Aircraft model
PIPER J3C-65S
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The J3C-65S is the float-equipped model of the J3C-65 -- a separate model on the type certificate rather than a modification, with its own maximum weight and its own limitations. On floats a Cub-family aeroplane becomes a genuinely different machine: it will get into and out of water almost nobody else can use, and it gives up speed, climb and payload to do it.
A floatplane costs more to own than the same airframe on wheels and always has. The floats themselves need inspection and repair, water corrosion attacks the airframe and the fittings, and an aircraft that has lived on salt water is a different proposition from one that has lived on a lake. Against that, the market for float-capable light aircraft is small and permanently short of supply, so values hold up. A seaplane rating is required and the flying is a genuinely separate skill.
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Put PIPER J3C-65S side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER J3C-65S
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 | 57 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 171 nm |
| Service ceiling | 10,580 ft |
| Climb rate | 382 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 33 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 470 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 398 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,300 lb |
| Empty weight | 830 lb |
| Usable fuel | 12 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $40,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $85,000 |
| 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 | 106 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 26 |
| 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 | 0 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 0 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 0 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 0 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 26 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 26 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 26 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 3.3 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 0 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 25 · 181 models in class.
- Severity: class median 5.
- Access: class median 987.
- Support: class median 72.
- Liquidity: class median 20.59.
- 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.