Aircraft model
PIPER J-3C
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Piper Cub with the Continental engine, recorded here as J-3C rather than the fuller J3C-65. 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 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. It qualifies as a light sport aircraft, so a sport pilot certificate is sufficient, which is much of why prices have risen. Fabric condition is the dominant lifetime cost and should be established before anything else, along with corrosion in the steel tubing beneath.
Compare with…
Put PIPER J-3C side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER J-3C
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 | $32,000 |
|---|---|
| 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 | 181 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 56 |
| Median year built | 1946.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 17.86 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 0 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 17 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 30.36 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 56 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 56 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 56 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 3.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 8.4 of 105 |
These record scores treat PIPER J-3C as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 1 aircraft registered under PIPER-TWARDOWSKI. 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.