Cessna 421 Golden Eagle

The Cessna 421 Golden Eagle is the top model among Cessna's pressurised piston twins. Behind the cockpit are six passenger seats, and one or two pilots fly. The engines drive the propellers through a gearbox, so they turn more slowly and the cabin is among the quietest in its class. On charter it is mostly the 421C version.

The Cessna 421 suits legs of one to three hours with four to six people: Geneva - Samedan takes 1:16 h, Milan Linate - Split 2:04 h. A flight hour costs less than in a turboprop, but beyond three hours a turboprop or small jet saves real time.

Cabin: six seats under pressure

The cabin is about 3.45 m long, 1.30 m high and 1.40 m wide, with six passenger seats. You board through the door on the left behind the wing, and the rear left seat slides forward to let people in. Standing up is impossible, but there is more shoulder room than in smaller piston aircraft.

• A toilet and a small bar only on some aircraft
• No cabin crew: cold snacks and drinks
• Internet depends on the aircraft and is often missing

Baggage: four compartments, one weight limit

Bags go in the nose, at the back of the cabin and in two small lockers behind the engines. Some aircraft carry extra fuel tanks in the nacelles, leaving less room. Owners give a little over 430 kg for crew, passengers and bags with all tanks full.

• Four passengers with suitcases: the operator fuels only part of the tanks
• Six passengers: a choice between bags and range, so soft bags work best
• Skis and golf bags: the operator checks by length whether they fit the individual aircraft

Engines, speed and airfields

The figures refer to the 421C with two Continental GTSIO-520-L engines of 375 hp each. The catalogue gives 444 km/h at about 7,600 m, but pilots usually plan 360-400 km/h at around 6,000 m. The 2,754 km range applies at economy speed; with four passengers and bags, a Cessna 421 manages legs of up to about four hours.

Flying a pressurised piston twin in Europe

• Avgas: the engines need aviation petrol, which not every airfield sells, so the operator plans fuel for the next leg
• Slots: Nice and Geneva are slot-coordinated, and summer weekends and winter Saturdays fill early
• Domestic legs: an EU operator may fly Madrid - Ibiza, but London - Edinburgh needs a UK operator

Cessna 421 routes from European hubs

Thirty-two one-way legs from all thirteen hubs, without a planned fuel stop. Prices are for the whole aircraft with crew, before airport fees and passenger taxes; flight time is the great-circle distance plus taxi, climb and approach.

Up to two hours: islands, the Alps and the Channel

Two to four hours: where the pressurised cabin pays off

Zurich - Palma (3:07 h) and London Farnborough - Nice (3:14 h) are the practical limit: with six people and suitcases a fuel stop is possible, and a turboprop saves close to an hour.

The calculator gives an indicative price for the Cessna 421 or a similar piston twin on your route.

What a Cessna 421 charter costs

The rate starts at EUR 1,500 per flight hour for the whole aircraft with crew and fuel. Short legs cost more than rate times time: Nice - Calvi takes 0:58 h and costs from EUR 5,000, because positioning and the operator's minimum charge apply to every departure.

Further out the hour becomes cheaper: Milan Linate - Split (2:04 h) from EUR 6,500, Paris Le Bourget - Nice (2:20 h) from EUR 7,000 and Zurich - Palma (3:07 h) from EUR 8,500. With six on board the cost per person is low.

Paris Le Bourget - Nice for the whole aircraft and per person, before taxes and fees:

How to pay less

Empty Legs on this type

With only a few aircraft on European AOCs, empty Cessna 421 legs are rare. When one appears, the price can be 30-60% below a normal charter, but the date and route are fixed and the leg may be cancelled if the aircraft is sold for a full charter.

Alternatives to the Cessna 421

Clients usually set the Cessna 421 against a smaller pressurised Cessna, an unpressurised piston twin or a turboprop.

What to send us

• Route, date and preferred departure time
• Number of people and the rough weight of their bags
• A toilet on board, if you need one
• Skis, golf bags or a dog, with length and weight

The toilet and ice protection decide which Cessna 421 we choose, so we check both with the AOC holder before you receive the quote.

Cessna 421 Golden Eagle: questions and answers

• • How much does a Cessna 421 flight cost?

  • From EUR 1,500 per flight hour. London Farnborough - Jersey costs from EUR 5,500, Madrid - Ibiza from EUR 6,000 and London Farnborough - Geneva from EUR 7,500 for the whole aircraft one way, before airport fees and passenger taxes.

• • What is added to the table price?

  • Airport and handling fees, passenger taxes, winter de-icing and, on a return after several days, crew hotel or two empty legs. Milan - Olbia adds EUR 100 per passenger in Italian tax. The quote lists each item.

• • Why does a one-hour flight cost more than the hourly rate?

  • Positioning and the operator's minimum charge apply to every departure, so Nice - Calvi (0:58 h) costs from EUR 5,000 while the rate is EUR 1,500 per hour.

• • How can I fly the Cessna 421 for less?

  • Fill four to six seats, return the same day and depart near the operator's base. For two people a smaller piston twin is cheaper.

• • Are there Empty Legs on the Cessna 421?

  • Rarely, as few European operators fly it. When one comes up it can be 30-60% below a normal charter; send your route and dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • How many passengers can fly?

  • Six, but then bags and fuel must be counted carefully. Four passengers fly most comfortably and without limits.

• • Is there a toilet on the Cessna 421?

  • On some aircraft. Say in the request that you need one, and we choose an aircraft that has it.

• • How does the Cessna 421 differ from the Cessna 340?

  • A wider cabin with six passenger seats instead of four, stronger geared engines and a quieter interior. Both are pressurised.

• • Can we take skis, golf bags or a dog?

  • Often, depending on the aircraft and the length of the equipment; send the number and dimensions. With six passengers weight may force a choice between skis and suitcases. A small dog flies in the cabin with the operator's consent.

• • Can the Cessna 421 land at a small airfield?

  • Often: take-off and landing over a 15 m obstacle need about 700 m. The airfield must sell avgas or the aircraft must carry fuel for the next leg, and the operator approves the airfield.