Aircraft model
LUSCOMBE 8E
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Luscombe 8E Silvaire is the more capable version of Luscombe's two-seat metal taildragger: a higher gross weight, more fuel in wing tanks, and typically the 85 hp Continental. It cruises at 92 knots with two people aboard and has 620 lb of useful load, which is good for its size, and the all-metal fuselage avoids the recovering bills that burden its fabric rivals.
Its reputation is for being the least forgiving of the postwar lightplanes on the ground. The gear is narrow and stiff, the aeroplane sits high, and it will ground-loop given any provocation — anyone moving into one from a Cub or Champ should plan on real dual instruction and be honest about their crosswind limits. In the air it is responsive and delightful. Corrosion in the metal structure, particularly around the tailcone and floor, is the specific inspection item, and on 8E aircraft with fabric-covered wings the covering is an additional cost. Parts come from specialists and the type club. Many qualify as light sport aircraft, which supports prices.
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Put LUSCOMBE 8E side by side with up to two other models.
- LUSCOMBE 8E
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental C-85-12F |
| Horsepower | 85 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1947 |
| Production end | 1949 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 92 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 430 nm |
| Service ceiling | 17,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 700 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 40 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 620 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 470 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,400 lb |
| Empty weight | 780 lb |
| Usable fuel | 25 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 4.8 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $35,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $46,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $22,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $32,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 950 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 326 |
| Median year built | 1947.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 15 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 46.011 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 42.942 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 58 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 17.793 |
| 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 326 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 326 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 326 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 2.8 of 101 |
| Severity | 5.8 of 102 |
| Access | 4.5 of 103 |
| Support | 8.5 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 3.8 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 25.4 out of 506 |
These record scores treat LUSCOMBE 8E as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes the record of aircraft once registered under LUSCOMBE/HANKINS. Prices are not combined.
- 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.