Aircraft model
TAYLORCRAFT BL-65
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Lycoming-engined version of the prewar Taylorcraft. The airframe is identical to the Continental-powered BC-65 and flies the same way; only the engine and its installation differ. It is a light, clean, side-by-side two-seater that does 85 knots on 65 hp.
The Lycoming O-145 is out of production and supported by specialists, and many BL-65s have been re-engined to the Continental A-65 or C-85, which is the better-supported configuration; establish what is actually fitted against the paperwork. After the engine, fabric age determines the value, because a recover costs more than many of these aeroplanes are worth. No flaps means a flat approach. The wing struts and the tube structure beneath the fabric are the specific inspection items.
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Put TAYLORCRAFT BL-65 side by side with up to two other models.
- TAYLORCRAFT BL-65
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-145-B2 |
| 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 | 520 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 448 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,150 lb |
| Empty weight | 630 lb |
| Usable fuel | 12 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $18,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $38,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 483 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 134 |
| Median year built | 1940.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 5 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 37.311 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 37.312 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 12 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 8.963 |
| 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 134 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 134 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 134 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 9.5 of 103 |
| Support | 7.2 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 0.7 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.