Comfort Considerations Comparison

One of the considerations which leads one to a Cardinal is interior comfort. As the past owner of a Cessna 152 your webmaster can attest to the benefits of shoulder room, even if you are married to your copilot!

But somewhere along the line most prospective purchasers hear us talking about Data here at CFO and it occurs to them to wonder what the cabin width data really is?

Well, here is that data. Happy shopping! If you have data from any additional aircraft which you'd like to see added to this table just drop me an email.

As I search the various sources for this data I find a wide range of different numbers. These numbers have been published by other groups, but there are signs that the numbers may vary by specific model or some sublety of measurement. For instance, is the width a maximum number or the width at the hips, or shoulder? Recognizing that ambiguity, we offer the following data.

Model	Cabin Length (inches)	Cabin Width (inches @ hip)	Cabin Width (shoulder)	Cabin Height (inches)	Overall Cubic Area (Cubic Inches)	Overall Cubic Area (Cubic Feet)
1978 172N	108	36.5	37.5	41.25	13550	94

1978 177B	134	40.75	48.0	46	16879	117
1978 177RG	134	40.75	48.0	46	16879	117

1977 182Q	124	39.00	42	48.5
1977 210M	152	36.00	42	48

Beech B35B	121	40.00	42	50
Beech G36	151	40.00	42	50	14400	100

Another question which comes up is about weight capacity and ride. Here are some numbers which may provide hints in that area.

Model	Wing Area (Sqr Ft)	Gross Weight	Wing Loading
1978 172N	174	2200	12.6
1978 177B	173	2800	14.4
1978 177RG	173	2800	16.1
1977 182Q	174	3110	16.9
Beech Bonanza	181	3650	20.2
1979 P337H	203	4630	21.4