Aircraft model
NAVAL AIRCRAFT FACTORY N3N-3
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The N3N is the US Navy's own primary trainer, designed and built at the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia rather than bought from industry. It is an open-cockpit biplane with a Wright radial and a largely metal structure, and it was the last biplane in United States military service, flying as a floatplane trainer at Annapolis into 1961.
It is rarer than a Stearman and generally regarded as the better-handling of the two, which keeps values firm. Ownership means a Wright R-760 radial with a small parts base and few shops, fabric-covered metal-framed wings needing periodic recovering, bracing wires to inspect and tension, and a narrow-track taildragger with real ground-loop potential. Floatplane examples exist and are prized. Both tailwheel and high-performance endorsements are required, and insurance requires documented time in type.
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Put NAVAL AIRCRAFT FACTORY N3N-3 side by side with up to two other models.
- NAVAL AIRCRAFT FACTORY N3N-3
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Wright R-760-2 (radial) |
| Horsepower | 235 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | military-surplus |
| Production start | 1936 |
| Production end | 1942 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 80 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 300 nm |
| Service ceiling | 15,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 800 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 47 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 702 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 414 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,792 lb |
| Empty weight | 2,090 lb |
| Usable fuel | 48 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 13.2 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $70,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $180,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $60,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $105,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 347 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 145 |
| Median year built | 1941.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 6.91 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 6.92 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 13 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 8.973 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 145 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 145 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 145 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 1.4 of 103 |
| Support | 6.9 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 0.8 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.