Aircraft model
PIPER J4A-S
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The float model of the Cub Coupe. The J-4 is the side-by-side two-seater Piper built alongside the tandem J-3: a wider fuselage, a proper cabin with two people next to each other, and 16 gallons of fuel. On floats it is a rare aeroplane — the J-4 was never built in Cub numbers and the seaplane version less so again.
A floatplane of this age and size is a specialist's aeroplane. It will get in and out of water a bigger machine cannot, and it will do almost nothing else: two people, very little baggage and 65 horsepower. Float condition, corrosion at every fitting and the fabric are the pre-purchase list, and a salt-water history is a serious finding. A seaplane rating is required and the market for float-capable classics is small, tight and slow-moving in both directions.
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Put PIPER J4A-S side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER J4A-S
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental A-65-1 |
| Horsepower | 65 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1939 |
| Production end | 1942 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 70 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 252 nm |
| Service ceiling | 9,200 ft |
| Climb rate | 382 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 | 1,350 lb |
| Empty weight | 840 lb |
| Usable fuel | 16 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $29,000 |
|---|---|
| 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 | 5 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 1 |
| Median year built | 1940.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | — |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | — |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 0 |
| Transfers per 100 active | — |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | none |
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 0.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | —5 |
- 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.