Beechcraft King Air 100 vs Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III

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

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Beechcraft King Air 100
46 ft × 40 ft ⭥ 15 ft
2× Turboprop Retractable Pressurized
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III
48 ft × 43 ft ⭥ 15 ft
2× Turboprop Retractable Pressurized

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 Beechcraft King Air 100Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III
Stall speed 95 kt89 kt
Approach speed 98 kt105 kt
Cruise speed 239 kt290 kt
Range 1325 nm1550 nm
Service ceiling 24800 ft33000 ft
Rate of climb 2250 fpm2236 fpm
Fuel burn 107.0 gph82.0 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.

Beechcraft King Air 100 Jet A
107.0 gph
Baseline
1,325 nm range 2.2 nm/gal 384 gal usable $642 fuel/hr 3h 35m endurance
Beechcraft King Air 100: 107.0 gph at cruise, 1,325 nautical mile published range, 3 hour 35 minute endurance, 2.2 nautical miles per gallon.
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III Jet A
82.0 gph
Baseline
1,550 nm range 3.5 nm/gal 562 gal usable $492 fuel/hr 6h 51m endurance
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III: 82.0 gph at cruise, 1,550 nautical mile published range, 6 hour 51 minute endurance, 3.5 nautical miles per gallon.
Jet A range each cell = 1 hr of cruise · width scales with speed tank-dry · at this cruise burn

Bars show published still-air range: select a cell to view cruise-hours and fuel usage. Endurance is full tank at the displayed cruise burn rate; the extra is reserve and economy margin. 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

Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle

Landing over 50 ft obstacle

Density Altitude

Monte cristo

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

Hourly direct and annual fixed costs

Scale:
Beechcraft King Air 100 Jet A
$1,560 /hr
Baseline
Beechcraft King Air 100: $1,560 per flight hour — fuel $642, maintenance and reserve $918.
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III Jet A
$1,288 /hr
Baseline
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III: $1,288 per flight hour — fuel $492, maintenance and reserve $796.
Beechcraft King Air 100 Turboprop
$23,295 /yr Baseline
Beechcraft King Air 100: $23,295 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $11,295, annual inspection $12,000.
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III Turboprop
$15,058 /yr Baseline
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III: $15,058 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $12,558, annual inspection $2,500.

Estimates only. Hourly direct operating cost, based on fuel price and reserves; Annual fixed costs (insurance, hangar, and inspection). Costs vary by location, pilot profile, and market conditions. See individual aircraft pages for source notes.

Capability & limits

Payload vs useful load limit

+ cargo
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Beechcraft King Air 100 Turboprop
15 / 15 seats cargo 384 gal / 384 gal fuel 1,107 lbs wet payload 3,680 lbs useful 11,800 lbs MTOW
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III Turboprop
11 / 11 seats cargo 562 gal / 562 gal fuel 598 lbs wet payload 4,363 lbs useful 11,200 lbs MTOW

Shows selected occupants against full fuel, within the aircraft's useful-load limit. Fuel weight at 6.7 lb/gal jet-A, 6.0 lb/gal avgas; pax and luggage are 190 + 30 . Change payload weights in global settings.

Payload-Range Map

Origin: → · two fingers to move map

+ cargo
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