Aircraft model
PIPER PA-12
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Super Cruiser, built 1946-1948: a widened Cub with a bench rear seat for two, so three people fit, and more fuel than a J-3. Piper sold it as a postwar touring aeroplane for a family that could not afford a four-seater, and two of them famously flew around the world in 1947. Today it is used for the same things a Super Cub is used for, at a substantially lower price.
It is a genuinely practical small taildragger: 38 gallons gives it long endurance, the cabin is wider than a Cub's, and the load is decent for the power. The compromises are that 100 hp is not much when three people are aboard, it cruises at only 90 knots, and the rear bench is close quarters for two adults. Being fabric over steel tube, recovering is the major lifetime cost and the covering's age should be the first question asked. Engine conversions to 125, 150 or 160 hp are widespread and make a large difference to what the aeroplane can do, as do float and big-tyre installations. It requires a tailwheel endorsement and real currency.
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Put PIPER PA-12 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-12
What it is
| Seats | 3 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-235-C1 |
| Horsepower | 100 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1946 |
| Production end | 1948 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 90 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 600 nm |
| Service ceiling | 12,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 600 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 38 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 3 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 800 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 572 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,750 lb |
| Empty weight | 950 lb |
| Usable fuel | 38 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 5.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $65,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $275,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,400 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $24,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $34,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 2,848 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 1,241 |
| Median year built | 1947.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 73 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 6 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 58.821 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 49.152 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 218 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 17.573 |
| Airworthiness directives | 8 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 1,241 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 1,241 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 1,241 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 2.4 of 101 |
| Severity | 6.3 of 102 |
| Access | 3.3 of 103 |
| Support | 9.3 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 2.8 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 24.1 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 32.28 · 202 models in class.
- Severity: class median 12.5.
- Access: class median 775.
- Support: class median 147.5.
- Liquidity: class median 19.9.
- 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.