Aircraft model
PIPER PA25-235C
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
A Pawnee C: the 1967 revision of the 235 hp aircraft, with oleo shock absorbers in place of the earlier bungee gear and a detachable turtledeck panel that makes the fuselage behind the cockpit far easier to inspect and repair. Engine and maximum weight are unchanged from the PA-25-235 at 235 hp and 2,900 lb; the registry's C suffix is Piper's series letter rather than a separate type certificate model.
Buying one means reading the airframe rather than the logbook. Chemical corrosion in the fuselage tubes behind the hopper is the classic killer, the wing spar and attach fittings have spent thousands of hours being pulled round at low level, and the hopper and its plumbing are either serviceable or a large bill. Prices are set by the tug market at the low end and by working operators at the high end. A tailwheel endorsement is a legal minimum and no substitute for a season of training.
Compare with…
Put PIPER PA25-235C side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA25-235C
What it is
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-540-B2B5 |
| Horsepower | 235 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1967 |
| Production end | 1973 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 99 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 222 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,500 ft |
| Climb rate | 700 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 53 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,350 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,105 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,324 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,108 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,900 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,576 lb |
| Usable fuel | 36 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 13.2 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $45,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $156,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $45,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $64,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 2 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 0 |
| Median year built | — |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | — |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | — |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 0 |
| Transfers per 100 active | — |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | none |
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 0.2 of 104 |
| Liquidity | —5 |
- Accident record: class median 29.1 · 174 models in class.
- Severity: class median 9.09.
- Access: class median 974.
- Support: class median 81.
- Liquidity: class median 20.47.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.