Cessna 120 Market Report
Single-Engine Piston · generated 2026-08-31 · fyiAero market data, FAA registry, NTSB, aircraft.com sold records.
Market summary
662in operation (FAA)
5for sale · 0.8% of fleet
$39kaverage asking
$40kmedian asking
20avg days on market
22registry transfers, 6 mo
13.1 yravg length of ownership
| Low | Avg | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asking price | $28k | $39k | $45k |
| Model year | 1946 | 1946 | 1948 |
| Airframe time | 2,393 | 5,612 | 8,831 |
| Days on market | — | 20 | 22 |
For sale & average asking by month reconstructed from listing history
| Month | For sale | Avg asking | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08 | 3 | $38k |
Features of aircraft for sale
| ADS-B | 60% (3) | |
| GPS navigator | 0% (0) | |
| Autopilot | 0% (0) | |
| FIKI | 0% (0) | |
| GTN 750 / 750Xi | 0% (0) | |
| Glass flight deck | 0% (0) |
Where the fleet is based top states, FAA registry
| CA | 69 | |
| TX | 64 | |
| FL | 38 | |
| AK | 29 | |
| AZ | 27 | |
| WA | 25 | |
| MI | 24 | |
| WI | 22 | |
| GA | 20 | |
| MO | 20 |
502 of 662 are individually registered.
Registry transfers by month new registration certificates, 12 mo
| 2025-09 | 4 | |
| 2025-10 | 4 | |
| 2025-11 | 2 | |
| 2025-12 | 5 | |
| 2026-01 | 3 | |
| 2026-02 | 6 | |
| 2026-03 | 6 | |
| 2026-04 | 4 | |
| 2026-05 | 3 | |
| 2026-06 | 4 | |
| 2026-07 | 4 | |
| 2026-08 | 1 |
Aircraft for sale 5 units · asking vs fyiEstimate
| Year | Reg | Serial | Asking | fyiEstimate | vs est | TTAF | Engine | Seller | DOM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | N77493 | Not Listed | $28,500 | $41,500 | -31% | — | 80 | James Weeks | 22 |
| 1946 | N77388 | 11829 | $39,500 | $42,000 | -6% | 2,393 | 386 | Jeff Robbins | 22 |
| 1947 | — | $38,500 | $40,000 | -4% | — | — | Paul Cassel This Cessna has | 22 | |
| 1947 | I-FFLJ | 14318 | $45,000 | $36,500 | +23% | 8,831 | 245 | Fabio Pettinari | 22 |
| 1948 | — | $45,000 | $40,500 | +11% | — | — | Jacko Villanueva | 15 |
Market by model year fleet · for sale · asking
| Year | Fleet | For sale | % | Low | Avg | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 284 | 2 | 0.7% | $28k | $34k | $40k |
| 1947 | 216 | 2 | 0.9% | $38k | $42k | $45k |
| 1948 | 23 | 1 | 4.3% | $45k | $45k | $45k |
| 1949 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1954 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1956 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1957 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1964 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 2001 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
fyiEstimate values by model year and airframe time
| Model year | Units | Avg fyiEstimate |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 2 | $41,750 |
| 1947 | 2 | $38,250 |
| 1948 | 1 | $40,500 |
| Airframe hours | Units | Avg asking | Avg fyiEstimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000–3,999 | 1 | $39,500 | $42,000 |
| 8,000–9,999 | 1 | $45,000 | $36,500 |
Recent market activity last 60 days
| Date | Event | Aircraft | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-16 | Off market | 1947 I-FFLJ | $45k |
| 2026-08-16 | Off market | 1946 N77388 | $40k |
| 2026-08-16 | Off market | 1946 N77493 | $28k |
| 2026-08-09 | Newly listed | 1947 I-FFLJ | $45k |
| 2026-08-09 | Newly listed | 1946 N77388 | $40k |
| 2026-08-09 | Newly listed | 1946 N77493 | $28k |
Sold aircraft.com sold records · last asking at sale
1sold records
$21kavg last asking
$21k – $21krange
| Month | Sold | Avg asking |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08 | 1 | $21k |
| Date | Year | Reg | TTAF | Asking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-10 | 1947 | 8,831 | $21k |
Operating costs full cost analysis →
$16,747annual budget · 160 hrs
$66variable cost / hour
$0.66cost per nm
4.8gph fuel burn
fyiEstimate values are market estimates from comparable asking prices (which skew high versus sold prices), not certified appraisals. Fleet and ownership figures from the FAA Releasable Registry; "registry transfers" count new registration certificates issued. Sold records from aircraft.com reflect the last asking price, not the transaction price. Monthly history is reconstructed from when listings first and last appeared.
