Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III vs Raytheon 300 Super King Air

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

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III
48 ft × 43 ft ⭥ 15 ft
2× Turboprop Retractable Pressurized
Raytheon 300 Super King Air
54 ft × 44 ft ⭥ 14 ft
2× Turboprop Retractable Pressurized

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 Piper PA-42 Cheyenne IIIRaytheon 300 Super King Air
Stall speed 89 kt93 kt
Approach speed 105 kt107 kt
Cruise speed 290 kt315 kt
Range 1550 nm1480 nm
Service ceiling 33000 ft35000 ft
Rate of climb 2236 fpm2844 fpm
Fuel burn 82.0 gph135.0 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.

Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III Jet A
82.0 gph
Baseline
1,550 nm range 3.5 nm/gal 562 gal usable $492 fuel/hr 6h 51m endurance
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III: 82.0 gph at cruise, 1,550 nautical mile published range, 6 hour 51 minute endurance, 3.5 nautical miles per gallon.
Raytheon 300 Super King Air Jet A
135.0 gph
Baseline
1,480 nm range 2.3 nm/gal 539 gal usable $810 fuel/hr 3h 59m endurance
Raytheon 300 Super King Air: 135.0 gph at cruise, 1,480 nautical mile published range, 3 hour 59 minute endurance, 2.3 nautical miles per gallon.
Jet A 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:
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III Jet A
$1,288 /hr
Baseline
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III: $1,288 per flight hour — fuel $492, maintenance and reserve $796.
Raytheon 300 Super King Air Jet A
$1,820 /hr
Baseline
Raytheon 300 Super King Air: $1,820 per flight hour — fuel $810, maintenance and reserve $1,010.
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III Turboprop
$15,058 /yr Baseline
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III: $15,058 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $12,558, annual inspection $2,500.
Raytheon 300 Super King Air Turboprop
$41,900 /yr Baseline
Raytheon 300 Super King Air: $41,900 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $39,400, annual inspection $2,500.

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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Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III Turboprop
11 / 11 seats cargo 562 gal / 562 gal fuel 598 lbs wet payload 4,363 lbs useful 11,200 lbs MTOW
Raytheon 300 Super King Air Turboprop
15 / 15 seats cargo 539 gal / 539 gal fuel 1,652 lbs wet payload 5,263 lbs useful 14,000 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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