Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub
The bush plane benchmark: 150 hp in a Cub airframe, airborne in well under 100 m. Used as a glider tug, on floats and skis, and for tailwheel training.
Performance
- Cruise speed
- 100 kt
- Never-exceed speed (VNE)
- 133 kt
- Range
- 400 nm
- Service ceiling
- 19,000 ft
- Rate of climb
- 960 ft/min
Fuel
- Fuel type
- AVGAS 100LL
- Usable fuel
- 136 l
- Total capacity
- 136 l
- Wing tanks
- 2 × 68 l
- Fuel burn (cruise)
- 34 l/h
- Endurance
- 4 h
- Usable fuel weighs
- 98 kg
Fuel burn at 75% power. Endurance is usable fuel divided by the burn, with no reserve.
Runway
- Minimum runway
- 221 m
- Take-off distance over 15 m (50 ft)
- 152 m
- Landing distance from 15 m (50 ft)
- 221 m
- Usable surfaces
- Grass · Gravel · Asphalt · Snow · Water
The longer of take-off and landing distance. At 794 kg, ISA, sea level, dry paved runway, no wind.
Cockpit and systems
- Cockpit
- Analog gauges
Weights and capacity
- Max passengers
- 1
- Minimum crew
- 1
- Cockpit seats
- 2
- Max take-off weight (MTOW)
- 794 kg
- Empty weight
- 422 kg
Licence and training
- Licences that cover it
- LAPL(A) · PPL(A)
- Class rating
- SEP (land)
- Extra training or endorsements
- Tailwheel
EASA terms. Other authorities name and split ratings differently.
Flight rules and approvals
- Flight rules
- VFR only
Assumes the usual equipment. The aircraft's own documents decide what it may fly.
Type
- Manufacturer
- Piper
- Category
- Aeroplane
- Engines
- 1× Piston
- ICAO type designator
- PA18
- Wake turbulence category
- L · Light
- In service since
- 1949
Scale drawing
- Length
- 6.88 m
- Wingspan
- 10.73 m
- Height
- 2.02 m
- Fuselage width
- 0.8 m
- Propeller diameter
- 1.88 m
Drawn to scale from the published length, span and height; finer shapes are approximate.
Size comparison
- Piper PA-18-150 Super CubLength 6.88 m
- Diamond DA20-C1 EclipseLength 7.16 m
All drawn at one scale. The person is 1.8 m tall.
Speeds
- Green arc: normal operating range
- Red line: never exceed
- 37 kt
- 133 kt
Typical published values for the named variant, for learning only. Always fly with the aircraft's own flight manual (POH/AFM).
Fly the Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub in the simulator
Practise your radio calls with this aircraft type in the AI ATC simulator.
