Admin: New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources

2026-11-01T20:40:18Z

New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources

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{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Luscombe 8
| image = Luscombe8E, G-BSHH.jpg
| caption = Luscombe 8. Photo: MilborneOne, CC BY-SA 4.0, via [[commons:File:Luscombe8E, G-BSHH.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Luscombe
| type = civilian
| first_flight = December 17, 1937
| produced = 1937 – c. 1940s
| number_built = 5,867 (1960)
| faa_registered = 1,393 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| seats = one, one passenger
| engine = Continental C90, 90 hp
| cruise = 120 mph (Silvaire 8-F)
| range = 500 mi (Silvaire 8-F)
| ceiling = 17,000 ft (Silvaire 8-F)
| gross_weight = 1,400 lb (Silvaire 8-F)
| category = Piston singles
}}

The '''Luscombe 8''' is a series of high-wing, two-seat airplanes with side-by-side seats and tailwheel landing gear, designed in 1937 and built by Luscombe Aircraft.<ref name="wp"/> In the U.S. there are 1,393 with a valid registration.<ref name="faa"/>

== History ==
The original Luscombe Aircraft built 5,743 Model 8 airplanes before it closed in 1949. Temco Aircraft bought its assets and built about 50 Silvaires in Dallas, Texas, before selling the rights to the Silvaire Aircraft Corporation in 1955.<ref name="wp"/>

Luscombe also tried for military orders: the XT8E of 1947 lost a U.S. Air Force contract to the Aeronca L-16, and the T8F-L lost a 1950 competition to the Cessna L-19.<ref name="wp"/>

== Models ==
* '''Model 8''': the first version, with a 50 hp Continental A-50.<ref name="wp"/>
* '''8A Luscombe Master''': a 65 hp Continental A-65; the most common Luscombe on the U.S. register.<ref name="wp"/><ref name="faa"/>
* '''8B Luscombe Trainer''': a 65 hp Lycoming O-145.<ref name="wp"/>
* '''8C and 8D Silvaire Deluxe''': a 75 hp Continental A-75; the 8D trainer added a steerable tailwheel.<ref name="wp"/>
* '''8E and 8F''': later, more powerful Silvaires.<ref name="wp"/>
One Model 8A served the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II as the UC-90A.<ref name="wp"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''1,393''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| 8A || 883
|-
| 8E || 315
|-
| 8F || 119
|-
| 8C || 35
|-
| 8B || 16
|-
| 8D || 14
|-
| 8 || 11
|}
</div>

== Specifications (Silvaire 8-F) ==
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable"
! Item !! Silvaire 8-F
|-
| Crew || one
|-
| Passengers / capacity || one passenger
|-
| Length || 20 ft
|-
| Wingspan || 35 ft
|-
| Height || 6 ft 3 in
|-
| Wing area || 140 sq ft
|-
| Empty weight || 870 lb
|-
| Maximum takeoff weight || 1,400 lb
|-
| Fuel || 25 US Gallons (95 L)
|-
| Engine || Continental C90, 90 hp (air-cooled flat four)
|-
| Propeller || metal fixed pitch
|-
| Maximum speed || 128 mph
|-
| Cruise speed || 120 mph
|-
| Stall speed || 40 mph
|-
| Range || 500 mi
|-
| Service ceiling || 17,000 ft
|-
| Rate of climb || 900 ft/min
|}
</div>
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.<ref name="wp"/>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:Luscombe.8a.g-ccrk.arp.jpg|Luscombe Silvaire 8a (UK registration G-CCRK, date of build 1946) at Kemble Airfield, Gloucestershire, England. Photo: Arpingstone, Public domain
File:Luscombe.8f.g-bulo.arp.jpg|Luscombe Silvaire 8f (UK registration G-BULO, date of build 1946) at Kemble Airfield, Gloucestershire, England. Photo: Arpingstone, Public domain
File:Luscombe UC-90.jpg|Luscombe UC-90 (Model 8B) utility aircraft, s/n 42-79550. Photo: Colonel O.C. Griffith, USAF, Public domain
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Luscombe 8 ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luscombe_8 Luscombe 8]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download Releasable Aircraft Database], file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.</ref>
</references>

Luscombe 8 - Revision history

Admin: New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources