Cessna 177 Cardinal vs De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter

ASupport aircraft

Cessna 177 Cardinal

Light utility aircraft

De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter — licensed reference photograph

BSupport aircraft

De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter

Utility aircraft

Credit

ZLEA · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗ · Modified

First system

Second system

At a glance

Side by side

Length comparisonOne shared metre scale

Cessna 177 CardinalCessna 177B · Length

8.43 m

Length source ↗

De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin OtterLength

15.09 m

Length source ↗

Lengths retain their source configuration and measurement scope.

Measured figures

Head to head

15 of 26 rows sourced on both sides

8.43mCessna 177B · Length

15.09m

Length

All recorded figures & sources

8.43 m

Cessna 177B · Length

Single source

27 ft 8 in (8.43 m)^[source]

15.09 m

Length

Single source

49 ft 6 in (15.09 m)^[source]

10.82mCessna 177B · Wingspan

19.81mspan

WingspanScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

10.82 m

Cessna 177B · Wingspan

Single source

35 ft 6 in (10.82 m)^[source]

19.81 m

span

Single source

65 ft 0 in (19.81 m) span^[source]

2.62mCessna 177B · Height

5.94m

Height

All recorded figures & sources

2.62 m

Cessna 177B · Height

Single source

8 ft 7 in (2.62 m)^[source]

5.94 m

Height

Single source

19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)^[source]

1.1t

4.8tMaximum take-off; Maximum takeoff weight

MassScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

678 kg

Empty; Cessna 177B · Empty weight

Single source

1,134 kg

Maximum take-off; Cessna 177B · Max takeoff weight

Single source

1,495 lb (678 kg)^[source]

2,500 lb (1,134 kg)^[source]

2,650 kg

Empty; Empty weight

Single source

4,800 kg

Maximum take-off; Maximum takeoff weight

Single source

5,850 lb (2,650 kg)^[source]

10,500 lb (4,800 kg)^[source]

1Cessna 177B · Crew

1–2people

Crew

All recorded figures & sources

1 people

Cessna 177B · Crew

Single source

1^[source]

1–2 people

Crew

Single source

1–2^[source]

252km/hMaximum; Cessna 177B · Maximum speed

300km/hCruise; Cruise speed

SpeedScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

230 km/h

Cruise; Cessna 177B · Cruise speed

Single source

252 km/h

Maximum; Cessna 177B · Maximum speed

Single source

136 kn (157 mph, 252 km/h)^[source]

124 kn (143 mph, 230 km/h)^[source]

300 km/h

Cruise; Cruise speed

Single source

160 kn (300 km/h)^[source]

1,119kmCessna 177B · Range

1,428kmFerry; Ferry Range

RangeScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

1,119 km

Cessna 177B · Range

Single source

604 nmi (695 mi, 1,119 km)^[source]

1,428 km

Ferry; Ferry Range

Single source

771 nmi (887 mi; 1,428 km)^[source]

130kW

431kW578 shp (

PowerScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

130 kW

Cessna 177B · 1 × Lycoming O-360 -A1F6D air-cooled flat-4 engine

Single source

1 × Lycoming O-360 -A1F6D air-cooled flat-4 engine , 180 hp (130 kW)^[source]

431 kW

578 shp (

Single source

578 shp (431 kW)^[source]

16.2m²Cessna 177B · Wing area

—

Wing area

All recorded figures & sources

16.2 m²

Cessna 177B · Wing area

Single source

174 sq ft (16.2 m 2 )^[source]

4,500mCessna 177B · Service ceiling

7,600mCeiling

Service ceilingScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

4,500 m

Cessna 177B · Service ceiling

Single source

14,600 ft (4,500 m)^[source]

7,600 m

Ceiling

Single source

25,000 ft (7,600 m)^[source]

4.3m/sCessna 177B · 840 ft/min (

—

Rate of climb

All recorded figures & sources

4.3 m/s

Cessna 177B · 840 ft/min (

Single source

840 ft/min (4.3 m/s)^[source]

—

980kgover 727 nmi (837 mi; 1,346 km)

Payload

All recorded figures & sources

980 kg

over 727 nmi (837 mi; 1,346 km)

Single source

2,150 lb (980 kg) over 727 nmi (837 mi; 1,346 km)^[source]

Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.

Configuration

Details

Cessna 177 Cardinal and De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter configuration
Specification	Cessna 177 Cardinal	De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
Type	Light utility aircraft^[source]	Utility aircraft^[source]
Manufacturer	Cessna Aircraft Company^[source]	de Havilland Canada Viking Air De Havilland Canada^[source]
Number built	4,295^[source]	March 2026: 1000 (844 DHC, 156 Viking)^[source]
Manufactured	1968–1978^[source]	1965–1988 (Series 100–300) 2008–present (Series 400) 2023–present (Series 300-G)^[source]
Introduction date	1968^[source]	1966^[source]
First flight	July 15, 1966^[source]	20 May 1965^[source]
Capacity	3 passengers^[source]	—
Status	—	In production^[source]
Developed from	—	de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter^[source]
Passengers	—	20^[source]
Wing geometry	—	65 ft 0 in (19.81 m) span, 420 sq ft (39 m 2 ) area (10.05 AR)^[source]
Powerplant	—	P&WC PT6 A-20^[source]
Stall Speed	—	65 mph (56 kn; 105 km/h)^[source]
National origin	—	Canada^[source]

FORCETALLY

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Cessna 177 Cardinal

De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter

Type

Light utility aircraft^[source]

Utility aircraft^[source]

Manufacturer

Cessna Aircraft Company^[source]

de Havilland Canada Viking Air De Havilland Canada^[source]

Number built

4,295^[source]

March 2026: 1000 (844 DHC, 156 Viking)^[source]

Manufactured

1968–1978^[source]

1965–1988 (Series 100–300) 2008–present (Series 400) 2023–present (Series 300-G)^[source]

Introduction date

1968^[source]

1966^[source]

First flight

July 15, 1966^[source]

20 May 1965^[source]

Capacity

3 passengers^[source]

—

Status

—

In production^[source]

Developed from

—

de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter^[source]

Passengers

—

20^[source]

Wing geometry

—

65 ft 0 in (19.81 m) span, 420 sq ft (39 m 2 ) area (10.05 AR)^[source]

Powerplant

—

P&WC PT6 A-20^[source]

Stall Speed

—

65 mph (56 kn; 105 km/h)^[source]

National origin

—

Canada^[source]