Aircraft model
PIPER J-3
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Piper Cub, recorded here under the bare J-3 designation rather than an engine-specific one. Two seats in tandem, fabric over steel tube, no electrical system on most examples, and a stick and rudder with almost nothing else. It taught tens of thousands of wartime pilots and is now bought purely for the pleasure of flying slowly from a grass field with the door open.
As transport it is close to useless: 65 knots into any headwind is a walking pace, the 12-gallon nose tank gives under two and a half hours, and it is soloed from the rear seat, which limits forward visibility. It qualifies as a light sport aircraft, so a sport pilot certificate is enough, which is much of why prices have risen. Fabric condition is the dominant lifetime cost and should be established before anything else.
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Put PIPER J-3 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER J-3
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental A-65-8 |
| Horsepower | 65 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1938 |
| Production end | 1947 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 65 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 190 nm |
| Service ceiling | 11,500 ft |
| Climb rate | 450 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 33 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 730 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 470 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 540 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 468 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,220 lb |
| Empty weight | 680 lb |
| Usable fuel | 12 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $30,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $70,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $20,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $30,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 495 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 104 |
| Median year built | 1946.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 01 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 02 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 12 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 11.543 |
| 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 104 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 104 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 104 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 5.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 1.3 of 105 |
These record scores treat PIPER J-3 as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 2 aircraft registered under PIPER-DAHL; includes the record of aircraft once registered under GIORDANO DANIEL; includes the record of aircraft once registered under PIPER-LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE. 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.