Cessna 320 Skyknight vs Piper Aztec

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

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Cessna 320 Skyknight
36.9 × 32.0 ft 10.6 ft tall
2× Piston Retractable Unpressurized
Piper Aztec
37.1 × 31.2 ft 10.3 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 Cessna 320 SkyknightPiper Aztec
Stall speed 67 kt64 kt
Approach speed 90 kt91 kt
Cruise speed 200 kt172 kt
Range 750 nm915 nm
Service ceiling 24000 ft19800 ft
Rate of climb 1700 fpm1490 fpm
Fuel burn 26.0 gph27.4 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.

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.
Piper Aztec Avgas
27.4 gph
Baseline
915 nm range 6.3 nm/gal 144 gal usable $178 fuel/hr 5h 15m endurance
Piper Aztec: 27.4 gallons per hour at cruise, 915 nautical mile published range, 5 hour 15 minute endurance, 6.3 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 320 Skyknight Avgas
$329 /hr
Baseline
Cessna 320 Skyknight: $329 per flight hour — fuel $169, maintenance and reserve $160.
Piper Aztec Avgas
$265 /hr
Baseline
Piper Aztec: $265 per flight hour — fuel $178, maintenance and reserve $87.
Cessna 320 Skyknight Piston
$10,309 /yr Baseline
Cessna 320 Skyknight: $10,309 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $7,809, annual inspection $2,500.
Piper Aztec Piston
$10,185 /yr Baseline
Piper Aztec: $10,185 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $7,685, 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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Cessna 320 Skyknight
6 / 6 seats 102 / 102 gal fuel 1,338 lb wet payload 1,950 lb useful 4,990 lb MTOW
Piper Aztec
6 / 6 seats 144 / 144 gal fuel 1,294 lb wet payload 2,158 lb useful 5,200 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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