Aircraft model
TAYLORCRAFT BC-65
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The prewar Taylorcraft BC-65, a side-by-side two-seater notably lighter and more efficient than its contemporaries. On the same 65 hp Continental that gives a Cub 65 knots, the Taylorcraft does 85, because the airframe is cleaner and the empty weight is only 620 lb.
That efficiency comes from being light, and light means the airframe is more delicate than a Cub's and less tolerant of rough handling or being left outside. There are no flaps, so approaches are flat and a slip is the standard way of losing height, and only twelve gallons means short legs. Control feel is more responsive than a Cub's, which pilots either like or find twitchy. Fabric age is the dominant cost question, and wing strut condition is a specific Taylorcraft inspection item.
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Put TAYLORCRAFT BC-65 side by side with up to two other models.
- TAYLORCRAFT BC-65
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental A-65-8 |
| Horsepower | 65 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1939 |
| Production end | 1941 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 85 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 350 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 500 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 38 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 530 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 458 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,150 lb |
| Empty weight | 620 lb |
| Usable fuel | 12 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $15,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $35,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $20,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $30,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 287 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 109 |
| Median year built | 1940.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 18.351 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 18.352 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 9 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 8.263 |
| Airworthiness directives | 2 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 109 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 109 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 109 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 8.5 of 103 |
| Support | 5.9 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 0.4 of 105 |
- 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.