Cessna 170 vs Piper 12 Supercruiser

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

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Cessna 170
36.0 × 25.0 ft 6.6 ft tall
1× Piston Conventional Unpressurized
Piper 12 Supercruiser
35.5 × 22.8 ft 6.8 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 170Piper 12 Supercruiser
Stall speed 50 kt43 kt
Approach speed 59 kt60 kt
Cruise speed 104 kt91 kt
Range 410 nm520 nm
Service ceiling 15500 ft12600 ft
Rate of climb 690 fpm600 fpm
Fuel burn 8.0 gph5.7 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 170 Avgas
8.0 gph
Baseline
410 nm range 37 gal usable 13.0 nm/gal $52 fuel/hr 4h 37m endurance
Cessna 170: 8.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 410 nautical mile published range, 4 hour 37 minute endurance, 13.0 nautical miles per gallon.
Piper 12 Supercruiser Avgas
5.7 gph
Baseline
520 nm range 38 gal usable 16.0 nm/gal $37 fuel/hr 6h 39m endurance
Piper 12 Supercruiser: 5.7 gallons per hour at cruise, 520 nautical mile published range, 6 hour 39 minute endurance, 16.0 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 170 Avgas
$98 /hr
Baseline
Cessna 170: $98 per flight hour — fuel $52, maintenance and reserve $46.
Piper 12 Supercruiser Avgas
$78 /hr
Baseline
Piper 12 Supercruiser: $78 per flight hour — fuel $37, maintenance and reserve $41.
Cessna 170 Piston
$10,510 /yr Baseline
Cessna 170: $10,510 per year — insurance $1,800, hangar $6,210, annual inspection $2,500.
Piper 12 Supercruiser Piston
$6,993 /yr Baseline
Piper 12 Supercruiser: $6,993 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $5,693, annual inspection $1,300.

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 170
4 / 4 seats 37 / 37 gal fuel 758 lb wet payload 980 lb useful 2,200 lb MTOW
Piper 12 Supercruiser
3 / 3 seats 38 / 38 gal fuel 572 lb wet payload 800 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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