This 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D Is a Charming, Bare-Bones ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

With ‘handheld’ listed as primary navigation equipment, this is a seat-of-the-pants ride.

The 1946 Taylorcraft is a classic taildragger but less common than a Piper Cub. [Courtesy: Paul Chamberlin]

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Taylorcraft was known during World War II for building gliders and the L-2 Grasshopper, an observation and liaison aircraft adapted from the company’s pre-war Tandem Trainer for the Army Air Force. Initially called the O-57, the aircraft got a name change to L-2 when the military altered the general designation for such small aircraft from “observation” to “liaison.” The Grasshopper was used for pilot training in the U.S. but was not used in combat or sent overseas during the war.

At the war’s end, the company returned to the general aviation market and produced the BC-12D, which competed with the Piper Cub, Luscombe, and other small rag-and-tube models powered mostly by 65 hp engines. The company entered bankruptcy following a severe postwar downturn in the light aircraft market. Today the aircraft still has a following among vintage aircraft enthusiasts and those seeking older models that qualify as LSAs.

Pilots looking for a light, ultra-simple, two-seat taildragger with bare-bones instrumentation that harks back to the years just after World War II should consider this 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D Twosome, which is available for $21,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

Jonathan Welsh is a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4

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