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

Takeoff ground roll and takeoff distance over a 50-foot obstacle are two different measurements. The first stops when the aircraft leaves the surface; the second includes the additional distance associated with clearing the stated obstacle. They must not occupy the same comparison column without identifying which measurement is being used.

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.

Keep the obstacle basis visible

The records below retain both metric names and the obstacle field when supplied. A short ground-roll figure does not establish that the aircraft can clear an obstacle in that distance. Nor does a published obstacle figure establish suitability for a particular strip when the aircraft, runway or atmospheric conditions differ from the publication.

Takeoff ground roll and obstacle-distance records (42 records)

Takeoff ground roll and obstacle-distance records
Reference family	Year	Model	Metric	Value	Units	Obstacle ft	Source
Cessna 150	1960	150	Takeoff ground roll	680	ft	-	[1]
Cessna 150	1960	150	Takeoff over 50 ft	1205	ft	50	[1]
Cessna 150	1961	150A	Takeoff ground roll	680	ft	-	[2]
Cessna 150	1961	150A	Takeoff over 50 ft	1205	ft	50	[2]
Cessna 150	1962	150B	Takeoff ground roll	680	ft	-	[3]
Cessna 150	1962	150B	Takeoff over 50 ft	1205	ft	50	[3]
Cessna 150	1963	150C	Takeoff ground roll	680	ft	-	[4]
Cessna 150	1963	150C	Takeoff over 50 ft	1205	ft	50	[4]
Cessna 150	1964	150D	Takeoff ground roll	735	ft	-	[5]
Cessna 150	1964	150D	Takeoff over 50 ft	1385	ft	50	[5]
Cessna 150	1965	150E	Takeoff ground roll	735	ft	-	[6]
Cessna 150	1965	150E	Takeoff over 50 ft	1385	ft	50	[6]
Cessna 150	1966	150F	Takeoff ground roll	735	ft	-	[7]
Cessna 150	1966	150F	Takeoff over 50 ft	1385	ft	50	[7]
Cessna 150	1967	150G	Takeoff ground roll	735	ft	-	[8]
Cessna 150	1967	150G	Takeoff over 50 ft	1385	ft	50	[8]
Cessna 150	1969	150J	Takeoff ground roll	735	ft	-	[9]
Cessna 150	1969	150J	Takeoff over 50 ft	1385	ft	50	[9]
Cessna 150	1970	150K	Takeoff ground roll	735	ft	-	[10]
Cessna 150	1970	150K	Takeoff over 50 ft	1385	ft	50	[10]
Cessna 150	1971	150L	Takeoff ground roll	735	ft	-	[11]
Cessna 150	1971	150L	Takeoff over 50 ft	1385	ft	50	[11]
Cessna 150	1972	150L	Takeoff ground roll	735	ft	-	[12]
Cessna 150	1972	150L	Takeoff over 50 ft	1385	ft	50	[12]
Cessna 150	1973	150L	Takeoff ground roll	735	ft	-	[13]
Cessna 150	1973	150L	Takeoff over 50 ft	1385	ft	50	[13]
Cessna 150	1974	150L	Takeoff ground roll	735	ft	-	[14]
Cessna 150	1974	150L	Takeoff over 50 ft	1385	ft	50	[14]
Cessna 150	1977	150M	Takeoff ground roll	735	ft	-	[15]
Cessna 150	1977	150M	Takeoff over 50 ft	1385	ft	50	[15]
Cessna 152	1978	152	Takeoff ground roll	725	ft	-	[16]
Cessna 152	1978	152	Takeoff over 50 ft	1340	ft	50	[16]
Cessna 152	1979	152	Takeoff ground roll	725	ft	-	[17]
Cessna 152	1979	152	Takeoff over 50 ft	1340	ft	50	[17]
Cessna 152	1980	152	Takeoff ground roll	725	ft	-	[18]
Cessna 152	1980	152	Takeoff over 50 ft	1340	ft	50	[18]
Cessna 152	1981	152	Takeoff ground roll	725	ft	-	[19]
Cessna 152	1981	152	Takeoff over 50 ft	1340	ft	50	[19]
Cessna 152	1982	152	Takeoff ground roll	725	ft	-	[20]
Cessna 152	1982	152	Takeoff over 50 ft	1340	ft	50	[20]
Cessna 152	1985	152	Takeoff ground roll	725	ft	-	[21]
Cessna 152	1985	152	Takeoff over 50 ft	1340	ft	50	[21]

Historical specification versus takeoff planning

These records support model-year research. They are not a takeoff calculator and do not contain every correction needed for flight planning. Use the correct handbook or flight manual to account for the conditions it specifies, including aircraft weight and the relevant runway and atmospheric inputs. Do not silently substitute a missing field with a favorable assumption.

For a purchase comparison, use the same intended mission and comparable documented conditions on both sides. A lighter advertised empty weight is not the loading weight of the aircraft being offered for sale. Its actual equipment and latest weight-and-balance records matter, as explained in the weight reference.

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.

Configuration can change the answer

The approved engine and propeller combination, landing-gear configuration and any performance-related supplements belong in the research. A stock 150 row cannot be made into a floatplane or higher-power conversion estimate by applying an informal multiplier. The propeller references help identify why an application is more specific than a general engine-family name.

Keep the departure's subsequent climb requirement in view as well. Clearing the publication's reference obstacle and meeting the real route's terrain requirement are separate questions that need their own applicable evidence.

Make comparisons reproducible

Keep the exact source row and its publication reference with a comparison note. If a runway surface or atmospheric condition is absent from the normalized record, identify the missing input explicitly. Do not interpret the absence as a statement that the published distance applies to every surface or temperature. A reproducible comparison should allow another reader to find the same chart and understand why its conditions were selected.

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.

Why airport elevation is not the whole altitude question

A runway's elevation is fixed, but the atmosphere encountered on a particular day is not. The density-altitude explanation connects pressure and temperature to the aircraft's takeoff and climb questions. Establish the inputs required by the applicable handbook, along with loading, wind and runway conditions. Do not apply an invented family-wide percentage penalty to a historical ground-roll figure.

Read ground roll and obstacle distance separately, then assess the departure beyond the initial obstacle. A takeoff-distance result cannot by itself establish continued climb capability over terrain. The installed engine and propeller configuration also remain part of the aircraft application; an increased nominal horsepower does not supply a revised takeoff chart.