Taylorcraft B series
9 models built 1939–1950 · 1,498 on the US register today
The Taylorcraft B series, built 1939-1941 and 1946-1950 on type certificate A-696: a side-by-side two-seat fabric-and-tube aeroplane notably lighter and more efficient than its contemporaries — 85 knots on the same 65 hp that gives a Cub 65. The letters encode the engine (BC Continental, BL Lycoming) and the horsepower; the postwar BC12-D is the common one, the BC12-D1 the stripped Ace, and the BC12D-85 and BC12D-4-85 the 85 hp versions worth looking for.
The variants
| MODEL | YEARS | ACTIVE | TAILFAX SCORE | WHAT CHANGED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC | 1939–1941 | 17 | — | 50 hp Continental |
| BC-65 | 1939–1941 | 109 | Partial 14.6/30 | 65 hp Continental A-65 |
| BL | 1939–1941 | 13 | — | 50 hp Lycoming |
| BL-65 | 1939–1941 | 134 | 24/50 | 65 hp Lycoming O-145 |
| BC12-65 | 1946 | 104 | Partial 11.3/30 | Trim tab; minor structural changes |
| BC12-D | 1946–1950 | 1,011 | 30.7/50 | Postwar standard: A-65-8, improved windows |
| BC12-D1 | 1946–1947 | 76 | Partial 16.1/30 | Ace: stripped budget model |
| BC12D-4-85 | 1946–1950 | 6 | — | 85 hp with rear side window |
| BC12D-85 | 1946–1950 | 28 | Partial 8/30 | 85 hp Continental C-85 |
Family fleet, active
1,498
FAA registry
NTSB events / 1,000, 10 yrs
24
36 events over 1,498 active aircraft, pooled across the family
Successor
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · scores Sep 30