Piper PA-24 Comanche vs Socata TB-20 Trinidad

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

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Piper PA-24 Comanche
36.0 × 25.8 ft 7.5 ft tall
1× Piston Retractable Unpressurized
Socata TB-20 Trinidad
32.3 × 25.5 ft 9.3 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 Piper PA-24 ComancheSocata TB-20 Trinidad
Stall speed 67 kt70 kt
Approach speed 78 kt75 kt
Cruise speed 160 kt163 kt
Range 1000 nm1110 nm
Service ceiling 19500 ft20000 ft
Rate of climb 1320 fpm1200 fpm
Fuel burn 14.1 gph14.0 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.

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.

Piper PA-24 Comanche Avgas
14.1 gph
Baseline
1,000 nm range 56 gal usable 11.3 nm/gal $92 fuel/hr 3h 58m endurance
Piper PA-24 Comanche: 14.1 gallons per hour at cruise, 1,000 nautical mile published range, 3 hour 58 minute endurance, 11.3 nautical miles per gallon.
Socata TB-20 Trinidad Avgas
14.0 gph
Baseline
1,110 nm range 87 gal usable 11.6 nm/gal $91 fuel/hr 6h 12m endurance
Socata TB-20 Trinidad: 14.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 1,110 nautical mile published range, 6 hour 12 minute endurance, 11.6 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:
$166 /hr
Baseline
Piper PA-24 Comanche: $166 per flight hour — fuel $92, maintenance and reserve $74.
$164 /hr
Baseline
Socata TB-20 Trinidad: $164 per flight hour — fuel $91, maintenance and reserve $73.
$10,346 /yr Baseline
Piper PA-24 Comanche: $10,346 per year — insurance $2,470, hangar $6,376, annual inspection $1,500.
$11,700 /yr Baseline
Socata TB-20 Trinidad: $11,700 per year — insurance $4,500, hangar $3,700, annual inspection $3,500.

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

×
1
Piper PA-24 Comanche
4 / 4 seats 56 / 56 gal fuel 1,091 lb wet payload 1,427 lb useful 3,200 lb MTOW
Socata TB-20 Trinidad
5 / 5 seats 87 / 87 gal fuel 570 lb wet payload 1,092 lb useful 3,086 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

×
1

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