Aircraft model
PIPER J4A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Cub Coupe, Piper's side-by-side development of the J-3 built just before the war. Two people sit next to each other rather than in tandem, which most passengers prefer and which makes instruction easier, and it has a slightly wider fuselage and more fuel than a J-3.
It is faster and further-ranging than a Cub — 80 knots and nearly 300 miles — while keeping the same character and the same 65 hp engine. Far fewer were built than J-3s and the fleet is correspondingly small, so parts specific to the Coupe are harder to find than Cub parts, which are effectively a commodity. Fabric over steel tube means recovering is the dominant lifetime cost and the covering's age should be established first, with corrosion in the tubing second.
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- PIPER J4A
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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 | 1939 |
| Production end | 1942 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 80 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 280 nm |
| Service ceiling | 10,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 450 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 35 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 510 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 414 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,200 lb |
| Empty weight | 690 lb |
| Usable fuel | 16 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $28,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $72,000 |
| 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 | 463 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 125 |
| Median year built | 1940.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 241 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 162 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 18 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 14.43 |
| 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 125 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 125 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 125 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 9.3 of 103 |
| Support | 6.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 2.3 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.