Aircraft model
PIPER PA-22-108
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Colt, built 1961-1963: a Tri-Pacer with the rear seats removed, the flaps deleted and a 108 hp engine, sold as a cheap two-seat trainer to compete with the Cessna 150. It was Piper's low-cost entry and it is the least expensive certified two-seater you are likely to find today. Its job then and now is basic flying and cheap hour-building.
It flies pleasantly and the visibility from the high wing is good, but everything about it is minimal. No flaps means a flat approach and a long float if you carry any extra speed. The 108 hp engine gives modest climb. Cabin space is adequate for two but not generous. And, as with every Piper of this generation, the airframe is steel tube covered in fabric — the covering is the biggest single cost item in the aeroplane's life and a recover can exceed the purchase price by a wide margin. Ask the age and type of the fabric, look at the tube structure underneath for corrosion, and price accordingly. Bought with good fabric it is an inexpensive and honest little aeroplane.
Compare with…
Put PIPER PA-22-108 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-22-108
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-235-C1B |
| Horsepower | 108 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1961 |
| Production end | 1963 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 96 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 400 nm |
| Service ceiling | 12,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 610 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 41 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,500 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,250 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 710 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 494 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,650 lb |
| Empty weight | 940 lb |
| Usable fuel | 36 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $25,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $45,000 |
| 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 | 1,443 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 587 |
| Median year built | 1961.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 14 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 23.851 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 20.442 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 132 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 22.493 |
| Airworthiness directives | 3 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 587 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 587 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 587 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 6 of 101 |
| Severity | 5.7 of 102 |
| Access | 7.1 of 103 |
| Support | 9.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 33.9 out of 506 |
- 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.