What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

[M Towsley]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

Bob,

I loved my L-2, but the wife liked to be next to me and not behind. Couldn't convince her otherwise and she is too good of a girl to exchange.

My L-2 was $40,000.00, warbirds cost more plain and simple. It was a very nice airplane and even nicer when I sold it. It was slower, however, much more so than my BC-12's. I once did a cross country with an L-4 and I constantly had to slow down my L-2 to keep up. Like Rob, I do a little cross country now and then and like the 'speed' of the BC-12.

But to get back to the original problem, we have to cannibalize older planes for certain parts to get things going. Don't get me wrong, I am happy there are places making some Taylorcraft parts. However, I don't think a new trim tab part is going to keep the fleet flying. I can even make on of those, and did for my L-2. It seems they are making the parts that may not be needed, but can make them money. I wish someone who had contact with these people, (Forrest), could let them know what the tribe needs. There are many issues here, but we seem to keep plugging away with what we have.

[Bigdog]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

We're still suffering from the marketing and branding skills of Piper vs Taylor. Piper got the Cub into every seemingly flight school so virtually everyone that learned to fly in the 40's & 50's flew a Cub for some portion of their training. And Cubs were all "Lochaven yellow". I'm sure there were exceptions but that's how everyone now perceives them. It's easy for someone to see a Cub and recognize that their daddy or granddaddy flew one. One of my favorite quotes was from an Oshkosh controller at Fisk responding to an indignant Kitfox owner when he got called a Cub... "If you paint it yellow and bring it to Oshkosh then it's a Cub."

It's hard to beat nostalgia. It's created a self-fulfilling market for the Cubs. There ARE ratty Cubs out there. The difference is their percieved market value provides a big cushion to make it worth spending the money to restore them, even paying shop rates. You can't restore a Tcraft at shop rates and expect to get your money back. So Tcraft restorations are left to hobbyists or just not done.

I must be a sucker for great airplanes beat out by marketing. My Navion was a victim of marketing as well. Maybe if CG had just painted all the Taylorcrafts red...

[M Towsley]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

Very good points, Greg. Especially about the cushion of value we don't have. And, yes, they all should have been red.

[cvavon]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

I have watched this post and here is a thought I don't have the financial backing to own a cub so when faced with sport pilot Tcraft looked grate then it happened the Love affair started and here I am would not trade my tcraft for any thing but the thought i was trying to make is they fit in the scheme of things and afford owning a plane to people that cant afford the higher priced planes

[Windknot]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

Apparently this is my first post. I signed up here several years ago when I was researching Sport Pilot capable airplanes that were big enough/carried enough Gross weight that I could train my 250# butt in one and that I could one day afford to buy. The 'Crates were near the top of my list....except that for the most part, there were no 140-160# instructors out there.

I'd pretty much given up on flying when I found a flying club in mid-Michigan that had a BC12-D and an 83 year old rhesus monkey of an instructor that could hop in and around the cockpit and make enough room for us both. Now I sit with close to 40 hours of time in the T'Craft, but still no Sport Pilot ticket.......unfortunately, there are no 140-160# DPE's that do sport pilot AND tailwheel. Hell...there's very few that even do tailwheel in Michigan anyway.

As for the original poster - resubmit the ad - fill it with detail - take some video of the insides and outsides, post it on YouTube and include a link or indicate that video is available. I think that part of the problem is that T'craft owners face a Catch-22. If they price their planes at or around that of a Champ or a Cub, they'll lose out on the "popularity factor." If they price it (where the original poster listed his) significantly lower than the rest of the Legacy airplane market is priced, then people not familiar with the T'Craft will shy away thinking that there is something amiss.

As for me...my search continues....what gets my heart pumping is a BC12-D with an 85hp STC WITH the upgraded Gross to 1280. That'll take me and Fair Wife anywhere I'd like to fly in Michigan, but it STILL wont get me my checkride. Going to have to transition to a Champ or a plastic plane and pay the big bucks for the rental/transition and then the eventual check ride.

VIDEO/Photo is KING.

For the record - I'm always looking for feedback - here's video of some of my training in the Father John Flying Club Taylorcraft: http://www.youtube.com/user/ChunkYeager/videos

[M Towsley]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

Hi and welcome, not sure how to address you but glad you dropped back in. I understand your frustration as I went through it back in 2005 when sport pilot was first born. hang in there and I hope you can find an examiner sometime soon. Hopefully somebody on here can help.

[lfries]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

Have you checked the FAA website. http://av-info.faa.gov/designeesearch.asp. Your looking for an SPE Examiner not a light sport examiner. I hope this helps.

[cvavon]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

Just went threw this with Shannon the proper name sport pilot designated pilot examiner this is a separate class from a DPE and requires separate set of paper work for the faa the 9 that were in Tn 6 have quit because they weren't doing enough to make it worth keeping the rating and going threw the hassle now the one we did find is a small person and has a lot of tailwheel time and also in Tcraft. Windknot PM me and maybe we can work some thing out down here. Oh and if you have 40 hr and have been signed off solo your instructor should have signed your tailwheel endorsement to allow you to solo the tailwheel air plane chuck

[Windknot]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

Hi and welcome, not sure how to address you but glad you dropped back in. I understand your frustration as I went through it back in 2005 when sport pilot was first born. hang in there and I hope you can find an examiner sometime soon. Hopefully somebody on here can help.

I didn't realize my name wasn't showing up. You may call me Sean - just like my mother does!!!!

[Windknot]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

Just went threw this with Shannon the proper name sport pilot designated pilot examiner this is a separate class from a DPE and requires separate set of paper work for the faa the 9 that were in Tn 6 have quit because they weren't doing enough to make it worth keeping the rating and going threw the hassle now the one we did find is a small person and has a lot of tailwheel time and also in Tcraft. Windknot PM me and maybe we can work some thing out down here. Oh and if you have 40 hr and have been signed off solo your instructor should have signed your tailwheel endorsement to allow you to solo the tailwheel air plane chuck

Chuck,

PM is forthcoming. You know? I dont know if he signed me a tailwheel endorsement. He Ok'd me to solo close to 20 hours ago - I've just been honing my skills/spinning my wheels awaiting a solution for my checkride solo for most of the fall.

[M Towsley]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

Hey Sean, (can I call you that)?

You should have received a tailwheel endorsement if he cut you loose to go play in the T-Craft, (not a crate, that is derogatory toward the fine lady she is). Keep building your time, if you can afford to. I was blazing new trails when I went for Sport Pilot, nobody around here had a clue, including the FAA. It wasn't that difficult for my examiner to take on the Sport Pilot examination. He was also a little bigger but when we did weight and balance he left his briefcase behind so we were well within limits. We also didn't have as much gas on-board that I thought we did.

So, again, I hope you can find someone soon. That extra time flying will help during your exam as long as you are going out and working, rather than sight-seeing. I really hope you are successful in seeing this through.

[Windknot]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

(not a crate, that is derogatory toward the fine lady she is)..

She really is a crate - patched and stained and weathered and has more holes than my first wife's alibis. But she's a beautiful Crate. And if it's just me and her - there's plenty of room and just enough power to make it work.

It wasn't that difficult for my examiner to take on the Sport Pilot examination. He was also a little bigger but when we did weight and balance he left his briefcase behind so we were well within limits.

I am not speaking disparagingly about any DPE - there is ONE in the area that does both Sport Pilot and Tailwheel. He's a great guy, he'll meet with a group ahead of time and let the know what he expects of them and what they can expect from him and then he tells them exactly what he will test them on - his goal is to get good pilots, not fail anyone. If I could drop 100# (not going to happen) I'd LOVE to take my check ride with him.

But unfortunately, there's not anyone who even REGISTERS UNDER 190# in Michigan. So I've got to look elsewhere.

That extra time flying will help during your exam as long as you are going out and working, rather than sight-seeing. I really hope you are successful in seeing this through.

That time has been spend flying between my home airport and 2 other airports - practicing skills....Nothing but farmland (not that that's not beautiful to fly over). I've seen it all. Cant wait to....well......spread my wings.

(So anyone with a 1280# GW 85hp BC12-D looking to get rid of it, call the fatty in Michigan!!!!!)

Sean

[M Towsley]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

Let go of that fish, you may lose a few right there...

[Windknot]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

I was up over 250 during my primary sport pilot training, lost thirty at the end (before the snow flew here) but then stalled. Greatest motivator to lose weight - for every 6# I lose, I can carry another gallon of gas!!!!! (That King was in Sitka Bay last spring - did a little Salmon fishing while we were touring Alaska).

As an active looker/shopper (I'll try and steer the post back towards the OP's question), I've often wondered about the 25+K Taylorcrafts for sale. They occasionally pop up, but I dont see a lot of them showing up with the "SOLD BY BARNSTOMERS" banner ad. I'm (again) no speaking disparingly about ANY plane - but if given the choice between a $25K Taylorcraft and a $25K Champ - methinks most people are picking the Champs (their loss methinks). '65 HP Champ vs. '65 HP T'Craft is no contest in speed versus gph.

When I said I was looking for an increased HP/GW Taylorcraft (I was serious), I was also thinking about the 25K+ Taylorcrafts that mention that they've just come from a complete or very recent total overhaul. Might I suggest that anyone who is considering such a rebuild on their Taylorcrafts that they consider getting the STC and making the wing mods for the increased HP/Gross. I understand you can get the STC for the HP upgrade ONLY, but even an additional 80# makes the plane more sellable. Heck - even if you're just putting the stock A-65 back in - at least the mod has been made while the wings were uncovered.....makes the plane that much more sellable.

Just a thought from an active shopper.

[dejh22]

Re: What are Taylorcrafts selling for nowadays?

[



Might I suggest that anyone who is considering such a rebuild on their Taylorcrafts that they consider getting the STC and making the wing mods for the increased HP/Gross. I understand you can get the STC for the HP upgrade ONLY, but even an additional 80# makes the plane more sellable. Heck - even if you're just putting the stock A-65 back in - at least the mod has been made while the wings were uncovered.....makes the plane that much more sellable.

Just a thought from an active shopper.[/QUOTE]


That is what I did. I bought the wing mod part of the stc. I have all the piece parts for the modification. I'm just looking for an IA to come out and look at my spars.