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Piper Super Cub Specifications

The single engine, tailwheel Piper PA-18 Super Cub has been flying since 1949. It was Piper's followup to its popular, but less powerful, J-3 Cub. From 1949 to 1954 Piper's Super Cub version PA-18-95 contained a small, 90-horsepower engine. Since 1955 and continuing through its on-and-off production until 1994, however, Piper outfitted the Super Cub with a more powerful 150-horsepower engine in its PA-18-150 version. Over 45 years of production, Piper produced almost 8,000 PA-18 Super Cub aircraft.

Engines
- The early Super Cub featured a 90-horsepower Continental C-90-12F engine or an 8F flat four piston engine. The later and more common version sports a Lycoming O-320 engine that produces 150 horsepower. Both versions' engines spin a common 2-blade propeller.
Weights
- The empty--zero fuel, cargo or passengers--weights of the original and later model Super Cub are 910 pounds and 946 pounds, respectively. Their maximum weights for takeoff are 1,500 pounds and 1,750 pounds, respectively.
Dimensions
- The two models of PA-18s have equal wing spans, heights and wing surface areas. They are 35 feet 3 inches, 6 feet 9 inches, and 178.5 square feet, respectively. They differ slightly in length, with the PA-18-150 coming in at 22 feet 7 inches and the original version measuring 2 inches shorter.
Performance
- The maximum indicated airspeeds of the older and newer Super Cubs are 97 knots and 113 knots, respectively. During cruise, the maximum recommended speed is 87 knots and 100 knots, respectively. Expect 710 feet per minute on initial climbout with the PA-18-95, and 250 feet per minute better on the 150. Maximum ranges are 313 nautical miles on the original and 400 on the PA-18-150.
Seating Capacity
- No matter the model, standard seating in a Piper PA-18 Super Cub is for two. The pilot and a passenger sit in tandem, one behind the other.

Aviation