Aircraft model
TAYLORCRAFT BC12-65
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The BC12-65 is an early postwar Taylorcraft, closely related to the far more numerous BC12-D that followed it. It is a side-by-side two-seater on 65 hp that cruises at 85 knots, which makes it the quickest of the postwar 65 hp lightplanes.
The Taylorcraft's virtue is efficiency through low weight, and the corresponding cost is that the structure is lighter than a Cub's and needs to be kept dry and treated gently. There are no flaps. Eighteen gallons gives about four hours. Fabric age is the dominant cost question and a recover will exceed the value of many examples; wing strut condition and internal tube corrosion are the specific Taylorcraft inspection items. Most qualify as light sport aircraft, which supports prices.
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Put TAYLORCRAFT BC12-65 side by side with up to two other models.
- TAYLORCRAFT BC12-65
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 | 1946 |
| Production end | 1946 |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 85 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 400 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 | 422 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,200 lb |
| Empty weight | 670 lb |
| Usable fuel | 18 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $14,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $45,000 |
| 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 | 296 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 104 |
| Median year built | 1941.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 19.231 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 19.232 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 11 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 10.583 |
| 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 104 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 104 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 104 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 4.9 of 103 |
| Support | 6.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 0.9 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.