Aircraft model
FAIRCHILD M-62A-3
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The M-62A-3 is a Fairchild Cornell variant, the low-wing tandem open-cockpit primary trainer that the American and Commonwealth air forces used in thousands. The A-3 suffix denotes an instrument-training configuration with provision for a blind-flying hood in the rear cockpit.
The Ranger L-440 inline engine is the central ownership issue and it is a serious one: long out of production, parts scarce, few shops willing to touch it, and a reputation for being difficult to keep running well. A Cornell with a tired Ranger can be economically unrepairable, and many have been converted to Lycoming or Continental power, which transforms supportability. The airframe is wood-and-fabric wings on a steel tube fuselage, so hangarage and specialist inspection are required.
Compare with…
Put FAIRCHILD M-62A-3 side by side with up to two other models.
- FAIRCHILD M-62A-3
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Ranger L-440-3 (inline) |
| Horsepower | 175 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | military-surplus |
| Production start | 1942 |
| Production end | 1944 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 105 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 350 nm |
| Service ceiling | 15,300 ft |
| Climb rate | 800 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 45 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 700 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 418 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,560 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,860 lb |
| Usable fuel | 47 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 9.8 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $40,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $90,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $40,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $72,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 435 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 56 |
| Median year built | 1943.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 35.71 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 35.71 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 14 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 25 · 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 56 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 56 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 56 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 2.7 of 103 |
| Support | 3.7 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 7.1 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.