This 1947 Piper PA-11 Cub Special Is a Perfectly Simple ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

1947 Piper PA-11 Cub Special [Courtesy: Nicolas T]

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1947 Piper PA-11 Cub Special.

For people who enjoyed Rinker Buck’s 1997 memoir Flight of Passage, the Piper PA-11 represents a sort of celebrity sighting.

In the book, the author and his brother, both teenagers living in New Jersey, buy a very tired example of the classic taildragger and fix it up before making a cross-country flight—as in, across the whole U.S. It is a lovely story that blends coming of age with family drama and loads of Americana. The flying theme is a bonus for pilots who will not be able to resist imagining themselves making such a trip.

More broadly, the aircraft for sale today reflects the differences in society and technology between today and when Piper was turning out PA-11s and other Cub variants. Times were different as well during the 1960s, when the Buck boys embarked on their epic journey. General aviation had a free-and-easy element that is not as strong today, though I think it still exists.

While modern avionics, even the hand-held variety, could make such a trip easier and safer today, it is hard to imagine parents allowing their kids to try it. Either way it would not be the same with Mom and Dad tracking their intrepid offspring on FlightAware and the kids posting daily messages on Snapchat or TikTok.

This 1947 PA-11 has 6,000 hours on the airframe and 900 hours on its Continental C-65 engine. The VFR panel includes airspeed, vertical speed, altimeter, turn coordinator, compass, engine rpm, and oil pressure and temperature.

Pilots interested in a vintage taildragger with classic good looks and original specifications should consider this 1947 Piper PA-11 Cub Special, which is available for $45,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use our airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.