North American Navion vs Piper PA-24 Comanche

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

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

North American Navion
33 ft × 28 ft ⭥ 9 ft
1× Piston Retractable Unpressurized
Piper PA-24 Comanche
36 ft × 26 ft ⭥ 8 ft
1× 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 North American NavionPiper PA-24 Comanche
Stall speed 54 kt67 kt
Approach speed 56 kt78 kt
Cruise speed 115 kt160 kt
Range 450 nm570 nm
Service ceiling 15600 ft19500 ft
Rate of climb 1000 fpm1320 fpm
Fuel burn 11.0 gph14.1 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.

North American Navion Avgas
11.0 gph
Baseline
450 nm range 10.5 nm/gal 40 gal usable $72 fuel/hr 3h 38m endurance
North American Navion: 11.0 gph at cruise, 450 nautical mile published range, 3 hour 38 minute endurance, 10.5 nautical miles per gallon.
Piper PA-24 Comanche Avgas
14.1 gph
Baseline
570 nm range 11.3 nm/gal 56 gal usable $92 fuel/hr 3h 58m endurance
Piper PA-24 Comanche: 14.1 gph at cruise, 570 nautical mile published range, 3 hour 58 minute endurance, 11.3 nautical miles per gallon.
Avgas range each cell = 1 hr of cruise · width scales with speed tank-dry · at this cruise burn

Bars show published still-air range: select a cell to view cruise-hours and fuel usage. Endurance is full tank at the displayed cruise burn rate; the extra is reserve and economy margin. 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

Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle

Landing over 50 ft obstacle

Density Altitude

Monte cristo

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

Hourly direct and annual fixed costs

Scale:
North American Navion Avgas
$147 /hr
Baseline
North American Navion: $147 per flight hour — fuel $72, maintenance and reserve $75.
Piper PA-24 Comanche Avgas
$166 /hr
Baseline
Piper PA-24 Comanche: $166 per flight hour — fuel $92, maintenance and reserve $74.
North American Navion Piston
$8,847 /yr Baseline
North American Navion: $8,847 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $6,347, annual inspection $2,500.
Piper PA-24 Comanche Piston
$10,346 /yr Baseline
Piper PA-24 Comanche: $10,346 per year — insurance $2,470, hangar $6,376, annual inspection $1,500.

Estimates only. Hourly direct operating cost, based on fuel price and reserves; Annual fixed costs (insurance, hangar, and inspection). Costs vary by location, pilot profile, and market conditions. See individual aircraft pages for source notes.

Capability & limits

Payload vs useful load limit

+ cargo
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North American Navion Piston
4 / 4 seats cargo 40 gal / 40 gal fuel 810 lbs wet payload 1,050 lbs useful 2,850 lbs MTOW
Piper PA-24 Comanche Piston
4 / 4 seats cargo 56 gal / 56 gal fuel 1,091 lbs wet payload 1,427 lbs useful 3,200 lbs MTOW

Shows selected occupants against full fuel, within the aircraft's useful-load limit. Fuel weight at 6.7 lb/gal jet-A, 6.0 lb/gal avgas; pax and luggage are 190 + 30 . Change payload weights in global settings.

Payload-Range Map

Origin: → · two fingers to move map

+ cargo
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