Aircraft model
PIPER J3L-65
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Lycoming-engined Cub, one of three 65 hp powerplant options Piper offered before the war. The airframe is the same fabric-over-steel-tube tandem two-seater as every other J-3 and it flies identically; only the engine and its installation differ.
The Lycoming O-145 is a flat-four of similar vintage to the Continental A-65 and is better supported than the Franklin, though neither is in production and parts come through specialists. Many J3Ls have been re-engined to the Continental A-65 or C-85, which is the most common and best-supported configuration; establish what is actually fitted. After the engine, fabric age is the question that sets the price, because a recover costs more than many Cubs are worth. It qualifies as a light sport aircraft.
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Put PIPER J3L-65 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER J3L-65
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-145-B2 |
| Horsepower | 65 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1938 |
| Production end | 1941 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 65 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 190 nm |
| Service ceiling | 11,000 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 | 535 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 463 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,220 lb |
| Empty weight | 685 lb |
| Usable fuel | 12 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $28,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $62,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 579 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 179 |
| Median year built | 1940.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 5.591 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 5.592 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 32 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 17.883 |
| 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 179 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 179 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 179 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 3.3 of 103 |
| Support | 7.9 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 3.8 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.