Thorp T-18 Tiger
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 T-18 is John Thorp's all-metal two-seat plans-built design, introduced in 1963 as one of the first metal homebuilts and the first homebuilt flown around the world, by Don Taylor in 1976, with Lycoming engines of 125 to 180 hp. The published figures are 152 knots in cruise, 2,000 fpm of climb, a 29-gallon tank for about 430 nm and a 600 lb useful load at a 1,500 lb gross weight.
It is a small, strong aeroplane with a small wing, and the 56 knot stall tells the story: it is wheel-landed at 65 to 70 knots, lands fast for a 1,500 lb aircraft and needs a competent tailwheel pilot. Every T-18 was built from plans by one person, choosing the engine, fixed or constant-speed propeller, folding wings and fuselage width — the wider T-18W and the S-18 redesign share the registry designation — so the figures here are a reference point for a design and not a description of any registered example; many have been re-engined with O-360s and are heavier than these numbers. Thorp himself withdrew the original plans, but plans, parts and now kits are sold again by Thorp Aircraft, and the T-18 Mutual Aid Society has supported the type for decades. Decades-old metal airframes can be excellent, but a buyer should look for corrosion, hard-landing damage and the standard of the original riveting. Maintenance may be done by the owner, with an A&P signing the annual condition inspection without an IA.
Variants of the Thorp T-18 Tiger
- T-18 Tiger · 1963 · 168 active · this page
Also consider
- Aviat Aircraft Pitts S-2BScore 18.4/50 · 2 seats · 152 kt
- Diamond Aircraft DA20-C1Score 38.9/50 · 2 seats · 138 kt
- Christen Industries Eagle IIScore 21.3/50 · 2 seats · 143 kt
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Put Thorp T-18 Tiger side by side with up to three other models.
- Thorp T-18 Tiger
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What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tailwheel |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Lycoming O-290 / O-320 / O-360 (125-180 hp) |
| Horsepower | — |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | 1963 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 152 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 434 nm |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | 2,000 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 56 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 600 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,500 lb |
| Empty weight | 900 lb |
| Usable fuel | 29 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | — |
|---|---|
| Price, high | — |
| Prices as of | — |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 312 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 168 |
| Median year built | 1984.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 7 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 41.671 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 41.672 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 36 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 21.433 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 168 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 168 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 168 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 0.9 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)1 |
| Severity | 2.9 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)2 |
| Access | 1.9 of 103 |
| Support | 7 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 5.9 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 18.6 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 31.56 · 197 models in class.
- Severity: class median 10.
- Access: class median 1,000.75.
- Support: class median 89.
- Liquidity: class median 19.74.
- 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