Not everyone believes that beauty is a mystery. For the past couple of decades, mathematicians have been attempting to quantify what we find beautiful, notably in human faces, by probing the relationship of parts and their arrangement to the whole and trying to arrive at some kind of equation of beauty. Other scientists who are interested in the question of what we find beautiful are teaching computers to learn to replicate the judgments we make in finding things beautiful, so far mostly in photos of nature and people’s faces and not airplanes. At least not yet.

In the process, we’ve surely picked a few that hardly anyone would disagree with. You’ll see. At the same time, it’s almost certain that we’ve picked a couple that you might disagree with, perhaps strongly.

And as you’ll notice, too, we’ve only selected conventionally certificated GA planes, so you won’t see any P-51s, Constellations or Lancairs here, even if they are sometimes under the GA umbrella. We’ve also stuck to piston-powered planes, so bear that in mind, as well. 

So, without further ado, we present nine of the most beautiful airplanes in GA history.

Cessna Cardinal

One of the most beloved singles in the company’s long history, the Cessna model 177 Cardinal is proof that beauty isn’t necessarily synonymous with utility. Cessna introduced the Cardinal as a replacement for the somewhat ungainly-looking 172 Skyhawk, but it never came close to that, in part because the Skyhawk is a remarkable airplane, though admittedly one that didn’t win many beauty contests. The Cardinal, on the other hand, is the opposite: a gorgeous plane that’s limited in terms of utility. Like its older Cessna hangar mate, the Cessna 195, the Cardinal makes use of a cantilever wing, and while the Cardinal was intended by Cessna to be the replacement for the 172 Skyhawk, the plane never came close to competing with the Skyhawk as a do-everything flyer. Instead, the 177 became an iconic personal airplane, one that’s adored as much (or more) for its beauty as it is for its utility.

While the wing is definitely the thing that sets the Cardinal apart, Cessna designers did a masterful job of integrating the silky-smooth lines of the wing into the rest of the bird, to the point that the tail on early models was pretty but not particularly effective. Other distinctive features include the forward placement of the front seats, the low-slung gear, the wraparound windows—the Cardinal is perhaps the best sightseeing Cessna ever—and the cool wheelpants. The retractable-gear version, while a bit busy-looking on the ramp, is a true beauty once airborne, and opinions vary on which of the models is the prettier.

Cessna 195

The Cessna 195 is one of the oldest planes in our lineup, and its beauty is inextricably tied both to the technology of the era and Cessna engineers’ ingenious attempts to find ways around those technologies. The look of the Cessna 195—dubbed by the company the “Businessliner”—is dominated by a handful of features that are impossible to miss. First is the big seven-cylinder Jacobs 300 radial engine up front (and the gorgeous annular cowling that surrounds it), which gave the plane a lot of juice and a serious attitude. Second, the plane is unmistakably and unapologetically a taildragger, which was by the mid-1940s, when the nosewheel began to dominate, as much a statement of philosophy as a configuration choice.

Though inspired by designs from the 1930s, the 195 didn’t fly until after the war, in 1945. As such, it’s an amalgam of prewar thinking and WWII-era materials. Despite its vintage (even then) radial engine and taildragger configuration, the plane features modern sheet-metal construction both inside and out. Another signature feature of the 195 is its beautiful cantilever (strut-less) wing, the last high-wing Cessna to go without struts until the Cessna Cardinal in the late 1960s. While the ’40s were giving birth to new music and new fashions, the interior design of the 195 is Art Deco classic. Featuring beautiful branding details and a number of luxury-level flourishes, the generous cabin of the 195 is done up with an eye to craftsmanship and beauty as opposed to the bare-bones look of Cessnas to come.

Luscombe Silvaire

The Luscombe Model 8 Silvaire was produced in an era where there was no shortage of affordable two-seat light planes, including the prototypical example, the Cub. The Silvaire was different, though. In terms of configuration, the plane is nothing unusual. A two-seat taildragger with cozy side-by-side seating, the Silvaire, if anything, was a bit harder to land than its close competitors, thanks to its narrow gear and slightly higher center of gravity. Still, with its sheet-metal design (the wings were originally covered in fabric), the Silvaire was slipperier than its rivals by as much as 20 knots. People loved the plane and flocked to it—nearly 6,000 were built over the years—though its attraction wasn’t just for its performance, and it certainly wasn’t for the elbow room.

For many Luscombe Silvaire lovers, it was the beauty of the thing. The Silvaire name resonated, and while many were bare metal birds, and hence were literally silver, many others were painted, and fans of the model make convincing arguments for each approach. Either way, the beauty is undeniable, though admittedly it’s hard to know just where to give credit. The plane is just a beautifully balanced delight, a shiny sheet-metal dragonfly of a plane, light, agile, silvery and!timeless.

Beechcraft Duke

A pressurized twin with good speed and great range, it filled a coveted niche and competed directly against Cessna’s pretty 421 Golden Eagle. The pilots who bought a Duke were inspired by its looks. They were the kind of customer who might have a Porsche 911 in the garage at home. They were people who liked fast machines that also looked fast. Designers of the Duke achieved its striking look by taking the concept of “swept back” and applying it everywhere, and it worked. The combination of the swept tail, swept winglets, elongated pointy nose—like that of a hypersonic jet—and angular windows created a look that sold many a Duke before the buyer even climbed inside.

Cessna 310

It’s hard to make a twin look pretty. By definition you’ve got to hang those engines somewhere, and sticking them on the wing is about the only thing that makes practical sense with a piston-powered multi-engine model. So the design achievement of Cessna with its archetypal 310 light twin is remarkable. Unlike some models, the 310, which was produced from 1954 until 1980, seemed to look better with each passing model upgrade. The long, low-engine nacelles, the pointed nose and rakish tail all added to the allure. Like many twins, the early 310 suffered from a lack of range, so tip tanks were added.

As opposed to some planes, on which wingtip-mounted tanks look like tacked-on afterthoughts—which they pretty much are—on the 310, the effect is pleasing. They somehow improve the appearance of the plane. Even more, the effect is to take the Buck Rogers spacecraft feel of the 310 and amplify it, making it one of the slickest-looking planes you’ll ever meet on the ramp, even with those engines hanging off all over the wings. Inside the 310 is arguably even cooler, at least those rare ones with their original interiors intact. Over the years, Cessna interior designers worked their magic on the plane like none other in the inventory. There were plaid interiors, Western-themed ones and even butterscotch tweed versions. Many of those masterful time capsules have been sewn over in the intervening years, covered with simulated leather for what is perhaps a more saleable used plane but one that lacks the time stamp and personality of the original.

Globe Swift

The genesis of the Globe Swift is an odd one. Developed from an existing design, the Culver Cadet, the Swift somehow bore only a passing resemblance to its inspiration. While the Cadet was a decent-looking airplane, the Swift is a true beauty. Introduced in the postwar era, the Swift was, in a few important ways, the embodiment of the most famous fighters of the day in a miniaturized, and to be honest, an underpowered, package. An all-metal taildragger with a sleek low wing, the Swift mimicked the shape and style of planes like the American P-51 Mustang or British Supermarine Spitfire. And the Swift was up for the comparison.

Though it wasn’t intended to go fast—the first model had an engine of just 85 hp—the Swift had a lot of style. With spry handling qualities and a big glass canopy (that looked like a sliding canopy even if it wasn’t), the Swift is an airplane that makes it easy to check your six, if you’re so inclined. In the end, Globe, with the help of fellow manufacturer TEMCO, built more than a thousand of the little two-seaters, though within a few short years it was building far more of them than it could sell. Today, the Swift is a hot used plane for pilots looking for flying fun on the cheap. Many modify it with a true sliding canopy and a more powerful engine while swapping out, in true warbird fashion, the classic yokes for arguably even more classic sticks.

Beechcraft Bonanza

What a difference a few years make, especially when those years were the era of World War II and the world had changed irrevocably. In terms of aircraft design, there’s no better dichotomy to illustrate the change than two Beechcraft products separated by about a decade in calendar time but by eons in terms of approach, mission and aesthetics. When it created the Staggerwing in the early 1930s, the design team at Beechcraft came out with an Art Deco masterpiece, all finely figured wood and excess. The Bonanza, in contrast, was minimalism, efficiency and performance personified. The all-metal speedster was and is beautiful, but in such a different way than the Staggerwing that it seems impossible the two came from the same century, never mind the same side of Wichita, Kansas.

With its all-metal design (there was a little fabric on the early models), cool V-tail and retractable nosewheel landing gear, the Bonanza was more modern than any production light plane that would appear for the next decade. It didn’t rival the most modern automotive design standards; it foresaw future approaches. On the Bonanza, the V-tail is the defining component. Indeed, it’s hard to come up with another aircraft feature that so immediately confers the essence of the machine. The tail isn’t without its critics, though few find fault with its style. When Beech came out with the straight-tailed Debonair model in the early 1960s, some pilots went in that direction while others pointed at the vertical tail of the new offshoot, shook their heads and pronounced, “That’s not a Bonanza.”

Staggerwing Beech

Technically designated the Beech Model 17, this beauty from a bygone era is known almost universally as the Staggerwing Beech. As only a few other planes, it’s named after a design feature—the placing of the lower wing staggered ahead of the upper one. Designed way back in 1933, the plane was born during the era of high-stakes air racing, where speed was pursued at all costs. The Staggerwing, with its dramatic lines and short-coupled fuselage, looked for all the world like it would be right at home at the Cleveland Air Races, rounding pylons with the fastest air racers of the day.

Unlike some designs with radial engines, the Staggerwing’s look wasn’t dominated by the radial engine—the plane was outfitted with a number of different radial engines, from 280 to 710 hp, over its lifetime. If anything, the shape of the plane underplayed the powerplant, making it something other than the driving element of the look of the craft. With small, short-rise windows, the fuselage, as was common in the day, looks more like a fortress than an observatory, but again, somehow that adds to the mystery and intrigue of the design. Some think of the Staggerwing as a rare bird, but Beechcraft actually sold nearly 800 of the planes in its lifetime, which stretched out until the last delivery, in 1949. Beauty dies hard.

Piper J-3 Cub

You might be asking why we would choose the Piper Cub as one of the most beautiful GA airplanes ever. Good question. By all objective metrics, the Piper J-3 is all knees and elbows, a plane that looks like it was designed by committee, with a boxy fuselage, a too-long wing, its belly low to the ground and its nose sporting engine parts sticking out here and there. But when pilots see a Cub, we see a thing of beauty, and that might be because the plane is so central to our identity as pilots, whether we’ve flown one of them or not.

And the parts, far from looking thrown together, complement each other, the big, long glider wing providing shade for a pair of seats set in tandem, its horizontal Dutch door providing as much a maze and obstacle as a portal, and the cowling not ill-designed but intentionally showing off its buried treasure, 65 horses of just the right kind of sound. And then there’s the best part, the Cub yellow, the lightning bolt, the little Cub logo, all of which are odd on their own but blend together to create an identity that sings like a clear Pennsylvania morning as the tires clip through the tall grass headed airborne. Beautiful? Beautiful beyond description.

Now it’s your turn! Tell us which beautiful GA plane we missed by leaving a comment or emailing us at editor@planeandpilotmag.com.

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I was glad my editor couldn’t see the little jig I danced after reading her e-mail asking if I was interested in flying a new taildragger from Luscombe called the Phantom II. Any pilot in love with tailwheel aircraft need only see the words “fly” and “Luscombe” before his or her salivary glands start working overtime. I typed “yes!” so fast that it looked like “yeti” and I was sure she’d think I had lost my mind.

For the uninitiated, Luscombe is an airplane manufacturer that has a storied past. Don Luscombe founded the company in 1933, following his success designing the Monocoupe series of general aviation aircraft. He didn’t like the idea of constructing airplanes using tube and fabric, so he made the prescient decision to build his airplanes using an all-metal, stressed-skin design.

The first Luscombe airplane was the Model 1, more commonly known as the Phantom. The airplane wasn’t a big financial success, so, in 1936, Don and his team followed it up with the Model 4, essentially an improved Phantom that kept the 90 hp Warner radial engine and all-metal construction (except for fabric wings). By 1938, Luscombe had created the now-famous Model 8, which sported a horizontally opposed engine—a new idea in the late ’30s. It became the most popular Luscombe ever built. In 1950, Luscombe Aircraft folded due to financial problems. The tooling and licensing rights changed hands several times, and the Model 8 continues to be built today. Sadly, the Model 4—with its rounded cowling and classy art-deco styling—faded into obscurity.

The majestic radial engine adorning the Phantom II’s nose is easily its most prominent feature. The smooth aluminum cowling and unmistakable seven cylinders demonstrate that this isn’t your everyday LSA.

That is, until the flashing little e-mail icon beckoned me to a place where the ghosts of airframes past have led a path to the present. I was to meet John Dearden, president of the “new” Luscombe-Silvaire Aircraft Company (www.luscombe-silvaire.com), at historic Flabob Airport in Riverside, Calif. Dearden and his small team of dedicated artisans are building new Luscombe aircraft using the original designs. Though the type certificate has been plagued by legal issues, Dearden and his group are currently offering handcrafted originals from their small facility.

Flabob is one of America’s oldest airfields (1925) and it’s an appropriate place to be re-creating the classy and timeless Luscombes. The airport—whose name comes from a contraction of the two first names of Flavio Madariaga and Bob Bogen, who purchased the airfield in 1945—is itself like stepping back in time.

Inside round-roofed wooden hangars, you can catch glimpses of Globe Swifts, Stinsons, Zlins and biplanes of every feather. Desert palms poke up into the always-blue sky as dry winds help preserve airframes that reach back seven decades. In the northeast corner of the field stands a hangar where I catch the glint of something very special.

Dearden’s team has rolled out the Phantom II onto the ramp. The airplane’s highly polished aluminum skin refracts the late-afternoon sun exactly like a solar mirror. I put my hand up to my forehead just so I can look at it. Though I don’t see pillars of light or hear angels singing the “Hallelujah Chorus,” the effect is the same: I’m staring at a heavenly ghost. Like a hazy mirage, the Phantom II comes into full view, and I have to catch my breath.

Dearden assures me that this is no ghost. In fact, the Phantom II is brand-new. I can smell the fresh leather through the open cockpit door as I shake my head. By now, several members of his team have come out to offer information about the craft. I suspect they’re also keeping me from getting fingerprints on the fuselage. I know this because the airplane’s handlers wear white cotton gloves. I can only imagine the time spent polishing this bird.

“This is a totally new airframe,” says Dearden. “It’s the standard Model 8 wings, fuselage and tail, but with a custom-built fuselage.” I did notice this Phantom II isn’t an exact replica of the Model 4, and not exactly like the original poor-selling Phantom from 1933 either. It seems, instead, like a combination of the best of each. I wondered about the genesis of such a project.

“We originally built it to order for an individual customer,” related Dearden. “Then we decided to market it.” The Phantom II retains the all-metal, monocoque design of the original Luscombes. It’s a construction technique that supports structural loads by using the airplane’s external skin instead of an internal frame covered with a non-load-bearing skin such as fabric.

Easily the most prominent feature of the Phantom II is the glorious radial engine adorning the nose. The smooth aluminum cowling and the unmistakable seven cylinders under it announce that this isn’t just any LSA. The Australian-built Rotec R2800 radial makes the airplane look imposing and stout, but retains the ’30s-era lines. At 830 pounds empty and with a 1,320-pound takeoff weight, the Phantom II is certified as an LSA. It’s also one of the only LSA featuring a radial engine. Since the LSA market seems to be flourishing even in these tough economic times, the Phantom II, with its high cool factor, is a welcome newcomer.

I was ready to fly the Phantom II so I could find out whether or not this airplane’s beauty was only skin-deep. Luscombes have a reputation for being a pilot’s airplane and fun to fly. I wanted to see if the Luscombe mystique had survived the 70 years between then and now. It was like going back in a time machine; only I didn’t need 1.21 gigawatts of electricity to get there.

As I walked toward the cockpit, the curved fuselage surface gave me a carnival fun-house look as I slid into the left seat. There’s no yoke on the Phantom II, and both sticks have beautiful wood grips. The matching polished wood panel was an immediate throwback to another era, and it was as if I was inside a Staggerwing Beech or something with equal panache.

But as I looked around the cabin, I knew I was in a modern airplane. The Garmin 396 GPSMAP, along with Garmin radios and transponder, completed a basic but efficient panel. The nonadjustable, gray leather seats are ergonomically designed and offer great support. Above me, a single oval skylight gave the cockpit some much-needed light.

As in most tailwheel airplanes, visibility over the nose while taxiing is pretty nonexistent. The big rudder gives control authority without much speed, so ground handling is easy. A touch of throttle and some forward stick will whip the Phantom around pretty easily. The Cleveland hydraulic disc brakes were firm and responsive.

Part of the fun of flying a taildragger is the moment in the takeoff roll where you can raise the tail, and that seemed to happen quickly as we headed skyward. The cabin is a snug but comfortable 40 inches in width—half an inch wider than a Cessna 172’s cabin. The wooden Performance propeller gave the Phantom II a climb of about 850 fpm at 85 knots.

One thing I immediately noticed is that the Phantom didn’t feel at all like an LSA. In fact, it felt like a much larger airplane. Perhaps part of that is the muscle—and sound—imparted by the radial engine. The Phantom felt something like an 18-wheel truck roaring along an interstate.

Another trait I noticed is that the airframe felt strong. “This is basically a 10-G LSA,” says Dearden. “You could do aerobatics, it’s so strong.” Indeed while the control response is light, it’s also sure and positive. The airplane rides the bumps nicely and has benign stall characteristics. Dearden says cruise is 110 knots, and that seemed correct as we sashayed above Lake Mathews, 20 miles from Flabob.

I loved looking down over the curved wheel pants and at the wood panel; it was like visiting another era. Seeing that big radial up front just added to the illusion. An interesting thing about the Rotec radial engine is that it turns faster than traditional engines. At cruise, I looked down and was surprised to see the rpm in the 3,000 range. The Rotec has a TBO of 1,000 hours.

Heading back to the runway held no surprises. Luscombes have an undeserved reputation for being tough to land. The large tail surfaces give them a lot of control authority. The airplane’s characteristics mean you just have to be on your toes. Inputs must be light and quick, and you have to stay ahead of the airplane. It’s simply not meant for lazy pilots.

Back at the hangar, after everybody had gone, I decided to stay around a little. Night was coming on, and the sky was a deep violet punctuated by orange streaks from the setting sun. Walking toward the Luscombe’s hangar, I thought I heard an old tube radio warming up, filling the hangar with static and a warm amber glow. Wasn’t that President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s voice followed by strains of Bob Hope singing “Thanks for the Memories” from 1938? Couldn’t be. Something pulled my eyes upward, and I could swear I saw a pristine Luscombe Model 4, circling the Phantom and waggling its wings as if to say, “Now, it’s your turn.”

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LUSCOMBE PHANTOM II
Price as flown:	$145,000
Engine make/model:	7-cylinder, radial Rotec R2800-7
Horsepower	110@3600 rpm
Fuel type:	100LL or high-octane mogas
Propeller type	2-blade, 76-in Performance propeller
Max gross weight (lbs.):	1320
Empty weight, std. (lbs.):	830–880
Fuel capacity (gals.):	30
Fuel consumption (gph):	6
Wingspan:	35 ft.
Overall length:	20 ft.
Overall height:	7 ft.
Cabin width (in.):	40
Cabin height (in.):	39
Seating capacity:	2
Baggage capacity (lbs.):	75
Source: Luscombe-Silvaire Aircraft Company

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Yes, it’s true the little Luscombe Silvaire has been on-again/off-again for several decades, but it appears the type certificate has finally come to rest in the hands of John Dearden, president of Luscombe Silvaire Aircraft Co. (www.luscombe-silvaire.com) in Riverside, Calif. Working out of Riverside’s Flabob Airport, Dearden, his wife and a group of dedicated Luscombe fans are making a brave attempt to revive what many regard as Don Luscombe’s work of art.

If you’re not familiar with the Luscombe, you’re in for a treat the first time you take the stick and guide the 8F up into the sky. In the late ’30s/early ’40s class of entry-level two-seaters, the Cub, Champ, Taylorcraft, Porterfield, Cessna 120/140 and Luscombe were regarded by many pilots as the least expensive and most enthusiastic methods of transitioning from ground to sky. Of those airplanes, the Luscombe Silvaire was one of the most respected; often considered a standout, it possessed better performance, improved handling and even a limited inertia-driven aerobatic capability. The original Luscombe sported a series of 65 to 90 hp engines, and its performance was generally a step ahead of the competition. In the ’30s and ’40s, Luscombes were regarded as the sports cars of lightplanes.

Today’s Luscombe 8F Silvaire LSA is essentially the same airplane as the original, yet improved in the respects that count. It’s still an all-aluminum airplane, and that may mean the most to some pilots who still believe aluminum is the best material for light aircraft. Unlike composite materials, the Luscombe’s all-metal construction is impervious to UV radiation, cold temperatures and severe heat. This means there’s no limiting airframe temperature that might result in delamination.

On top of that, many pilots have traditionally left Luscombes unpainted, thereby saving extra cost and weight.

The original Luscombe was certified under the old CAR 4a regulations, and today’s airplane is even more robust. “We have nothing whatsoever against composite structure,” says Dearden, “but the final 1950s Luscombe airframe was done in aluminum, and we saw no reason to change what wasn’t broken. The airplane’s design load limits exceed the current utility standards, so they’re far ahead of LSA limits.”

The original production Silvaire’s 90 hp Continental is long out of production, and the new engine of choice is the 100 hp Continental O-200. This is essentially an updated version of the mill that powered the Cessna 150 for so many years. It’s rated for the same horsepower as the Austrian Rotax 912 used on so many other aircraft in the light-sport category.

By regulation, an LSA’s gross weight is limited to 1,320 pounds, and the empty Luscombe Silvaire weighs between 830 and 880 pounds, depending, as usual, on avionics and equipment options. With a 30-gallon fuel capacity, that leaves a payload between 310 and 250 pounds with tanks topped. Baggage goes aboard behind the two main seats and is limited to 75 pounds.

Obviously, you’d need to leave some fuel behind in order to fly the 8F with two passengers. That’s not a particular problem, as the O-200’s burn is only about 5 gph, and 20 gallons will provide you with enough endurance to stretch your limits, if not the airplane’s. Figure 3.5 hours of endurance plus reserve, about as long as many pilots are willing to spend in a little airplane anyway. If you’re flying solo, you can top the tanks and endure for six hours.

The Silvaire’s performance was always a little ahead of the competition back in the ’40s and ’50s. Today, it’s fairly close to what you’ll see from the more modern, super-efficient, composite designs. Climb is about 900 fpm at gross, obviously better if you’re flying solo. The stated service ceiling is 17,000 feet, so the airplane is easily capable of scaling the tallest mountain in the Lower 48. I didn’t fly Dearden’s demonstrator to tall heights in the hour I spent with the airplane, but it showed plenty of enthusiasm for climb at low level.

The all-aluminum, all-American Silvaire’s minimalist design philosophy is apparent on its exterior and interior.

If you’re willing to high-jump to medium altitude with the 8F, say 6,000 feet or more, you can expect cruise speeds of 120 mph or better. To some extent, high-altitude cruise defies the nature of the airplane. It’s a perfect machine for chugging along low and slow, admiring the view and smelling the cows. If you’re willing to ease back on the power, you can realize an extra 30 to 45 minutes of endurance and extend your range perhaps another 50 to 70 nm.

The wing is fairly large (140 square feet), and the airplane’s big flaps, levered in with a manual lever mounted on the forward cabin roof, assure good low-speed control. Stall speed is down around 44 mph with full flaps deployed, so you need have no fear about slow approaches.

Luscombes have always been known for good short-field numbers, and the new Silvaire scores well in leaping off and plunking back onto abbreviated runways. The stall is so low that the airplane will levitate off a hard surface runway in 600 feet and land back onto the same surface in 500 feet. In other words, you could easily operate the 8F from any convenient grass field or local dirt runway.

Dearden is careful not to criticize his predominately foreign competition, but he’s obviously proud of the fact that his airplane is all-American. “Everything on this airplane is American-made, from the engine, propeller and airframe components to the avionics, tires, brakes and wheels,” he says.

Base price for a brand-new Luscombe Silvaire 8F is $89,700. That will buy a 2008 airplane that looks exactly like a meticulously built restoration of an antique Luscombe.

SPECS: 2008 Luscombe Silvaire 8F LSA

The Luscombe Silvaire is one of the best deals on the used market. Check out some of the otherCheapest Planes In The Sky.

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2008 Luscombe Silvaire 8F
Base Price:	$89,700
Gross weight (lbs.):	1320
Empty weight, std. (lbs.):	880
Fuel capacity (gals.):	30
Payload, full std. fuel (lbs.):	250
PERFORMANCE
Vs (mph):	48
Best rate of climb, SL (fpm):	900
Service ceiling (ft.):	17,000
Cruise speed, 75% power (mph):	120
Takeoff distance (ft.):	600
Landing distance (ft.):	500
Source: Silvaire Aircraft Co

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Luscombe 1948 8F
Engine make/model:	Cont. C90-12F
Horsepower:	90
TBO hrs.:	1800
Propeller:	Fixed
Landing gear type:	Fixed
Gross weight (lbs.):	1400
Empty weight (lbs.):	870
Useful load (lbs.):	530
Fuel (gals.):	25
Wingspan:	35 ft.
Overall length:	20 ft.
Height:	6 ft. 3 in.
Wing area (sq. ft.):	140
Seating capacity:	2
Cabin width (in.):	39
Cabin height (in.):	N/A
Baggage capacity (lbs.):	N/A
PERFORMANCE
Cruise speed (kts.):
75% power:	83
Max range (w/ reserve) (nm):
75% power:	415
Fuel consumption (gph):
75% power:	4.7
Estimated endurance (65% power with 1-hr. reserve):	5 hrs.
Stall speed (gear, flaps down) (knots):	37
Best rate of climb (fpm):	660
Service ceiling (ft.):	16,000
Takeoff ground roll (ft.):	850
Landing ground roll (ft.):	450

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2002 Luscombe Model 11E N11XE
Base price (incl. basic avionics):	$158,900
Engine make/model:	Cont. IO-360-ES4
Horsepower for takeoff:	185
Fuel type:	100/100LL
Propeller type:	FP
Landing gear type:	Tri/Fixed
Gross weight (lbs.):	2280
Landing weight (lbs.):	2280
Empty weight, std. (lbs.):	1450
Useful load, std. (lbs.):	830
Payload – full std. fuel (lbs.):	590
Useable fuel, std. (gals.):	40
Height:	8 ft. 10 in.
Overall length:	24 ft.
Wingspan:	38 ft. 6 in.
Power loading (lbs./hp.):	12.3
Seating capacity:	4
Cabin doors:	2
Cabin width (in.):	45.5
Cabin height (in.):	51.3
Baggage capacity (lbs.):	100
PERFORMANCE
Cruise speed @ 7,500 ft., std. day (kts.):
70% power:	117
60% power:	110
Max range (w/ reserve)(calc.)(nm):
70% power:	500
60% power:	550
Fuel consumption (gph):
70% power:	7.4
60% power:	7.0
Estimated endurance (60%) (hrs.):	5.7
Vs (kts.):	47
Vso (kts.):	49
Best rate of climb (fpm):	876
Best rate of climb, 8000 ft. (fpm):	800
Service ceiling (ft.):	16,000
Takeoff ground roll (ft.):	900
Takeoff over 50-ft. obstacle (ft.):	1375
Landing ground roll (ft.):	800
Landing over 50-ft. obstacle (ft.):	1901

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