Cessna 401 vs Piper Navajo PA-31

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

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Cessna 401
44.2 × 36.4 ft 11.4 ft tall
2× Piston Retractable Unpressurized
Piper Navajo PA-31
40.7 × 32.6 ft 13.0 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 401Piper Navajo PA-31
Stall speed 64 kt70 kt
Approach speed 83 kt95 kt
Cruise speed 179 kt215 kt
Range 1274 nm1011 nm
Service ceiling 26900 ft26300 ft
Rate of climb —1445 fpm
Fuel burn 32.0 gph36.5 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.

Fuel Burn & Range

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

Cessna 401 Avgas
32.0 gph
Baseline
1,274 nm range 5.6 nm/gal 206 gal usable $208 fuel/hr 6h 26m endurance
Cessna 401: 32.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 1,274 nautical mile published range, 6 hour 26 minute endurance, 5.6 nautical miles per gallon.
Piper Navajo PA-31 Avgas
36.5 gph
Baseline
1,011 nm range 5.9 nm/gal 192 gal usable $237 fuel/hr 5h 15m endurance
Piper Navajo PA-31: 36.5 gallons per hour at cruise, 1,011 nautical mile published range, 5 hour 15 minute endurance, 5.9 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 401 Avgas
$450 /hr
Baseline
Cessna 401: $450 per flight hour — fuel $208, maintenance and reserve $242.
Piper Navajo PA-31 Avgas
$364 /hr
Baseline
Piper Navajo PA-31: $364 per flight hour — fuel $237, maintenance and reserve $127.
Cessna 401 Piston
$12,597 /yr Baseline
Cessna 401: $12,597 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $10,097, annual inspection $2,500.
Piper Navajo PA-31 Piston
$12,997 /yr Baseline
Piper Navajo PA-31: $12,997 per year — insurance $3,942, hangar $6,000, annual inspection $3,055.

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 401
8 / 8 seats 206 / 206 gal fuel 1,390 lb wet payload 2,626 lb useful 6,300 lb MTOW
Piper Navajo PA-31
8 / 8 seats 192 / 192 gal fuel 1,418 lb wet payload 2,570 lb useful 6,500 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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