Aircraft model
STINSON 108-1
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1947 Stinson 108-1, with a higher gross weight than the original and detail improvements. It is a four-seat, high-wing tailwheel aeroplane with a comfortable cabin and honest handling, and it was sold as a family tourer at a time when most of its rivals were two-seaters. At 100 knots with 980 lb of useful load it still does that job.
The Franklin engine is the recurring problem across the whole 108 family: parts are scarce, overhaul shops are few, and the cost of making a tired one airworthy can exceed the aeroplane's value. Lycoming conversions under supplemental type certificate are common and command a large premium, and for most buyers a converted aircraft is the better purchase. After the engine, fabric is the dominant cost — establish the covering's age and inspect the steel tube structure beneath it for corrosion. As a taildragger it requires an endorsement and currency, though it is generally regarded as well-behaved on the ground for its size.
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- STINSON 108-1
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Franklin 6A4-150-B3 |
| Horsepower | 150 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1947 |
| Production end | 1947 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 100 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 450 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 700 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 45 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 980 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 740 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,230 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,250 lb |
| Usable fuel | 40 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 8.4 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $40,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $60,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,200 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 1,193 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 338 |
| Median year built | 1947.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 10 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 29.591 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 26.632 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 46 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 13.613 |
| 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 338 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 338 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 338 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 7.4 of 101 |
| Severity | 8.9 of 102 |
| Access | 2.9 of 103 |
| Support | 6.7 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 1.2 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 27.1 out of 506 |
These record scores treat STINSON 108-1 as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 28 aircraft registered under UNIVERSAL STINSON. Prices are not combined.
- 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.