Aircraft model
AERONCA 11AC
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Aeronca Chief, the side-by-side counterpart to the tandem Champ, built from 1946. Two people sit next to each other rather than one behind the other, which most passengers prefer and which makes instruction easier to conduct — you can see what the other person is doing. It has the same 65 hp Continental, the same fabric-over-steel-tube construction and the same purpose: cheap, slow, pleasant local flying.
It sold in far smaller numbers than the Champ and is correspondingly less common, though parts and expertise still exist through the type clubs. The side-by-side cabin is narrow and two large adults will be in close contact. Performance is marginal in every respect — 74 knots, 500 fpm climb on a good day, and useful load that gets used up quickly by two average adults and fifteen gallons. Fabric is the dominant lifetime cost, as with all aeroplanes of this construction, so its age and condition determine whether a cheap Chief is a bargain or a liability. Many have been re-engined with the C-85 or C-90 for meaningfully better climb.
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Put AERONCA 11AC side by side with up to two other models.
- AERONCA 11AC
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental A-65-8 |
| Horsepower | 65 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1946 |
| Production end | 1950 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 74 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 300 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 500 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 38 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 500 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 410 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,250 lb |
| Empty weight | 750 lb |
| Usable fuel | 15 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $28,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $45,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $20,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $30,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 1,691 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 601 |
| Median year built | 1946.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 22 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 36.611 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 31.612 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 126 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 20.973 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 601 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 601 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 601 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 4.1 of 101 |
| Severity | 4.3 of 102 |
| Access | 7.2 of 103 |
| Support | 9.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 5.1 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 30.1 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 25 · 181 models in class.
- Severity: class median 5.
- Access: class median 987.
- Support: class median 72.
- Liquidity: class median 20.59.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.