Aircraft model
RYAN AERONAUTICAL ST3KR
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Ryan ST3KR is the PT-22 Recruit, a wartime primary trainer and one of the few low-wing open-cockpit monoplanes in that role. It has a polished metal monocoque fuselage, a Kinner five-cylinder radial with exposed cylinders, and tandem open cockpits, and it looks unlike anything else from the period.
It is bought for the looks and the handling, both of which are admired. The Kinner engine is the practical problem: it is a small-production radial with a very limited parts base and few shops willing to overhaul one, and a tired Kinner can cost more than the aeroplane is worth to make right. That single fact dominates ownership. The aircraft is also a narrow-track taildragger with a reputation for being demanding on landing. At 160 hp no high-performance endorsement applies.
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- RYAN AERONAUTICAL ST3KR
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Kinner R-540-1 (radial) |
| Horsepower | 160 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | military-surplus |
| Production start | 1941 |
| Production end | 1942 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 110 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 300 nm |
| Service ceiling | 15,500 ft |
| Climb rate | 850 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 45 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 547 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 403 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,860 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,313 lb |
| Usable fuel | 24 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 9 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $60,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $110,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $45,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $80,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 483 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 116 |
| Median year built | 1942.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 17.241 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 17.242 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 9 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 7.763 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 116 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 116 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 116 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 6.8 of 103 |
| Support | 6.5 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 0.3 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.