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| STANDARD DATA: (817) Seats 2. Gross wt. 1,400. Empty wt. 870. Fuel capacity 25. Engine 90-hp Continental. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 128. Cruise mph 120. Stall mph 40. Initial climb rate 900. Range 500. Ceiling 17,000. Takeoff run 550. Landing roll 450. STANDARD DATA: (8-A) Seats 2. Gross wt. 1,200. Empty wt. 650. Fuel capacity 14. Engine 65-hp Lycoming. |
Luscombe’s Model 8 Silvaire first appeared in 1937, and the first 50-hp production models were on the market in 1938. In March 1939, the 8A, with a 65-hp Lycoming, and the 813, with a 65-hp Continental engine, were introduced. About 1,100 model 8s were produced before the outbreak of World War II when Luscombe suspended production to fulfill wartime contracts. Production was resumed after the war with allmetal versions of the Silvaire, the 8E and 8F. Side-by-side two-seaters, the postwar models used a Continental 90- hp engine and were claimed to be acrobatic. Over 6,000 postwar Silvaires were built, and more than 2,000 are currently rated airworthy. Luscombe was acquired by Temco Aircraft Corp. in 1948, but only some 50 Silvaires were manufactured before the line was suspended for a second time due to military commitments. The final models of the 8F were produced by Silvaire Aircraft Co. between 1946 and 1960 when their production was discontinued permanently.
