Cessna 177 Cardinal RG vs Mooney M20E

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

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Cessna 177 Cardinal RG
35.5 × 27.2 ft 8.6 ft tall
1× Piston Retractable Unpressurized
Mooney M20E
35.0 × 23.2 ft 8.3 ft tall
1× Piston Retractable Unpressurized

Mission Performance

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

Mission performance specifications
Specification Cessna 177 Cardinal RGMooney M20E
Stall speed 57 kt58 kt
Approach speed 61 kt58 kt
Cruise speed 148 kt155 kt
Range 895 nm601 nm
Service ceiling 17100 ft18800 ft
Rate of climb 925 fpm1110 fpm
Fuel burn 10.0 gph10.5 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 177 Cardinal RG Avgas
10.0 gph
Baseline
895 nm range 60 gal usable 14.8 nm/gal $65 fuel/hr 6h 00m endurance
Cessna 177 Cardinal RG: 10.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 895 nautical mile published range, 6 hour 0 minute endurance, 14.8 nautical miles per gallon.
Mooney M20E Avgas
10.5 gph
Baseline
601 nm range 52 gal usable 14.8 nm/gal $68 fuel/hr 4h 57m endurance
Mooney M20E: 10.5 gallons per hour at cruise, 601 nautical mile published range, 4 hour 57 minute endurance, 14.8 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 177 Cardinal RG Avgas
$138 /hr
Baseline
Cessna 177 Cardinal RG: $138 per flight hour — fuel $65, maintenance and reserve $73.
Mooney M20E Avgas
$105 /hr
Baseline
Mooney M20E: $105 per flight hour — fuel $68, maintenance and reserve $37.
Cessna 177 Cardinal RG Piston
$11,400 /yr Baseline
Cessna 177 Cardinal RG: $11,400 per year — insurance $2,400, hangar $6,000, annual inspection $3,000.
Mooney M20E Piston
$10,304 /yr Baseline
Mooney M20E: $10,304 per year — insurance $2,200, hangar $5,704, annual inspection $2,400.

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 177 Cardinal RG
4 / 4 seats 60 / 60 gal fuel 672 lb wet payload 1,032 lb useful 2,800 lb MTOW
Mooney M20E
4 / 4 seats 52 / 52 gal fuel 688 lb wet payload 1,000 lb useful 2,575 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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