Refurb of the Month: Steve Biggs’ Cessna P210

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Key Takeaways:

  • Steve Biggs extensively refurbished his Cessna P210N, an aircraft chosen for its turbocharging and pressurization essential for Western flying, into a modern, luxurious cross-country plane.
  • He opted for refurbishment over purchasing a new aircraft, citing it as a more cost-effective way to achieve state-of-the-art capabilities while retaining a familiar airframe.
  • The comprehensive upgrades included a complete panel overhaul with modern avionics, a new fire-blocked leather and wool interior with memory foam, and a fresh paint job.
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Anyone who flies out west understands the need for turbocharging and pressurization isnt a bad idea, either. An older Cessna P210 fits this requirement perfectly and this month, were featuring Steve Biggs P210N, which is based in Bozeman, Montana.


I’m proud to submit my newly refurbished P210N for your consideration as Refurb of the Month. I’ve owned this wonderful airplane for 16 years and prior to retirement, used it routinely for fast, efficient transportation in my work. Now I’m looking forward to visiting family and friends around the country with my wife.

Considering the utility and comfortable cross-country travel of my P210 and given today’s vast selection of retrofit avionics and instruments, a complete refurbishment seemed a prudent choice versus trading for a late model or new pressurized aircraft. The result of the project is a very capable and beautiful airplane at a fraction of the cost of new.

An important side benefit of refurbishment is staying with an aircraft whose flight handling characteristics, performance and maintenance history you already know. Here are just a few pictures of the project:

The old panel was loaded with Cessna 400 gear and a KLN90B GPS. Functional but hardly modern. I completed panel with a very long list of upgrades, options, improvements and cosmetics. Yes, that’s an ADF. Some things you just can’t give up!

The interior got all new fire-blocked leather and wool interior plus new memory foam cushions. And the icing on the cake: a new paint job.

The result; luxury cross country transportation and state of the art avionics and instrumentation for the pilot at a fraction of the cost of trading for a new comparable aircraft.

Life is good and grandchildren and aircraft ownership make it even better!

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