Aircraft model
SILVAIRE LUSCOMBE 8A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Luscombe 8A recorded under the Silvaire Aircraft name, from the period when the type certificate had passed to Silvaire and production briefly resumed. It is the same two-seat side-by-side all-metal taildragger: 85 hp, 87 knots, and a look like nothing else.
It has a reputation among pilots for being the least forgiving of the postwar lightplanes on the ground. The gear is narrow and stiff, the aeroplane sits high, and it will ground-loop given the slightest provocation — real dual instruction is needed by anyone moving in from a Cub or Champ. In the air it is delightful and responsive. The all-metal fuselage removes most of the recovering cost that burdens its rivals, but corrosion around the tailcone and floor is the specific inspection item.
Compare with…
Put SILVAIRE LUSCOMBE 8A side by side with up to two other models.
- SILVAIRE LUSCOMBE 8A
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental C-85-12F |
| Horsepower | 85 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1946 |
| Production end | 1960 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 87 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 350 nm |
| Service ceiling | 15,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 600 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 40 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 530 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 446 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,260 lb |
| Empty weight | 730 lb |
| Usable fuel | 14 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 4.8 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $18,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $42,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $22,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $32,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 168 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 92 |
| Median year built | 1946.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 8 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 86.96 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 54.35 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 11 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 11.96 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 92 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 92 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 92 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 2.7 of 103 |
| Support | 5.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 1.3 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.