PlaneFox tracks 1 Nord NC-854 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 Nord NC-854 flies about 324 nm, roughly 600 km, which is about 3 h 51 min in still air at typical cruise.
A Nord NC-854 costs about EUR 1,421 a month to run, or about EUR 147 for every flight hour when it is flown 150 hours a year.
The Nord NC-854 is a postwar French light aircraft from Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord, commonly associated with the Nord NC-850 family of high-wing utility and training aircraft. The original NC-850 line first flew in the late 1940s, with NC-854 production following in the early 1950s. It was intended for aeroclub training, liaison, observation and general touring duties rather than high-speed transport. For buyers, its importance is mainly historical and practical: it represents a rare French alternative to more common Piper, Cessna and Auster types of the same era, with simple systems and vintage-aircraft character.
The NC-854 is a fixed-gear, high-wing piston aircraft, generally documented with a Renault 4P series inverted inline engine in the roughly 140 hp class. Published performance data for surviving examples can vary by source, propeller, engine installation and national certification paperwork, so aircraft-specific documents matter more than generic figures. In broad used-aircraft comparison, it belongs in the modest cruise-speed, short-to-medium-range category typical of early postwar liaison and training aircraft. Buyers should verify the approved flight manual or national permit data for cruise speed, range, useful load and service ceiling before comparing it with more common four-cylinder touring aircraft.
The cabin is simple and compact, with seating and interior layout dependent on the individual NC-854 configuration and any later restoration work. Expect a vintage cockpit rather than a modern ergonomic cabin, with limited baggage capacity and basic heating, ventilation and trim arrangements by contemporary standards. Original instrumentation would have been conventional analog flight and engine gauges. Modern examples, where upgraded, are more likely to have a modest VHF radio, transponder, portable GPS or small panel-mounted navigation unit. Integrated suites such as Garmin G1000 or Garmin Perspective are not typical for the Nord NC-854.
The NC-854 is a specialist purchase. Condition, documentation and maintainability usually matter more than headline performance. Key inspection areas include fabric or skin condition as applicable to the individual airframe, corrosion in the structure, landing gear attachments, control cables, engine support structure and the availability of Renault 4P engine parts or approved alternatives. Logbook continuity, airworthiness category, noise paperwork and import history should be checked carefully. Market positioning is usually below mainstream certified touring aircraft in liquidity, but value can be supported by rarity, originality, quality of restoration and eligibility for vintage aircraft events.