Aircraft model
TAYLORCRAFT BC12-D
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Taylorcraft BC12-D, built from 1946, is a side-by-side two-seat fabric-and-tube aeroplane that is 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 low. Owners who have flown all of them tend to say it is the best-performing of the postwar 65 hp aeroplanes.
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 of being left outside. It has no electrical system on most examples and no flaps, so approaches are flat and a slip is the standard way of losing height. Control feel is more responsive than a Cub's, which pilots either like or find twitchy. It qualifies as a light sport aircraft, which has supported values. Fabric age is again the single question that matters most on a purchase, along with corrosion in the tube structure and the condition of the wing struts, which are a known inspection item on this type.
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- TAYLORCRAFT BC12-D
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 | 1950 |
| 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 | $16,000 |
|---|---|
| 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 | 2,908 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 1,011 |
| Median year built | 1946.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 22 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 21.761 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 19.782 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 142 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 14.053 |
| 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 1,011 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 1,011 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 1,011 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 6.4 of 101 |
| Severity | 5 of 102 |
| Access | 6.6 of 103 |
| Support | 9.7 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 2.2 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 29.9 out of 506 |
These record scores treat TAYLORCRAFT BC12-D as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes the record of aircraft once registered under TAYLORCRAFT/PETERSON; includes the record of aircraft once registered under VAUGHN/TAYLORCRAFT. Prices are not combined.
- 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.