What is the difference between the DR400/120, /140, /160, and /180?

The numeric suffix corresponds to engine power. The DR400/120 Dauphin has a 116 hp Lycoming O-235; the /140 Major has a 160 hp O-320; the /160 Régent shares the 160 hp O-320 with refined interior; the /180 Régent has a 180 hp Lycoming O-360 and is the most common IFR / utility variant. All four share the same DR400 airframe and the distinctive hinged forward canopy.

Is the Robin DR400 still in production?

Yes. CEAPR (Constructions Aéronautiques de l'Est, Pierre Robin) continues to build new DR400 airframes from the Dijon-Darois facility. New deliveries are predominantly to French aero clubs and a smaller number of European private owners.

What is the wood airframe of the DR400 like to maintain?

The DR400 is a cantilever low-wing wood-and-fabric airframe and requires an MRO familiar with wood-airframe maintenance practice — wood-spar inspection, fabric covering integrity, and humidity control during storage are all part of the maintenance picture. Most active operators are French aero clubs that have decades of accumulated knowledge of the airframe and a maintenance ecosystem to match.

Can the DR400 be used for IFR training?

Yes, primarily in the DR400/180 Régent variant. The 180 hp O-360 airframe with a Garmin G5 / GFC 500 retrofit is a common IFR trainer at aero clubs running the EASA competence-based IR or IR(R) syllabus.

Robin Aircraft

DR400 family

Single-engine piston · Primary trainer · Pre-1980 classic

Power: 160 hp
Cruise: 122 kt
MTOW: 2,425 lb
Range: 750 nm
Fuel: 100LL avgas

🇺🇸Specs shown in Imperial.

Performance

Cruise speed (Vc)122 kt
Never-exceed speed (Vne)166 kt
Stall (landing config) (Vs0)47 kt
Climb rate770 fpm
Service ceiling14,400 ft
Range750 nm
Endurance6 h
Takeoff roll1,245 ft
Landing roll985 ft

Weights

MTOW2,425 lb
Empty weight1,330 lb
Useful load1,095 lb
Baggage capacity88 lb

Dimensions

Wingspan28.7 ft
Length22.9 ft
Height7.3 ft
Cabin width41.7 in

Powerplant

EngineLycoming O-320-D2A — 160 hp · 100LL · 8.5 gph
Total horsepower160 hp
Primary fuel100LL avgas
Unleaded pathLeaded only — needs G100UL or engine swap

Cockpit & avionics

Cockpit typeanalog
Autopilot commonly availableNo
Typical packages
- Six-pack analog with KX-155— as-delivered
- Garmin G5 / GFC 500 retrofit— modern retrofit on active club fleets
- Aspen Evolution retrofit— modern retrofit option
Training note
DR400 cockpits are predominantly analog as delivered; aero clubs that retrofit Garmin G5 / GFC 500 typically do so to bring an IFR-capable airframe up to a modern panel for instrument-rating training.

Certification

RegulatoryEASA CS-23 · DGAC France
Certified rolesNormal category · Utility category
IFRYes
Spin approvedNo
Aerobatic-categoryNo
TailwheelNo
Complex (FAR 61.31)No
High-performance (FAR 61.31)No

Why is the DR400 family popular?

Structured popularity-driver evidence. Each axis below carries one factual statement; we don't grade, the facts speak.

Industry network effects

Backbone of the French aero-club PPL training fleet — 864 DR300 / DR400 airframes were on French aero-club registers as of 2019, making the type the dominant EASA DTO trainer in France.

Pedagogy and handling

Hinged forward canopy gives exceptional forward visibility and easy cockpit access — distinctive operational feature versus the side-door PA-28 / 172 and a teaching point in DR-equipped aero clubs.

Regulatory fit

EASA CS-23-certified across the variant line; production has continued at CEAPR (Constructions Aéronautiques de l'Est, Pierre Robin) in Dijon-Darois with new deliveries predominantly to French aero clubs.

Parts and MRO ecosystem

Cantilever low-wing wood-and-fabric airframe — distinctive among modern trainers and supported by an MRO network around the French aero-club ecosystem with decades of accumulated maintenance practice.

Before you buy more aircraft

The next airframe is rarely the highest-leverage move.

Flight school revenue is a function of three things — utilisation, dispatch reliability, and student progression — that multiply rather than add. Most schools running below 850 hours per aircraft per year have hidden capacity worth more than the next purchase, already paid for and sitting on the ramp.

Read: Why buying more aircraft probably won't grow your school

Operations

Record hours, no profit

Where margin actually leaks when the schedule looks full.

Strategy

The three hurdles to profitability

The structural barriers most expansion plans miss.

How flight schools track this aircraft in Aviatize

French aero clubs running DR400 fleets typically configure them in Aviatize with per-club licence-validation rules (national PPL vs LAPL vs ULM endorsements), per-airframe variant pricing (DR400/120 cheaper than DR400/180), and a wood-airframe inspection cycle tracked as a separate maintenance item. Engine reserves track against the Lycoming O-235 / O-320 / O-360 TBOs by variant.

schedulingtraining managementaircraft maintenancebilling

Editorial confidence

Medium confidenceLast reviewed 2026-05-05

2 primary sources cited. Spec data is partially attributed; some operating details are editorial synthesis pending additional research.

Sources

Primary sources are POH / TCDS / manufacturer pages; derived sources record where Aviatize editorial synthesis is layered on top.

Primary sourcePOH·Retrieved 2026-05-05
CEAPR (Robin Aircraft)
https://www.robin-aircraft.com/
Robin Aircraft (CEAPR) product pages.
Primary sourceEASA TCDS·Retrieved 2026-05-05
European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/document-library/type-certificates
EASA TCDS covers DR400 variants.
Editorial synthesisAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-05
Aviatize editorial
Entry authored by Aviatize from accumulated industry knowledge cross-referenced against the primary sources cited above. Specific fleet figures, fleet wins, and recent production status changes are research-backlog candidates and should be verified against primary sources before flipping verified: true.

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