Aircraft model
PIPER PA-15
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Vagabond, Piper's 1948 attempt to survive the postwar collapse in light aircraft sales by building the cheapest possible aeroplane. It is a short-winged, side-by-side two-seater with no flaps, no electrical system and minimal instrumentation — Piper cut the wing down and used up existing parts to get the price as low as possible.
It worked, and the Vagabond led directly to the Clipper, Pacer and Tri-Pacer. As an aeroplane it is light, quick on the controls and genuinely fun, and it is the cheapest certified two-seater on this list. The short wing means it comes down steeply with the power off and it is less forgiving than a Cub. Fabric is the dominant cost. The fleet is small and PA-15-specific parts can be awkward, though much is shared with the later short-wing Pipers.
Compare with…
Put PIPER PA-15 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-15
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 | 1948 |
| Production end | 1948 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 85 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 250 nm |
| Service ceiling | 10,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 490 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 38 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 480 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 408 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,100 lb |
| Empty weight | 620 lb |
| Usable fuel | 12 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $26,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $45,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 362 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 165 |
| Median year built | 1948.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 18.181 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 12.122 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 25 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 15.153 |
| 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 165 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 165 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 165 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 8.2 of 103 |
| Support | 7.7 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 2.7 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.