Cessna T210G/H/J Turbo Centurion (1967-1969)

The specifications on this page describe the 1967 Model T210G. FAA TCDS 3A21 Section IX gives the 1968 T210H identical limits, so they are exact for 195 of the 258 airframes here — 76% — and for the engine that same 76% carries. The 1969 T210J has its own row in the Variants table.

The T210G, T210H and T210J are the turbocharged half of the early cantilever-wing 210. The Continental TSIO-520-C is certificated at 285 hp at 2,700 rpm and 32.5 in. Hg manifold pressure for all operations — the same power as the normally aspirated IO-520-A beside it, held to altitude rather than added at sea level.

Counted from the certificate's own serial ranges: T210G (1967, 110 built), T210H (1968, 85) and T210J (1969, 63) — 258 airplanes, against 381 normally aspirated 210G/H/Js.

Two corrections a returning reader should know about

This is a four-seat airplane. The page previously said six. 3A21 Sections IX and XI both read 4 PCLM (Normal Category) and No. of Seats 4 (2 at +36, 2 at +70). The six-seat Turbo Centurion begins with the 1970 T210K, whose Section XIII reads 6 PCLM with three seat rows. Seat count is the finder's core filter, so this airplane was being offered to buyers who had asked for six seats.

It carries 89 usable gallons, not 65. The page said 65, which is the total capacity of the strut-braced airplane's rubber bladders. The 1967 cantilever wing is sealed to form two 45-gallon integral tanks and the certificate states "90 gal. (89 gal. usable)". That is 37% more fuel than the page claimed, which matters more on a turbocharged airplane than on any other 210: AOPA's own comparison of the type notes that a turbo 210 flown hard runs its tanks down in "three and a half or four hours" where the normally aspirated airplane is a seven-hour machine.

The TSIO-520-C

A 520 cubic inch, six-cylinder, fuel-injected, turbocharged Continental certificated at 285 hp, 2700 rpm, 32.5 in. Hg. manifold pressure, for all operations. There is no separate five-minute takeoff rating on this engine — that arrives with the TSIO-520-R in the 1977 T210M, which 3A21 rates at 310 hp for takeoff and 285 continuous.

TBO 1,400 hours — 300 less than the normally aspirated IO-520-A — reflecting the additional thermal and mechanical stress of turbocharging.

Operating considerations specific to TSIO-520-C:

• Cylinder management: Turbo engines run hotter; CHTs require careful monitoring. Many T210s have aftermarket engine monitors (JPI, EI) installed.
• Cool-down time: Required cool-down after high-power flight (3-5 minutes at low power) to prevent oil coking in turbo bearings.
• Wastegate condition: Mechanical wastegate with limited automatic compensation. Late-1960s wastegates require attention -- stuck wastegates are common.
• Intercooler: Limited intercooling vs later TSIO-520-R variants. Induction temps can be high.

Every figure below is from FAA TCDS 3A21 Rev. 50, read section by section. Airspeed limits are the certificate's own bracketed knots on a calibrated basis — see Performance Notes.

The bold row is the airplane the frontmatter describes. Every certificated limit is identical across the three; the only differences the certificate records are the engine dash number and the oil system that goes with it (12 quarts on the T210G and T210H, 10 on the T210J).

Both engines are TSIO-520s and both price at the same $58,000 reference overhaul, so nothing in docs/CATALOG-SPLITTING-RULE.md separates them.

One airframe out of order. Serial 21058140 is a T210J carrying a 210C-series number — Section III omits exactly that serial from the 1963 210C range. One airplane from the 1963 line was completed as a 1969 turbocharged model.

Against the normally aspirated 210G/H/J

The certificate makes them the same airplane except for the engine. Same weight, same fuel, same limits, same four occupants. What separates them is altitude capability and running cost, which is why they are separate pages under Step 3 of the splitting rule rather than Step 1 or 2.

The cruise, range, burn, climb and ceiling figures in the frontmatter are not sourced. They come from the April 2026 generation pass. A type certificate carries no performance data, and AOPA's "Cessna T210 Turbo" fact sheet has no T210G, T210H or T210J column — its three are the 1966 T210F, the 1970 T210K and the 1979 T210N.

Read the stored 800 nm range as a floor. It was computed against a 65-gallon capacity and this airplane has 89 usable gallons. It has deliberately not been adjusted, because recomputing it would be arithmetic dressed as a citation.

The stored 27,000 ft service ceiling is probably low. Cessna Flyer's history of the type reports that "Figures for a 1969 T210J show a service ceiling of 30,200 feet (!), a total distance over a 50-foot obstacle of 1,365 feet and an as-delivered useful load of 1,340 pounds", and AOPA publishes 31,300 ft for the lighter 1966 T210F. Neither of those is the T210G, so neither is stored — but two independent sources putting this airframe above 30,000 ft say the legacy 27,000 is a figure to check, not to trust. Sourcing it needs the 1967 Cessna T210G Owner's Manual.

The airspeed limits are CALIBRATED

3A21 Section IX is headed *Airspeed Limits (CAS) and prints miles per hour first with knots in brackets. The stored figures are the bracketed knots, unconverted.

• The mph column is not the knots column. The page carried vne_kias: 200. 200 mph is the 1960 Model 210's never-exceed — the wrong column of the wrong airplane. The T210G reads "225 mph. (196 knots)".
• CAS is not IAS. 3A12's NOTE 4 states for the Cessna 172 that "TIAS is exactly equal to CAS"; 3A21's NOTE 4 makes no such finding and its handbook list starts at the 1976 210L. These are calibrated airspeeds recorded in _kias fields rather than converted. AOPA prints "196 KCAS" and "165 KCAS" for the T210K, agreeing on both the numbers and the basis.

One certificate quirk worth recording: the T210J block prints "Maximum structural cruising 90 mph. (165 knots)" — a typographical error, since 165 knots is 190 mph and every neighbouring section prints 190. The bracketed knots figure, which is what the catalogue stores, is unaffected.

Gear speeds

160 mph (139 knots) both for operating the gear and with it extended. The catalogue has no vlo/vle field, so the limit lives here.

T210G/H/J trade above equivalent normally aspirated 210G/H/J for the altitude capability. Turbo condition is the dominant valuation factor: a tired turbocharger can mean $10,000 or more in near-term replacement, and the engine reserve alone is $41 an hour against the normally aspirated airplane's $28 ($58,000 over 1,400 hours, against $48,000 over 1,700).

The price band on this page is legacy and unsourced, and it was written when the page believed this was a six-seat airplane.

210 universal concerns apply. T210G/H/J-specific:

1. Turbocharger condition: Inspect for shaft play, oil seepage, blade damage. Turbo replacement: $5,000-$10,000.
2. Wastegate operation: Verify smooth wastegate operation through full power range. Stuck wastegates: $2,000-$5,000 repair.
3. Cylinder CHT history: Review engine monitor data (if installed) for CHT excursions. Recurring high CHTs suggest cylinder problems ahead.
4. Exhaust system condition: Turbo exhausts run hotter and crack more frequently. Inspect for cracks, weeping, and weld failures.
5. Cool-down practice: Review pilot reports for consistent cool-down. Aircraft owned by buyers who don't cool down properly have shorter turbo life.