Cessna 152: A Complete Rebirth of a Training Legend

 

Aircraft & Owner:

Some projects arrive in the hangar as upgrades. Others arrive as transformations. And then there are the rare few that begin as a vision, a belief that something forgotten can be brought back to life. This Cessna 152 restoration falls squarely into the third category.

This aircraft wasn’t brought to Maxcraft by a customer, it was rescued by Maxcraft’s founder, Mr. Daryl Macintosh himself. What began as a personal passion project has evolved into a full, ground-up rebuild aimed at creating the best Cessna 152 the world has ever seen!

The Aircraft & the Vision

Years ago, Daryl noticed a Cessna 152 rotting away on the corner of a local airport, a sight that pains any true aviator. Its paint was chalked and peeling, the windows were opaque, the interior sun-baked, and the engine slowly succumbing to corrosion. Like many aging training aircraft scattered across airports worldwide, this one seemed destined for the scrap pile.

After years of attempts, the aircraft’s owner finally agreed to sell, and Maxcraft stepped in to give this aircraft something it hadn’t had in years: a purpose.

Daryl’s objective was clear:

“I have long wanted to refurbish and re-equip a light aircraft specifically for flight training. The Cessna 152 is one of the best training aircraft ever built… and in the 37 years since it went out of production, an equivalent or superior replacement aircraft has not been produced.”

This project was never about creating a museum piece, it was about proving what a modernized legacy trainer could be.

The Purpose

This aircraft will become a demonstrator for local flight schools, showing what a 152, or any legacy trainer can become when rebuilt with modern technologies, materials, and avionics.

Daryl continues:

“The avionics package was selected to provide the most capabilities at the lowest cost while minimizing weight and complexity.

We intend to demonstrate this refurbished aircraft to flight schools.This package would work equally well in a Cessna 172 and we hope to see fleet upgrades as training demand increases.”

The Need

When the aircraft arrived at Maxcraft, it was a textbook example of what happens when time and weather take their toll:

• The engine was severely corroded and a complete overhaul was necessary
• Plastic wing tips were so brittle they crumbled during removal
• Windows, fairings, seals, interior panels; all fully degraded needing replacement
• Many structural components required assessment and repair

Every system needed evaluation, overhaul, rebuilding, or replacement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was far from a simple avionics job.
This was a resurrection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Solution: A Complete Rebuild

Maxcraft and its partners undertook a full airframe and systems restoration, including:

Airframe & Powerplant

• Complete airframe refurbishment
• Complete Engine teardown, inspection, and overhaul
• Propeller overhaul
• Significant structural work where corrosion was discovered
• Airframe stripped and fully repainted
• All new windows
• Replacement of every exterior plastic fairing
• New interior including all plastic components
• All new LED exterior lighting
• New Glass Installation

Avionics: Modern, Capable, Lightweight

All legacy avionics were removed.
Installation of a fully modern Garmin flight suite including:

• Garmin GI 275 ADI
• Garmin GI 275 HSI
• Garmin GI 275 EIS (complete engine monitoring)
• Garmin GMA 342 audio panel
• Garmin GNC 355 GPS/COM
• Garmin GNC 255A NAV/COM
• Garmin GTX 335 transponder
• Artex ELT 345
• MCI clock with integrated USB ports
• Full set of new antennas (NAV/COM/XPDR)

Engineering & Integration

• Custom avionics integration drawing package
• Custom instrument panel and lower panel
• Garmin AML STCs in place for most of the installed systems
• Rebuilt wiring, harnessing, breakers, switches; everything fresh

This aircraft is effectively brand new from spinner to tailcone.

The Story

When the 152 arrived, it was barely more than a shell; sun-damaged plastics, seized fasteners, clouded windows, brittle components, and an engine that had not turned in far too long. The teardown revealed corrosion deeper than expected, including internal engine components and structural elements long hidden from sunlight.

The transformation wasn’t cosmetic.
It wasn’t partial.
It wasn’t an upgrade.
It was a total rebirth.

Piece by piece, the aircraft was stripped, repaired, repainted, rewired, reassembled, and modernized. New materials replaced sun-rotted plastics. New metal replaced corroded sections. New avionics replaced outdated analog instruments. The engine received the attention needed to bring it back to life.

Inside and out, everything has been renewed, the aircraft is now capable of IFR training, though certification is pending. The Garmin avionics suite brings capability unimaginable when the 152 first entered production.

Where it once sat forgotten on an airport corner, it now stands as a fully revived platform ready for another lifetime of training pilots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking Ahead

This project was born from passion, a desire to save an aircraft that had been abandoned to time, and to show what a properly rebuilt trainer can be in the modern era.

Maxcraft will soon begin demonstrating the aircraft to local flight schools, showcasing a restoration package equally suited to the C152, C172, and similar legacy trainers.

And for every pilot who once learned in a battered old 152, this aircraft stands as proof:

A great trainer doesn’t have to die with age, it can be reborn better than ever.