Single-engine piston · operating costs
Cirrus SR20 Operating Costs and Cost per Hour
A Cirrus SR20 costs about $280 an hour to operate at 200 hours a year: $17,000 a year fixed plus $195 per flight hour, itemised with sources.
CRAFT estimate, fuel priced October 4, 2026
At a glance
- Per flight hour at 200 hrs a year
- $282
- Per year at 200 hrs
- $56,305
- Fixed costs / year
- $17,305
- Variable / flight hour
- $195
- 100LL, $100/hr today
- Fuel burn
- 14 gal/hr
- no pilot salary
- Crew assumed
- Owner-flown
CRAFT estimates in USD for a U.S.-based aircraft. How we estimate them is below; every line has its source.
What a Cirrus SR20 costs per hour
The Cirrus SR20 is a single-engine piston with 3 seats, burning 13.5 gallons of 100LL avgas an hour. In our estimate it costs $195 for every hour it flies and $17,305 a year whether it flies or not. Spread over 200 hours a year, that is about $282 a flight hour; over 100 hours, $368; over 400, $238.
The estimate assumes the owner flies it, so there is no pilot salary in it. Hiring a pilot adds about $120,808 a year; the calculator below has a switch for that. The largest single cost at 200 hours is fuel cost, at $20,000 a year.
Cirrus SR20 cost calculator
Cirrus SR20 annual cost
$56,312 per year
$17,305 fixed + $195/hr × 200 hrs ($100/hr of it fuel: 13.5 gal at $7.41). About $282 per flight hour with the fixed costs spread over the hours. Cirrus SR20, CRAFT estimate.
Fixed costs
What the Cirrus SR20 costs a year before it flies an hour.
| Fixed costs | Per year | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Crew Salary | $0 | Owner-flown: no pilot salary. A hired pilot would add about $120,808 a year: $84,540, the BLS 25th percentile, commercial pilots, plus 43% for benefits and payroll costs (BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026). Switch it on in the calculator.Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (released May 15, 2026); BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (released September 9, 2026) |
| Crew TrainingEstimate, $800 to $2,500 | $1,650 | Recurrent training for the pilot each year (a flight review or instrument proficiency check with an instructor, or a type course), $800 to $2,500 for a single-engine piston. CRAFT estimate. |
| HangarEstimate, $4,200 to $8,460 | $6,330 | A T-hangar, from Concord-Padgett's smallest unit ($350 a month) to a 40 to 42 ft bifold unit at Naples ($705): $350 to $705 a month. Big-city airports cost more, a tie-down much less.Source: Published airport hangar and tie-down rates (Concord-Padgett Regional, City of Concord NC; Naples Airport Authority FY2026) (read October 15, 2026) |
| InsuranceEstimate, $3,900 to $6,450 | $5,175 | Liability of $400 to $1,200 a year plus hull cover at 1% to 1.5% of a hull value of $350,000, a typical value for single-engine piston airplanes, CRAFT estimate (no published price for this model). BWI's published guidance: liability-only policies of $400 to $1,200 a year, hull at 1% to 1.5% of agreed value for piston aircraft. Midpoints used; pilot experience moves it a lot.Source: BWI Aviation Insurance, "How much is aircraft insurance? A complete 2026 cost breakdown" (January 4, 2026) |
| Management | $0 | Owner-managed: no management company. The owner books maintenance and keeps the records. |
| Annual InspectionEstimate, $1,500 to $4,000 | $2,750 | The annual inspection every piston aircraft needs to stay airworthy, before any repairs it finds: $1,500 to $4,000 for a single-engine piston. CRAFT estimate. |
| Miscellaneous FixedEstimate, $800 to $2,000 | $1,400 | Navigation database and chart subscriptions, an EFB app, weather, tie-down away from home and the aircraft's paperwork: $800 to $2,000 a year for a single-engine piston. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $17,305 |
Variable costs
What each flight hour adds. Fuel is priced at $7.41 a gallon; every dollar a gallon moves the hourly cost by $14.
| Variable costs | Per flight hour | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel Cost | $100 | 13.5 gallons of 100LL avgas an hour (Cirrus Aircraft, Cirrus SR20 Pilot's Operating Handbook P/N 11934-005 (Perspective+, serials 2220, 2339 and subsequent; copy hosted by Lake Elmo Aero), POH Section 5 Cruise Performance (2,600 lb, IO-390-C3B6): 6,000 ft, 2500 RPM, 23.4 in MAP, 75% power, 146 KTAS, 13.5 GPH (ISA-30 C column). Range/endurance note confirms 10.1 gal for 45 minutes at 75% power) at $7.41 a gallon, our u.S. average FBO price for 100LL avgas on 2026-10-04.Source: Cirrus Aircraft, Cirrus SR20 Pilot's Operating Handbook P/N 11934-005 (Perspective+, serials 2220, 2339 and subsequent; copy hosted by Lake Elmo Aero); CRAFT fuel price data: AirNav Fuel Price Report, national 100LL average |
| MaintenanceEstimate, $30 to $70 | $50 | Scheduled maintenance, parts, labor and unscheduled repairs for the airframe and avionics: $30 to $70 a flight hour for a single-engine piston. Older aircraft sit at the top of the range. CRAFT estimate. |
| Engine OverhaulEstimate, $15 to $35 | $25 | An hourly reserve for the next engine overhaul (time between overhauls 2,000 hours, Lycoming Engines): $15 to $35 per engine per hour for a single-engine piston. No published overhaul price for this engine, so a CRAFT estimate.Source: Lycoming Engines, Lycoming Service Instruction 1009BF, Time Between Overhaul (TBO) Schedules (2026-07-20) |
| Crew/Landing/Handling FeesEstimate, $5 to $20 | $13 | Landing and ramp fees away from home (many small airports charge none, or waive them with fuel): $5 to $20 a flight hour for a single-engine piston. CRAFT estimate. |
| Miscellaneous VariableEstimate, $3 to $10 | $7 | Oil, filters and cleaning supplies: $3 to $10 a flight hour. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $195 |
Annual cost at 100, 200 and 400 hours
| Hours a year | 100 hours | 200 hours | 400 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed costs | $17,305 | $17,305 | $17,305 |
| Variable costs | $19,500 | $39,000 | $78,000 |
| Total a year | $36,805 | $56,305 | $95,305 |
| Per flight hour | $368 | $282 | $238 |
Cirrus SR20 specs
- Class
- Single-engine piston
- Engines
- 1 × Lycoming IO-390-C3B6
- Fuel
- 100LL avgas
- Fuel burn
- 13.5 gal/hr
- Seats
- 3
- Cruise
- 155 kts
- Range
- 709 nm
- Engine TBO
- 2,000 hours
Specs: Wikipedia, Wikipedia (Cirrus SR20); Cirrus Aircraft, Cirrus Aircraft SR20 page.
The Cirrus SR20 compared with similar aircraft
Same method, same fuel prices, at 200 hours a year.
| Aircraft | Per hour | Per year | Fuel burn |
|---|---|---|---|
Cirrus SR20Single-engine piston | $282 | $56,305 | 13.5 gal/hr |
 Piper DakotaSingle-engine piston | $286 | $57,105 | 14 gal/hr |
 Cessna T182T Turbo SkylaneSingle-engine piston | $293 | $58,505 | 15 gal/hr |
 Mooney M20Single-engine piston | $300 | $59,905 | 15.9 gal/hr |
 Diamond DA50 RGSingle-engine piston | $261 | $52,105 | 10.3 gal/hr |
 Cessna 172 SkyhawkSingle-engine piston | $259 | $51,705 | 10.4 gal/hr |
How we estimate these costs
Every aircraft on our operating cost calculator is costed the same way: fixed costs a year plus a cost per flight hour, from public inputs. Crew pay comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, hangar rates from published airport schedules, insurance from a broker's published guidance, fuel from our fuel price data, and the fuel burn, engine overhaul interval from Cirrus Aircraft. Lines marked “estimate” are the midpoint of a stated range for single-engine piston airplanes, not a quote. Nothing here comes from another cost calculator or a broker's budgets.
- Not included: the purchase price, financing, depreciation, sales tax, upgrades and paint or interior work, and any rental or charter income.
- What moves it most: hours flown (fixed costs spread thinner), the fuel price, where it is hangared, the pilot's experience (insurance) and the aircraft's age (maintenance).
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a Cirrus SR20 cost per hour?
About $280 a flight hour flown 200 hours a year, in CRAFT's estimate: $195 an hour in direct costs (fuel, maintenance, engine and parts reserves, fees) plus $17,305 a year in fixed costs spread over the hours. Flown 100 hours it is about $370 an hour; flown 400, about $240. That assumes the owner flies it, with no pilot salary.
How much does it cost to own a Cirrus SR20 for a year?
About $56,000 a year flown 200 hours: $17,305 in fixed costs (crew training, hangar, insurance, annual inspection, miscellaneous fixed) and $39,000 in hourly costs. The purchase price, financing and depreciation are not included.
How much fuel does a Cirrus SR20 burn?
13.5 gallons of 100LL avgas an hour (Cirrus Aircraft, Cirrus SR20 Pilot's Operating Handbook P/N 11934-005 (Perspective+, serials 2220, 2339 and subsequent; copy hosted by Lake Elmo Aero)). At $7.41 a gallon, the u.S. average FBO price for 100LL avgas on October 4, 2026, that is $100 a flight hour. Every dollar a gallon moves it by $14.
Does the Cirrus SR20 estimate include a pilot?
No. Most single-engine piston airplanes are flown by their owners, so the crew line is $0. Hiring a pilot adds about $121,000 a year with benefits, from BLS pay data; the calculator on this page has a switch for it.
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