Bargain Buys on AircraftForSale: 1947 Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser

It’s not every day you encounter a freshly restored vintage aircraft with a newly overhauled engine for under $100,000, but today’s bargain – a 1947 Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser –…

The airframe is said to have been given a museum-quality restoration by a professional restorer. [image: AircraftForSale listing]

It’s not every day you encounter a freshly restored vintage aircraft with a newly overhauled engine for under $100,000, but today’s bargain - a 1947 Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser - provides just that ​​for $89,000 on AircraftForSale.

First flown in 1946, some 3,700 Super Cruisers were manufactured between 1946 and 1948. It resembles a slightly larger Piper Cub, with a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage and tandem seating. Unlike Cubs, however, the Super Cruiser may be flown solo from the front seat, where the pilot can enjoy substantially greater outward visibility. In back, the wide seat was designed to accommodate two passengers side-by-side.

This Super Cruiser comes equipped with a 115-horsepower Lycoming O-235. With a 2,500-hour recommended time between overhaul (TBO), this engine--flown only four hours since the recent major overhaul--will likely provide its new owner with decades of reliable service.

Similarly, the airframe is said to have been given a museum-quality restoration by a professional restorer. This effectively results in an airplane that’s as good as, or perhaps even better than new, for far less than any factory-new aircraft available on the market today.

Inside, the restorer kept the panel true to its vintage design, utilizing ivory-colored gauges and grouping a modern radio and transponder in a small central stack.

This Super Cruiser's asking price is little more than the cost of the airframe restoration and engine overhaul. But it’s available now for $89,000 on AircraftForSale, without having to wait a year or more for such services to be rendered.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

Jason McDowell is a private pilot and Cessna 170 owner based in Madison, Wisconsin. He enjoys researching obscure aviation history and serves as a judge for the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. He can be found on Instagram as @cessnateur.

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