Smart Plane Shopper: Cessna 206 Stationair

Make whatever comparison you want because they all work—a flying SUV, station wagon or pickup truck—Cessna’s 206 Stationair has a long earned reputation for being one of the best piston-single haulers around. Moreover, owning a Stationair is pretty easy because you can bring it to any experienced mechanic, it works well as a stable IFR platform, and you don’t have to be an ace to fly one.

Better yet, there are plenty of used 206 models on the market at various price points and configurations. And as you’d expect, you’ll pay a hefty price premium for late-model planes and older ones with modern upgrades and newer engines. Here’s a summary to point your shopping in the right direction.

Utilitarian From the Start

The 206 Stationair started life as the Cessna 205 somewhere around 1963, but it wasn’t exactly the load-it-up hauler it would grow into. While the early 205 was clearly bigger than the 172, it had a relatively small rear cabin door and a traditional two-door arrangement up front. At the time, Cessna was making the strutted-wing, retractable-gear 210 and the fixed-gear 205 struck a close resemblance. The original powerplant was a 260-HP Continental IO-470, which was adequate, although in general buyers wanted more utility than the 205 could deliver. Cessna responded with the U206 and called it the Super Skywagon, and it had more power (a 285-HP Continental IO-520A), a redesigned wing, and larger wing flaps. Even back then Cessna marketed the planes as flying trucks because passenger seats were an option, plus there was only a single cabin door for the pilot and a big aft double door on the right side of the airplane. This utilitarian design stuck with the airplane to this day. In winter 2025, Super Skywagons that have modern avionics, low-time engines, and other improvements might sell for around $160,000. In 1963, an average equipped 205 was priced at $23,151.

In 1965, the 205 become the P206 Super Skylane and was powered by the bigger engine, and we presume the P stood for personal. Meanwhile in 1967 the U206 got a takeoff weight boost and new 300-HP Continental IO-520-F engine, while the P model kept the 285-HP IO-520-A. In 1966 turbocharging became available on both airplanes, with a 285-HP Continental TIO-520C. The P206 was discontinued in 1970, with a total production run of 647. The remaining U206 and TU206 were offered with either a utility or passenger interior and the model was renamed Stationair, a designation it still carries today.

But Cessna wasn’t through with advancing the airplane, at least when it came to the model designation and tweaking the Stationair’s size. A stretch of the fuselage brought the 207 Skywagon to market in 1969, with the addition of another seat, bringing the number available to seven. Useful load went up by about 30 pounds, plus an additional bonus was a nose baggage compartment, which helped with getting the CG in the proper place during loading. And, a turbocharged model of the 207 had the Continental TSIO-520, with 300 HP. In 1972 the airplane got camber-lift wings, which had a slightly cuffed leading edge that helped to improve low-speed handling with almost no penalty to cruise speeds. The baggage compartment got a 7-inch stretch for slightly more space. Then, some aerodynamic tweaks in 1975 gave the plane more cruise speed (only roughly 6 knots), and the cleanup included more streamlined wheel pants and improved cowl flaps. Many operators pull those wheel pants off for operating on rough strips. In 1977, the horsepower of the turbo engine was upped to 310 (for takeoff only) on both the TU206 and the T207, and a welcomed wet-wing fuel system was introduced in 1979.

The 207 series remained in production until 1984, and the 206 stayed on until 1986 as the T/U 206 G II as the largest Cessna piston single. Interestingly, in 1980 the seventh seat of the 207 was widened to hold up to eight passengers and that brought the Stationair 8, even though the Stationair still kept the 207 nomenclature. There never was a model 208 Stationair, even when Cessna started making piston singles again in 1997. Of course there was, and still is, the Cessna 208 series Caravan turboprop. But in 1998, Cessna started pumping Stationairs out of its Kansas production facility and the airplane was designated the 206H. And with Cessna being a Textron company, it canned the Continental engines in favor of a Lycoming IO-540-AC1A of 300 HP. The turbocharged version, the T206H, has a 310-HP TIO-540-AJ1A.  

Like the rest of the piston singles in Cessna’s line, the newer Stationairs got a big boost in modern styling, particularly inside the cabin. This included a metal instrument panel free of the plastic overlay found in earlier models, better seating, better carpeting, more soundproofing, and a new BendixKing avionics suite. However, these Silver Crown Plus avionics didn’t score points with owners no thanks to reliability issues, especially with the KAP140 autopilot problems. If you’re considering one of these airplanes (including 182 and 172 models so equipped), look hard at the logs to be sure the long list of service bulletins was addressed, including autopilot servo work. Thankfully many of these planes have been upgraded with better avionics, though the big change came to the Stationair around 2007 with Garmin’s G1000 integrated flight deck. It wasn’t without some gripes as early models didn’t have WAAS GPS and upgrades weren’t exactly easy or cheap (they had to be done at Cessna service centers because of type certificate matters), though we suspect the majority have been upgraded at this point for an eye-widening price.

How Much Performance?

No, Stationairs won’t come close to winning any speed records. These heavy singles lumber along in the 145-knot range while burning 15 gallons per hour or more. Pulling the power back to a slow 135 knots cuts gas consumption to a more reasonable 12.5 GPH. The turbo versions buy a bit more cruise speed (plan on 150 knots), but frankly you don’t buy a turbo 206 to go faster. Instead, that extra go works best for operating at heavier weights from high density altitudes, especially when clearing obstacles. Remember, these are working-pilot singles, and they spend lots of time earning their keep in the backwoods and also on water when equipped with amphib floats.

Loading? Go for it—that’s why pilots buy Stationairs, but while the 206’s payload started out high, it has been declining because the model has gotten heavier over time because of luxurious interiors, air conditioning, and all the other creature comforts buyers except from new airplanes pushing $1 million or more. Still, depending on the model, 206 gross weights have been between 3,300 and 3,600 pounds. Need to carry lots of stuff? The TU206A through D models might be the ones to look for because they have a gross weight of 3,600 pounds and an empty weight of around 1,795 pounds.

Owning a Stationair is all about the convenience of loading all that stuff because the rear cargo doors create an opening more than 44 inches wide. If you need a real working airplane, remember that the U models have no rear seats, which provides a flat floor for stacking cargo. Another nice touch is the lack of a lip at the doors, so cargo doesn’t have to be maneuvered up and over to get it inside, and there are available aftermarket cargo pods for fitting more things onboard. But be careful with loading because despite what people say about flying away with what you can fit inside, you sure can load any Stationair outside of a safe CG envelope. Despite the airplane having a liberal loading graph, there are wrecks the result of improper loading.

How’s It Handle?

Not like a Porsche of the sky. Stationairs have solid, heavy handling. That does lend to stability and we can attest that the airplane makes for a good IFR platform. It also means the airplane won’t rattle your fillings loose in the bumps. Stalls are quite benign and recovery from unusual attitudes should be drama-free. But use caution during landing, especially when the CG favors a forward-loading profile, because you can land on the nosewheel if you don’t properly manage the roundout. To avoid the prang, you’ll need to muscle the back pressure for the right pitch attitude, and be sure to use the elevator pitch trim to your advantage.

In the 207 version, the nose baggage compartment can simply add to the nose heaviness. However, using less than full flaps for landing can ease the control forces required to flare. You really want to get transition training from someone who understands how to fly (and land) a Stationair. This is even more important if you’re coming from an aircraft with snappier, lighter handling. Be sure to practice lots of botched landings and go-arounds. Additionally, when flown properly, these are good airplanes on unimproved surfaces and if short- and soft-field ops are in your plans, the Stationair is up to the task—especially earlier models equipped with 40 degrees of flaps.

Cabin Dwelling, Upgrades

There’s a wide range here. Early models are as stark as old-school pickup trucks, while later ones have modern interiors that will impress the business crowd. We suppose that’s what makes the Stationair as good at the big-city airport as it is in the outback. Frankly, we were sold on the plane’s capabilities (a later-model turbocharged 206) after filling all the seats for a snowboarding trip. The cabin easily accommodated average-sized adults and their gear, while the rear cargo doors were a standout in convenience.

But not all Stationairs make for comfortable travelers. Consider that newer 206s (1998 model year and beyond) have more comfortable seats and are substantially quieter and tighter than the older models. If a major refurbishment project is your plan with an older Stationair, it pays to spend some bucks on more soundproofing. These planes are loud inside. And in typical old-Cessna fashion, you’ll be replacing lots of cracked and brittle interior plastic. You can indeed make an older Stationair a much more comfy dwelling with a modern interior upgrade.

And since these are go-places airplanes, modern avionics upgrades are fair game. During the prebuy, pay particular attention to the upkeep of the autopilot. Those heavy pitch forces mean the servos work hard. Garmin has STC approval for its GFC 500 autopilot, and plenty of old Stationairs have been upgraded with all kinds of avionics from Garmin, Avidyne, Aspen, and Dynon.

It’s a Strong Market

There are plenty of used Stationairs of all vintages on the current market, and values still seem to be holding their own at the end of 2025. But you’ll find models that have seen some hard miles. For instance, we found a 1975 U206F for sale at $255,000. The airframe had—get ready for this—16,750 hours, and the Continental IO-520 had 1800 hours since overhaul just two years prior. The listed avionics included a Garmin portable GPS and an old VHF radio. Do you think this is a hard-working airplane?

A 1967 P206 with just shy of 15,000 hours on the airframe and 33 hours on the engine since a major overhaul was listed for $199,000. Late-model turbocharged Stationairs fetch big money. We found plenty of 2017 and newer turbocharged models for sale in the $750,000 to $900,000 price range. A cherry 2009 turbo 206H with 1700 hours total time on the engine and airframe was listed for $500,000. This is a Garmin G1000 airplane with aux fuel tip tanks (15 gallons each), built-in oxygen, and provisions for water floats. We wouldn’t kick it out of our hangar.

No matter which Stationair you’re looking for, do a good prepurchase inspection with a shop that knows what it’s looking at. The good news is these planes aren’t overly complex and it won’t be difficult to find a mechanic to work on one. There really isn’t a lot that stands out. Look for corrosion because we’ve seen issues with the tail, mostly corrosion caused by the foam-filled elevator and trim tab getting soaked with water and pulling of rivets, screws and nuts. Some of the brackets in the tail can crack. There have also been some instances of cracking door posts, although these problems have not proven to be a safety issue. Given the number of owners we talked with over the years who routinely operate out of short and rough fields, combined with the nose-heavy landing tendency, we recommend paying close attention to the landing gear (particularly the nosegear) and brakes.

As for ADs, do a good search to make sure they’ve been hit. There’s 85-2-7, which calls for inspection of a roll pin in the fuel selector, and 85-10-2 mandates recurrent inspection or modification of the induction air box. There’s 91-15-4 and 82-27-2 for inspection of the prop, 97-26-17 for ultrasonic inspection and possible replacement of the crankshaft, 96-12-22 for the recurrent inspection of the oil filter adapter, and 2011-10-09 for the seat rails and roller housing inspection.

As for mods, a good one is the CAV ice protection, which is a weeping wing TKS upgrade for 206 F, G and H models. One mod we’re fond of comes from Vitatoe Aviation in Circleville, Ohio. It offers cross-flow cylinder and induction upgrades for IO-520 engines and an STC’d IO-550 upgrade. There are plenty of useful mods for skis, floats, long-range tanks, STOL kits, vortex generators, cargo pods, and various speed mods.

Some good resources are the Cessna Owner Organization, the Cessna Flyer Association, and the Cessna Pilots Association, which used to be more active. You’ll also find active Cessna 206 groups on Facebook.