PlaneFox tracks 2 Nanchang CJ-6 aircraft for sale and re-reads every one of them from the broker and dealer sites it watches, so the figures below move when the market moves. Every number on this page is measured from those live listings, not taken from a published price guide.
A Nanchang CJ-6 flies about 378 nm, roughly 700 km, which is about 2 h 49 min in still air at typical cruise.
A Nanchang CJ-6 costs about EUR 2,725 a month to run, or about EUR 298 for every flight hour when it is flown 150 hours a year.
The Nanchang CJ-6 is a Chinese two-seat military primary trainer developed by Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing, later associated with Hongdu Aviation. It first flew in 1958 and entered production in the early 1960s, with large numbers built for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and export customers. Although influenced by earlier Soviet training concepts, the CJ-6 is a distinct Chinese design, not a Yakovlev Yak-18 copy. For today’s buyers, it matters as one of the most available radial-engine military trainers on the civilian market, valued for formation flying, aerobatic instruction, and warbird ownership at a comparatively accessible operating scale.
Most aircraft encountered in the used market are Nanchang CJ-6A models powered by the Huosai HS-6A nine-cylinder radial engine, rated at about 285 hp. Typical cruise performance is in the 125 to 145 knot range depending on power setting, propeller, rigging, and aircraft condition. Published range is commonly around 400 nautical miles with standard fuel and reserves dependent on operating profile. Service ceiling is generally cited at about 20,000 feet. Useful load varies by certification basis, equipment, and empty weight, but many civil examples fall roughly in the 700 to 900 lb range. Buyers should verify the individual weight and balance record rather than rely on generic figures.
The CJ-6 has tandem seating under a framed sliding canopy, with the student or front pilot in the forward cockpit and the instructor or rear pilot behind. Both positions normally have flight controls, basic engine instruments, and military-style switchgear. The aircraft uses pneumatic systems for items such as starting, brakes, flaps, and landing gear, a key ownership consideration. There is no factory-standard Garmin Perspective or G1000 suite. Civilian aircraft typically retain analog instruments and may add modern VFR or IFR-support equipment such as Garmin comm radios, transponders, ADS-B Out, portable navigation, engine monitors, or compact electronic flight displays.
Condition, documentation, and import history are central to CJ-6 value. Prospective buyers should review logbooks, airframe time, engine and propeller status, corrosion protection, fabric and control surface condition, pneumatic system health, landing gear rigging, and parts support. Common market variants include the CJ-6A and less common higher-powered or export configurations. Popular upgrades include Western radios, ADS-B, improved intercoms, smoke systems, updated seat restraints, and cosmetic restoration to military or civilian schemes. In the used-aircraft market, the Nanchang CJ-6 typically sits as a practical entry point into radial warbirds, less complex than larger ex-military types but still requiring specialist maintenance knowledge.