Range Map
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Payload vs. Range
Fuel on board
Cargo
nm
Range
Trip Preview
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We do not have a cruise speed on file for this aircraft, so there is no honest time or cost to give you for this leg.
En route
Fuel burned
Direct cost
Fuel cost
Tanks run dry about past before at this burn.
Mission Profile
- Tailwheel
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Estimated Ownership Costs
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About the Luscombe 8
Type certificated 1939 Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet
Overview
The Luscombe 8 stood apart from its 1940s rivals before it ever left the ground: where the Piper J-3 Cub, Aeronca, and Taylorcraft wore fabric over a steel-tube frame, the Silvaire was all-metal from firewall to tail. This entry takes the 65 hp 8A on the Continental A-65 as its reference point, the most common Silvaire on FAA TCDS A-694 (type-approved 1939) and the version a Sport Pilot can still fly today. On 65 horsepower it is quick for its class: a tight, clean two-seater that rewards a light hand and flatters a good landing.
Key Features for GA Buyers
- All-metal airframe: no fabric to recover every fifteen or twenty years, the single largest ownership-cost difference between the Silvaire and its fabric-covered contemporaries. A dry-kept aluminum Luscombe shrugs off decades that would age out a fabric ship.
- Fast for its horsepower: about 85 knots on 65 hp puts the 8A at the quick end of the 1940s two-seaters, and its all-metal skin runs cleaner than the fabric Aeronca and Taylorcraft on the same engine.
- Legacy Light-Sport eligible: at 1,260 lb gross the 8A qualifies for Sport Pilot operation on a driver’s license, a status the up-engined 1,400 lb 8E and 8F do not share.
Trade-offs
- Quick-footed on the ground: a short, stiff, narrow-track gear and light tail make the Silvaire less forgiving in a crosswind than a Cub; a tailwheel endorsement and current feet are not optional.
- Snug cabin and heel brakes: two adults sit close, and many 8As use heel brakes that take practice to master. Original cabin heat is token, so winter flying is a cold-weather-gear affair.
- Modest climb and ceiling: about 550 fpm up and a ~14,000 ft service ceiling; a hot, high, fully-loaded day wants a longer runway. Buyers wanting more can look to the up-engined 8E (85 hp C-85) and 8F (90 hp C-90), which trade the Light-Sport ticket for climb and cruise.
See Also
- Aeronca 11 Chief – the fabric side-by-side rival on the same 65 hp engine: friendlier ground manners, but a recover bill the all-metal Luscombe never sees. Compare
- Taylorcraft BC – another fabric side-by-side contemporary: lighter on the controls and cheaper to buy, slower and softer-skinned. Compare
- Cessna 120 – Cessna’s all-metal answer: the same metal-skin durability with a wider cabin and a gentler gear. Compare
- Cessna 140 – the 120’s flapped, better-equipped sibling: more comfort and system for more money. Compare
- Aeronca 7AC Champion – the tandem trainer benchmark of the era: you sit fore-and-aft, stick-and-rudder pure. Compare
Technical Specifications
Dimensions & Weights
- Height
- 6 ft
- Length
- 20 ft
- Parking area (ft²2)
- 1,125 ft²
- Max Takeoff Weight
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 1,260 lbs
- Max Landing Weight
- 1,260 lbs
- Useful Load
- Source: third-party reference 510 lbs
- Fuel Capacity
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 14 gal
Performance
- Cruise Speed
- Source: third-party reference 85 KTAS
- Never-Exceed (VNE)
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 126 KIAS
- Max Structural Cruise (VNO)
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 100 KIAS
- Approach Speed
- 60 KIAS
- Stall, Clean (VS1)
- Source: third-party reference 35 KIAS
- Range
- Source: third-party reference 182 NM
- Service Ceiling
- Source: third-party reference 14,000 ft
- Rate of Climb
- 550 fpm
Engine
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Sources
Where the figures on this page come from. Luscombe 8 specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.
Similar to the Luscombe 8
Similar PistonsTaylorcraft BC
Aeronca 11 Chief
Piper Vagabond
Aeronca 7AC Champion
Piper PA-11 Cub Special
Piper J-3 Cub
Cessna 140
Cessna 120
Piper 18 Super Cub
Compare the Luscombe 8 to other aircraft
