Aircraft model
LUSCOMBE 8F
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Luscombe 8F is the most powerful and most developed Silvaire: a 90 hp Continental, metal wings and a 1,400 lb gross weight on the same all-metal two-seat side-by-side airframe. It cruises at 95 knots and climbs at 900 fpm, which is brisk for the class.
The all-metal construction avoids the recovering bills that burden its fabric rivals, and the 8F's metal wings mean there is no fabric at all on most examples. 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 — real dual instruction is needed by anyone moving in from a Cub or Champ. Corrosion around the tailcone and floor is the specific inspection item. At 1,400 lb gross it exceeds the light sport limit.
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Put LUSCOMBE 8F side by side with up to two other models.
- LUSCOMBE 8F
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental C-90-12F |
| Horsepower | 90 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1948 |
| Production end | 1960 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 95 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 430 nm |
| Service ceiling | 17,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 900 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 40 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 590 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 440 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,400 lb |
| Empty weight | 810 lb |
| Usable fuel | 25 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 5 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $30,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $55,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $23,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $33,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 307 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 119 |
| Median year built | 1948.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 8 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 67.231 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 67.232 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 19 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 15.973 |
| 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 119 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 119 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 119 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 0.7 of 101 |
| Severity | 2.9 of 102 |
| Access | 4.8 of 103 |
| Support | 6.6 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 2.9 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 17.9 out of 506 |
These record scores treat LUSCOMBE 8F as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 10 aircraft registered under SILVAIRE. 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.