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Piston aircraft

Piper Chieftain

Piper Chieftain exterior

Overview

The Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain is a twin-piston aircraft long favoured for regional charter and light freight across Africa. Seating up to eight, it offers twin-engine reassurance on longer overwater or remote legs at a fraction of the cost of a turboprop. Its cabin, load flexibility and short-field ability make it a dependable workhorse for operators connecting secondary towns and airstrips where turbine aircraft are uneconomic.

Key specifications

Manufactured by Piper Aircraft, 1972-1984.

Passengers
up to 8
Cruise speed
324 km/h
175 kt
Range
1,574 km
850 NM
Min runway
0.76 km
2,500 ft
Ceiling
7,315 m
24,000 ft
Baggage
1.0 m3
Airstrips
Paved & unpaved
Piper Chieftain cabin interior

Detailed specifications

Years of manufacture
1972-1984
Number produced
4,000+
Max take-off weight
3,175 kg
Max payload
1,270 kg
Empty weight
1,905 kg
Crew
1-2
Engines
2 x Lycoming TIO-540 piston
Wingspan
12.4 m
Length
10.55 m

Chartering the Piper Chieftain in Africa

For charter across Africa, the Piper Chieftain is typically positioned from its home base to your departure airport, flown to your destination, and returned afterwards — the estimate you see on a route search already accounts for this full rotation. Whether it suits a given trip depends on the runway at each end, the distance, and how many seats you need. Search any route to see a live estimate for the Piper Chieftain alongside every other aircraft that can fly it, then send an enquiry to have operators confirm the exact price.

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Images are representative of the aircraft type — the actual aircraft, cabin layout and interior finish depend on the operating carrier. Specifications are typical planning figures for charter use and vary by individual aircraft configuration. Charter prices are computed estimates confirmed by the operating carrier through the inquiry process.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to charter a Piper Chieftain in Africa?

The Piper Chieftain is chartered as a whole aircraft, not per seat. Planning rates start around US$950 per occupied flight hour before airport, handling and navigation charges. On most African sectors the larger variable is positioning: if no Piper Chieftain is sitting at your departure airport, the empty leg flown in to collect you is priced into the quote, which is why a short hop can cost more than its flight time suggests. Every route page on this site shows the all-in estimate rather than the bare hourly rate.

How many passengers can the Piper Chieftain carry?

Up to 8 passengers in the cabin layout typically offered for charter in Africa. Operators configure individual aircraft differently, so the usable seat count on the specific tail allocated to your trip is confirmed at quote stage, along with baggage allowance, which is usually the binding limit on safari and golf trips rather than seats.

What is the range of the Piper Chieftain?

The Piper Chieftain plans to roughly 850 nautical miles (about 1,574 km) with normal reserves. From its Johannesburg base that reaches scheduled airports in 9 African countries without a fuel stop. Hot and high departures, strong headwinds and a full cabin all reduce that figure, so longer sectors are planned with a technical stop where needed.

Which African airports can the Piper Chieftain use?

It needs roughly 2,500 ft of paved runway at typical charter weights. On our airport data that covers 364 of the 394 African airports with scheduled service, before allowing for elevation, temperature and runway condition on the day. Its short-field performance also opens up regional and bush strips that jets cannot use, which is what makes it the workhorse for safari and remote-site flying.

Where is the Piper Chieftain based in Africa?

Piper Chieftain aircraft in our fleet data are based at Johannesburg, Windhoek. Departing from or near one of those cities keeps positioning cost down, because the aircraft does not have to fly an empty leg to reach you.

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