Cessna 408 SkyCourier vs De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter

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

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Cessna 408 SkyCourier
72.3 × 55.1 ft 20.7 ft tall
2× Turboprop Fixed Unpressurized
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
65.0 × 51.8 ft 19.5 ft tall
2× Turboprop Fixed 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 408 SkyCourierDe Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
Stall speed 74 kt56 kt
Approach speed 92 kt80 kt
Cruise speed 210 kt170 kt
Range 940 nm800 nm
Service ceiling 25000 ft25000 ft
Rate of climb 1200 fpm1600 fpm
Fuel burn 175.0 gph74.0 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.

Fuel Burn & Range

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

Cessna 408 SkyCourier Jet A
175.0 gph
Baseline
940 nm range 1.2 nm/gal 720 gal usable $1,050 fuel/hr 4h 06m endurance
Cessna 408 SkyCourier: 175.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 940 nautical mile published range, 4 hour 6 minute endurance, 1.2 nautical miles per gallon.
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Jet A
74.0 gph
Baseline
800 nm range 2.3 nm/gal 378 gal usable $444 fuel/hr 5h 06m endurance
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter: 74.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 800 nautical mile published range, 5 hour 6 minute endurance, 2.3 nautical miles per gallon.
Jet A 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 408 SkyCourier Jet A
$1,879 /hr
Baseline
Cessna 408 SkyCourier: $1,879 per flight hour — fuel $1,050, maintenance and reserve $829.
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Jet A
$1,310 /hr
Baseline
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter: $1,310 per flight hour — fuel $444, maintenance and reserve $866.
Cessna 408 SkyCourier Turboprop
$52,258 /yr Baseline
Cessna 408 SkyCourier: $52,258 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $22,258, annual inspection $30,000.
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Turboprop
$42,600 /yr Baseline
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter: $42,600 per year — insurance $15,000, hangar $9,600, annual inspection $18,000.

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 408 SkyCourier
19 / 19 seats 720 / 720 gal fuel 1,521 lb wet payload 6,345 lb useful 19,000 lb MTOW
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
19 / 19 seats 378 / 378 gal fuel 1,867 lb wet payload 4,400 lb useful 12,500 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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