Thatcher Aircraft CX4
These figures describe a typical build. Each aircraft of this design was built by its owner, and the one you are looking at may differ.
The Thatcher CX4 is Dave Thatcher's single-seat all-metal low-wing of 2004, sold as plans with parts from Pensacola: a 24 ft wing, 520 lb empty and 850 lb gross on a 55-65 hp Volkswagen conversion, with the designer quoting 125 mph cruise, a 40 mph stall and 850 fpm.
The CX4 is a modern, well-documented plans aeroplane for a pilot who wants a 100-knot single-seater on a Volkswagen budget, and its two limits are the engine - a converted car engine with no certified parts chain, which runs hot in climb and wants an owner who understands it - and 330 lb of useful load, which with 10 gallons aboard sets the pilot's weight. Plans-built in aluminium, so rivet quality, the gear and the builder's log are the inspection, and the two listings found show how finish and avionics swing the price. There is no two-seat CX4 (the CX5 and CX7 are different aeroplanes), so tailwheel or tricycle currency comes first. The owner may maintain it and the condition inspection needs an A&P or the repairman certificate; Thatcher Aircraft supports builders.
Variants of the Thatcher CX4
- CX4 · 2004 · 47 active · this page
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
Partial: 14.4 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)
Among 1–2 seat pistons (321 models)
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What it is
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tailwheel |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Volkswagen 1700-1915 cc conversion (55-65 hp) |
| Horsepower | 55 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | 2004 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 109 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | — |
| Service ceiling | 10,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 850 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 35 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 330 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 850 lb |
| Empty weight | 520 lb |
| Usable fuel | — |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $10,200 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $19,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 71 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 47 |
| Median year built | 2013 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 6 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 127.66 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 127.66 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 11 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 23.4 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 47 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 47 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 47 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 4.3 of 103 |
| Support | 3.3 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6.8 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | Partial: 14.4 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)6 |
- Accident record: class median 36.69 · 321 models in class.
- Severity: class median 13.04.
- Access: class median 1,000.
- Support: class median 77.5.
- Liquidity: class median 20.
- 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. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 6 · scores Sep 30