Cessna 140 vs Piper 18 Super Cub

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

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Cessna 140
33.3 × 21.5 ft 6.2 ft tall
1× Piston Conventional Unpressurized
Piper 18 Super Cub
35.3 × 22.5 ft 6.7 ft tall
1× Piston Conventional Unpressurized

Mission Performance

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

Mission performance specifications
Specification Cessna 140Piper 18 Super Cub
Stall speed 39 kt41 kt
Approach speed 65 kt61 kt
Cruise speed 91 kt100 kt
Range 390 nm400 nm
Service ceiling 15500 ft19000 ft
Rate of climb 680 fpm960 fpm
Fuel burn 5.0 gph9.0 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.

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.

Fuel Burn & Range

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

Cessna 140 Avgas
5.0 gph
Baseline
390 nm range 25 gal usable 18.2 nm/gal $32 fuel/hr 5h 00m endurance
Cessna 140: 5.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 390 nautical mile published range, 5 hour 0 minute endurance, 18.2 nautical miles per gallon.
Piper 18 Super Cub Avgas
9.0 gph
Baseline
400 nm range 36 gal usable 11.1 nm/gal $58 fuel/hr 4h 00m endurance
Piper 18 Super Cub: 9.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 400 nautical mile published range, 4 hour 0 minute endurance, 11.1 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:
Cessna 140 Avgas
$73 /hr
Baseline
Cessna 140: $73 per flight hour — fuel $32, maintenance and reserve $41.
Piper 18 Super Cub Avgas
$86 /hr
Baseline
Piper 18 Super Cub: $86 per flight hour — fuel $58, maintenance and reserve $28.
Cessna 140 Piston
$7,942 /yr Baseline
Cessna 140: $7,942 per year — insurance $900, hangar $5,167, annual inspection $1,875.
Piper 18 Super Cub Piston
$7,106 /yr Baseline
Piper 18 Super Cub: $7,106 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $5,606, annual inspection $1,500.

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
Cessna 140
2 / 2 seats 25 / 25 gal fuel 410 lb wet payload 560 lb useful 1,450 lb MTOW
Piper 18 Super Cub
2 / 2 seats 36 / 36 gal fuel 604 lb wet payload 820 lb useful 1,750 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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