Aero Commander 500A vs Cessna 320 Skyknight

Side-by-side specs, range, and operating costs.

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Aero Commander 500A
49.0 × 35.1 ft 14.5 ft tall
2× Piston Retractable Unpressurized
Cessna 320 Skyknight
36.9 × 32.0 ft 10.6 ft tall
2× Piston Retractable Unpressurized

Flight Profile

Service ceiling, range, and climb rate.

Tap legend to isolate

Arc represents the climb-cruise-descent profile based on published service ceiling and range. Climb rate annotated on ascent. FL180 (18,000 ft) shown for reference.

Mission Performance

Stall, approach, cruise, range, ceiling and climb: best values are at the top.

Mission performance specifications
Specification Aero Commander 500ACessna 320 Skyknight
Stall speed 63 kt67 kt
Approach speed 82 kt90 kt
Cruise speed 188 kt200 kt
Range 1564 nm750 nm
Service ceiling 22500 ft24000 ft
Rate of climb 1400 fpm1700 fpm
Fuel burn 28.3 gph26.0 gph

Each axis is scaled independently across the compared aircraft and printed in its own units; every vertex sits at the published figure. Higher is better on all axes: Stall, Approach and Fuel Burn are inverted (lower = higher). A missing figure breaks the line at that axis.

Fuel Burn & Range

Range, endurance, and what the fuel costs by the hour.

Aero Commander 500A Avgas
28.3 gph
Baseline
1,564 nm range 6.6 nm/gal 156 gal usable $184 fuel/hr 5h 30m endurance
Aero Commander 500A: 28.3 gallons per hour at cruise, 1,564 nautical mile published range, 5 hour 30 minute endurance, 6.6 nautical miles per gallon.
Cessna 320 Skyknight Avgas
26.0 gph
Baseline
750 nm range 7.7 nm/gal 102 gal usable $169 fuel/hr 3h 55m endurance
Cessna 320 Skyknight: 26.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 750 nautical mile published range, 3 hour 55 minute endurance, 7.7 nautical miles per gallon.
Avgas range each cell = 1 hr of cruise · width scales with speed

Bars show published still-air range. Endurance is usable fuel divided by the published cruise burn. Estimates only. Always verify against the POH.

Runway Performance

Density altitude adjusted estimates

Outside Air Temp
0°F57°F115°F
Field Elevation
SL4,0008,000 ft
Density Altitude

Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle

Landing ground roll

Base distance DA penalty
Scale: 6,000 ft

FAA 10%/1,000 ft DA rule of thumb (FAA-H-8083-25B). Turboprops and jets are less sensitive in practice. Always verify against the POH.

Estimated Operating Costs

Scale:
$340 /hr
Baseline
Aero Commander 500A: $340 per flight hour — fuel $184, maintenance and reserve $156.
$329 /hr
Baseline
Cessna 320 Skyknight: $329 per flight hour — fuel $169, maintenance and reserve $160.
$14,235 /yr Baseline
Aero Commander 500A: $14,235 per year — insurance $4,226, hangar $840, annual inspection $9,169.
$10,309 /yr Baseline
Cessna 320 Skyknight: $10,309 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $7,809, annual inspection $2,500.

Estimates only. Costs vary by location, pilot profile, and market conditions. See individual aircraft pages for source notes.

Capability & limits

Each bar stacks your selected occupants against full fuel and the aircraft's useful-load limit (the black line). The open gap between them is spare payload. Add an occupant and the gap closes; once it's gone, fuel has to give.

lb

+ lb / pax

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1
Aero Commander 500A
7 / 7 seats 156 / 156 gal fuel 1,014 lb wet payload 1,950 lb useful 6,250 lb MTOW
Cessna 320 Skyknight
6 / 6 seats 102 / 102 gal fuel 1,338 lb wet payload 1,950 lb useful 4,990 lb MTOW

Occupants at 190 + 30 lb each. Fuel at 6.7 lb/gal jet-A, 6.0 lb/gal avgas.

Payload-Range Map

Origin: · two fingers to move map

lb

+ lb / pax

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1

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