Serial Number Identification

[Robin Reid]

Anybody know if Taylorcraft put serial numbers on the fuselage of pre-war's. My 46 has it on the door hinge. Thanks Robin

[Robert Lees]

Re: Serial Number Identification

Hi Robin, welcome to the tribe!

Yes, the pre-wars have it on the hinge...what's the number?

[Bird]

Re: Serial Number Identification

I have a problem with the numbers on the hinge myself, they don't match my paperwork, and the numbers on the hinge can't be found in any data base for Taylorcraft

[Robin Reid]

Re: Serial Number Identification

Can't find any numbers on the left door hinge. Welded bushings instead of throttle plate. Tube guides for dual brakes, hoop for instrument panel, standard tail wheel mount and flipper trim tab. Any guess on the year? Robin

[3Dreaming]

Re: Serial Number Identification

Having them match the paperwork doesn't always happen. My old BL was off by 12.
Robin, check the right hinge, because the left could have been added later. The left door was an option. You might also want to check the gussets that the seat bird cage attaches to. I have a clean pre war fuslage like that here that I haven't found the number yet, but I haven't looked to hard. The year could be 1938 to 1941. Tom

[1938BF50]

Re: Serial Number Identification

I have paperwork back to day one(Nov 30th,1938) on NC20407...SN# 1095. Door hinge says #1093. Obviously a factory oops.

[Pilot78]

Re: Serial Number Identification...cont.

To continue this question if you have just a bare tube fuselage....is there anyway to tell the year or serial number?

Brian

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Serial Number Identification

Not the expert here but look on the back side (fire wall side) of the throttle mounting plate along the bottom of the panel. Mine has its number there two. Larry

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Serial Number Identification

If you have a small tube arch for the panel and the attach for the flipper trim system it is pre-war for sure. The 41 Deluxe did NOT have the flipper trim, but I think the other versions may have still had them that year. Pre-war planes were not 4130 steel either. I think they were 1010 steel so that could cause problems if you want to upgrade to a bigger engine (1010 isn't as strong as 4130).
My 41 has the serial number on the left door upper hinge and the front face of the knob support plate under the panel.
Hank

[Pilot78]

Re: Serial Number Identification

Thanks Forrest and Larry....I checked on the throttle plate and 7809 is stamped on the back. What does this tell me?? Thanks.

Brian
SLC-UT

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Serial Number Identification

photos to [email protected] will help ; I can usually spot the month & year. That was not a factory ooops ; they merely put the ser# on door hinges or throttle plate or triangle under seat and THEN pulled it off the line to do repair and re entered it out of sequence. I ahve a lot of factory records and can usually explain the problem to the FAA.
Robin , please e-mail me direct with the desciption and pics if possible.

[Howard Wilson]

Re: Serial Number Identification

20442 has the sn. stamped in the fold-out window latches.......h

[jim cooper]

Re: Serial Number Identification

Its amazing that much of anything adds up in these old T-Crafts or cubs. They were training airplanes and were wrecked, repaired,parts switched, abused, left outside for long stretches, etc. etc. Back then the airport operators-mechanics were for the most part, living on a shoe string. So....anything to get it back in the air and keep it flying. Today, aviation is back to that time, airports closing, instructors trying to build time and in some instances not very well trained, and old aircraft like ours, a real mystery to many "mechanics." The end of an era. (The fellow who works on mine is 83, first worked on Pan Am Clippers!) JC