Piper PA-11
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Cub Special, Piper's 1947 development of the J-3. It looks like a Cub but differs in two ways that matter: the engine is fully cowled rather than hanging out in the breeze, and it is soloed from the front seat instead of the back, which gives far better forward visibility. It also carries more fuel in a wing tank rather than the J-3's nose tank.
Those changes make it a more practical aeroplane than a J-3 while keeping the same character — slow, simple, delightful on a summer evening with the door open, and useless as transport. Seventy-five knots into a headwind is a walking pace. Most have no electrical system. The fabric is the dominant lifetime cost and its age should be established before anything else, along with corrosion in the steel tube underneath. Many have been re-engined to 85 or 90 hp, which noticeably improves climb. It qualifies as a light sport aircraft in the United States, which has supported prices considerably.
Variants of the Piper PA-11 Cub Special
- PA-11S · 1946 · 4 active
- PA-11 · 1947 · 439 active · this page
Also consider
- Interstate Aircraft S-1APartial 19/30 · 2 seats · 75 kt
- Aeronca 11ACScore 32.3/50 · 2 seats · 74 kt
- Aeronca 65-CAPartial 20.2/30 · 2 seats · 74 kt
Compare with…
Put Piper PA-11 side by side with up to three other models.
- Piper PA-11
Watch this model
One email a day if anything changes: new ADs and NTSB records.
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental A-65-8 / C-90-8F |
| Horsepower | 65 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1947 |
| Production end | 1949 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 75 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 300 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 514 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 34 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 470 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 362 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,220 lb |
| Empty weight | 750 lb |
| Usable fuel | 18 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.6 gal/h |
Estimated cost to own
An estimate, not a quote. Change the inputs to match how you would fly it. Defaults are for a single-engine piston, 1–2 seats.
| Fuel (burn × price) | hourly | $27/h | $2,668/yr |
| Engine reserve (overhaul ÷ TBO) | hourly | $1,556/yr | |
| Maintenance reserve | hourly | $1,500/yr | |
| Insurance | fixed | $1,400/yr | |
| Annual inspection | fixed | $1,500/yr | |
| Hangar | fixed | $6,000/yr | |
| Rental rate, wet | for comparison |
How these estimates are built. Fuel = this model's typical burn x the national average price from AirNav's Fuel Price Report (100LL $7.41, Jet A $7.66 per gallon, 5 Oct 2026; your airport may differ by $2 or more). Engine reserve = typical overhaul cost / TBO for this engine. The remaining lines are class-level defaults, not quotes for this aircraft: annual inspection is the base inspection fee (findings are counted in the per-hour maintenance line); insurance assumes an instrument-rated owner with time in type and a $1M liability limit - less experienced pilots commonly pay 1.5-2x; hangar and tie-down are national mid-tier figures, with rural and metro options; the rental rate is a 2026 flight-school rate for a comparable aircraft, including fuel. Twin and turboprop maintenance defaults are estimates, not published figures. Sources: AirNav, BWI Aviation Insurance (2019-2026), Flying (May 2026), Savvy Aviation, American Flight Schools, published airport rate sheets. Every default is editable - change any number to match your situation. Depreciation, taxes, financing and major upgrades are not included. Depreciation is not included. An estimate, not a quote.
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $55,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $110,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $23,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $33,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 1,019 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 439 |
| Median year built | 1947.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 12 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 27.331 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 20.52 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 64 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 14.583 |
| 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 439 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 439 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 439 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 6.5 of 101 |
| Severity | 1 of 102 |
| Access | 4.1 of 103 |
| Support | 8.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 2.4 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 22.8 out of 506 |
These record scores treat Piper PA-11 as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 1 aircraft registered under FAUNCE JOHN W; includes 1 aircraft registered under PIPER / HARRIS; includes 1 aircraft registered under PIPER-CARTER; includes 1 aircraft registered under PIPER-SMITH; includes the record of aircraft once registered under PIPER / DUKE. Prices are not combined.
- Accident record: class median 31.56 · 197 models in class.
- Severity: class median 10.
- Access: class median 1,000.75.
- Support: class median 89.
- Liquidity: class median 19.74.
- 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. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 6 · scores Sep 30