Single-engine piston · operating costs
Piper Dakota Operating Costs and Cost per Hour
A Piper Dakota costs about $290 an hour to operate at 200 hours a year: $17,000 a year fixed plus $199 per flight hour, itemised with sources.
CRAFT estimate, fuel priced October 4, 2026
At a glance
- Per flight hour at 200 hrs a year
- $286
- Per year at 200 hrs
- $57,105
- Fixed costs / year
- $17,305
- Variable / flight hour
- $199
- 100LL, $104/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 Piper Dakota costs per hour
The Piper Dakota is a single-engine piston, burning 14 gallons of 100LL avgas an hour. In our estimate it costs $199 for every hour it flies and $17,305 a year whether it flies or not. Spread over 200 hours a year, that is about $286 a flight hour; over 100 hours, $372; over 400, $242.
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 $20,800 a year.
Piper Dakota cost calculator
Piper Dakota annual cost
$57,053 per year
$17,305 fixed + $199/hr × 200 hrs ($104/hr of it fuel: 14 gal at $7.41). About $285 per flight hour with the fixed costs spread over the hours. Piper Dakota, CRAFT estimate.
Fixed costs
What the Piper Dakota 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 | $104 | 14 gallons of 100LL avgas an hour (Lycoming Engines, Lycoming Operator's Manual 60297-10, O-540 and IO-540 Series, ENGINE-level figure, not the aircraft POH: Lycoming 'Operating Conditions' table, O-540-J Series, Performance Cruise (75% rated power) fuel consumption 14.0 gal/hr; Economy Cruise (60% rated) 10.2 gal/hr. Lycoming lists these as maximum fuel consumption, so typical leaned cruise burn is lower. Dakota uses O-540-J3A5D) at $7.41 a gallon, our u.S. average FBO price for 100LL avgas on 2026-10-04.Source: Lycoming Engines, Lycoming Operator's Manual 60297-10, O-540 and IO-540 Series; 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 | $199 |
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 | $19,900 | $39,800 | $79,600 |
| Total a year | $37,205 | $57,105 | $96,905 |
| Per flight hour | $372 | $286 | $242 |
Piper Dakota specs
- Class
- Single-engine piston
- Engines
- 1 × Lycoming O-540-J3A5D
- Fuel
- 100LL avgas
- Fuel burn
- 14 gal/hr
- Engine TBO
- 2,000 hours
The Piper Dakota compared with similar aircraft
Same method, same fuel prices, at 200 hours a year.
| Aircraft | Per hour | Per year | Fuel burn |
|---|---|---|---|
Piper DakotaSingle-engine piston | $286 | $57,105 | 14 gal/hr |
 Cirrus SR20Single-engine piston | $282 | $56,305 | 13.5 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 Lycoming Engines. 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).
Spot something wrong? Tell us.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Piper Dakota cost per hour?
About $290 a flight hour flown 200 hours a year, in CRAFT's estimate: $199 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 Piper Dakota for a year?
About $57,000 a year flown 200 hours: $17,305 in fixed costs (crew training, hangar, insurance, annual inspection, miscellaneous fixed) and $39,800 in hourly costs. The purchase price, financing and depreciation are not included.
How much fuel does a Piper Dakota burn?
14 gallons of 100LL avgas an hour (Lycoming Engines, Lycoming Operator's Manual 60297-10, O-540 and IO-540 Series). At $7.41 a gallon, the u.S. average FBO price for 100LL avgas on October 4, 2026, that is $104 a flight hour. Every dollar a gallon moves it by $14.
Does the Piper Dakota 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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