Cessna 421 Golden Eagle
The Cessna 421 Golden Eagle is a pressurised, twin-engine piston aircraft built for owner-pilots and small operators who needed to fly higher and faster than an unpressurised light twin could manage. Its pressurised cabin let it cruise above much of the turbulent weather that smaller aircraft had to fly through or around. It sat at the top of Cessna's piston twin lineup, aimed at business travel before turboprops and light jets became widely affordable. A number remain in private and charter use today, valued for their cabin comfort relative to other piston aircraft of the era.

Did you know?
The 421's geared, turbocharged Continental engines give it a distinctive high-pitched sound unlike the direct-drive engines on its 340 and 414 relatives.
Specifications
| Length | 11.1 m (36 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 12.5 m (41 ft) |
| Height | 3.5 m (11 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 6 |
| Persons on board | 10 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 3.3 t |
| Range | 1,487 NM (2,754 km) |
| Maximum speed | 256 kt (474 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 30,200 ft (9,205 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 28,000 ft (8,534 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,940 ft/min (9.9 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 708 m (2,323 ft) |
| Landing distance | 728 m (2,388 ft) |
| Fuel capacity | 900 l |
| Engines | GTSIO-520-L |
| Units built | 1,916 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
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