configuration, loading and the runway and atmospheric conditions addressed by the handbook remain part of that determination.

Do not compare a ground-roll number for one aircraft with a total obstacle-distance number for another and call the difference a model advantage. Likewise, do not treat a favorable brochure figure as a personal performance target. A buying comparison should identify the same measurement and compatible conditions before discussing the numerical difference.

Connect landing performance with configuration

The flap-system reference explains the transition from mechanical to electric actuation and the later production changes. Those system relationships help identify the relevant aircraft, but they do not authorize a flap setting or technique for a particular landing. The aircraft's applicable operating documents govern that question.

Check any modifications and the current weight-and-balance evidence alongside the handbook. U.S. landplane headline figures are not automatically evidence for a Reims model, Aerobat configuration or seaplane. Retain those boundaries when making a comparison or deciding which publication to consult next.

Cessna 152 cockpit with two control wheels and a central radio stack — A Cessna 152 training cockpit with the instrument panel and both control wheels visible. This is one aircraft configuration. Photo: BestOnLifeform · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized, WebP.

A focused evidence request

For a candidate aircraft, ask which handbook and supplements describe its landing performance and which configuration the seller used when quoting a distance. Preserve the stated units and measurement endpoints in the response. This is more useful than requesting a single short-field number, which can hide whether the answer refers to ground roll, obstacle distance or an informal observation under unknown conditions.

Related research

Cessna 150 and 152 Takeoff Distance: Ground Roll and 50-Foot Figures