Airplanes, Lifestyle

Man bought the cheapest Cessna in the world and tried to fly it 1,000 miles across the US, but there’s a reason it was so cheap

  • This guy bought a cheap plane for $27,000
  • But after looking at the aircraft, the reason for the price became clear
  • Watch as the plane’s journey to the air unfolds

Published on Feb 27, 2025 at 7:10 PM (UTC+4)
by Grace Donohoe

Last updated on Feb 27, 2025 at 7:10 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

This man bought the cheapest Cessna plane in the world and decided to take it for a heck of a spin.

After snapping it up for a neat price, he wanted to test out his new purchase.

To do this, he attempted to fly it 1,000 miles across the US.

However, as you’ll see – there was a reason it was so cheap.

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Everybody loves a bargain right?

That applies when buying airplanes too.

This guy managed to find an abandoned 1947 Cessna for just $10,000, but – again – it was a ropey purchase.

Another savvy spender bought a plane on Facebook Marketplace for a steal.

But, buying cheap comes with challenges – and this man warned people to not go near budget sites including eBay to purchase planes.

As if any warning were needed…

The Cessna plane cost $27,000 – much less than it’s actual market value

Man bought the cheapest Cessna plane in the world and tried to fly it 1,000 miles across the US, but there's a reason it was so cheap
JR Aviation

And let’s just say… the journey to getting up in the air was far from ‘plane sailing’.

In fact, it became apparent why the aircraft cost the creator just $27,000.

The Cessna lacked parts and even log books – going back more than 10 years.

That’s not exactly helpful, right?

Man bought the cheapest Cessna in the world and tried to fly it 1,000 miles across the US, but there's a reason it was so cheap
JR Aviation

If that wasn’t enough to scare anyone from getting on board the plane, there was no working communications system either – so the pilots planned to use the phone via Bluetooth to keep in touch.

Can you see where this is going?

The plane had some issues, delaying the test flight – the fuel pump primer was not happy and decided to not work.

It was all going so well during tests but when it came to attempting to take flight – disaster struck

Man bought the cheapest Cessna in the world and tried to fly it 1,000 miles across the US, but there's a reason it was so cheap
JR Aviation

The creator said: “I can’t say I’m that surprised, but it sure is a bummer.

“Right as we’re ready, it gets thrown back in our face.”

This setback was particularly disappointing after tests throughout the day went well.

Despite the hurdles along the way and the fuel pump issue, the plane finally made it into the air with a working communication system, but the landing gear remained down.

Miraculously, it survived the journey with everyone in tact and the aircraft in one piece.

Take a look at the quirky journey in the video below.

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Grace started her career writing about the weird and wonderful for the international press. She's covered everything from lifestyle to sports and hard news and now finds herself pursuing her main interest - cars. She's loved cars from a young age and has a keen interest in luxury travel too.