Aircraft model
AERONCA 65-C
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 65-C is a prewar Aeronca Chief, the side-by-side two-seater that preceded the tandem Champ. Two people sit next to each other rather than one behind the other, which most passengers prefer and which makes instruction easier because you can see what the other person is doing.
It is a 1940 aeroplane and should be assessed as one. The cabin is narrow, performance is marginal at 74 knots and 500 fpm on a good day, and there is no electrical system on most examples. Fabric over steel tube means recovering is the dominant lifetime cost and the covering's age determines whether a cheap Chief is a bargain or a liability. Aeronca's prewar designations are numerous and confusing, so confirm exactly what the aircraft is against its paperwork rather than the registry string.
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Put AERONCA 65-C side by side with up to two other models.
- AERONCA 65-C
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 | 1939 |
| Production end | 1941 |
| 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 | $15,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $40,000 |
| 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 | 246 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 72 |
| Median year built | 1939.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 13.89 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 13.89 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 9 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 12.5 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 72 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 72 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 72 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 9.4 of 103 |
| Support | 4.6 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 1.6 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 29.1 · 174 models in class.
- Severity: class median 9.09.
- Access: class median 974.
- Support: class median 81.
- Liquidity: class median 20.47.
- 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.