Cessna 182 Skylane vs Piper M350 vs Piper Seneca

The Cessna 182 Skylane is a single‑engine, fixed‑gear piston aircraft typically used for personal travel and training. It generally carries four people (sometimes five with a smaller rear seat) and offers moderate range, commonly on the order of roughly 700–1,000 nautical miles depending on power setting, load, and reserves. The Piper M350 is a high‑performance, pressurized single‑engine piston aircraft aimed at faster, higher‑altitude cross‑country flying. It seats about six, but real‑world comfortable passenger loads are often four to five plus baggage. Its range is generally longer than a Skylane’s, often around roughly 1,000–1,300 nautical miles, again highly dependent on payload and cruise choices. The Piper Seneca is a light twin‑engine piston aircraft, commonly used for personal travel, training, and some commercial operations where twin‑engine capability is desired. It typically seats six and offers range broadly comparable to, or sometimes a bit less than, an M350 when similarly loaded, often around roughly 800–1,200 nautical miles.