Luscombe Aircraft Manuals and Service Bulletins

This page is a collection of various manuals and service bulletins for Luscombe aircraft. Please note that these are presented here for historical reference, and that we make no warranty as to fitness for purpose. Note that almost all Luscombe manuals and bulletins went through multiple editions, and that many were reprints of reprints. Unfortunately a number of errors were made -- either in the original document or in some cases during reprinting. We've done our best to be faithful to the original, leaving errors in place when appropriate and correcting obvious but insignificant ones (such as periods interchanged with quotation marks).

If you have an original to share with the Luscombe community, email the webmaster -- we'd really appreciate the opportunity to use a scan of your manual as the basis to craft a reproduction.

Pilot Operating Handbook
Luscombe printed many editions of these manuals, and almost all of them had errors of some sort.

• 8A Pilot Operating Handbook (5.3 MB)
  This is a reproduction of... a reprint. The original was produced by Lucombe, then reprinted by Silvaire Aircraft in Ft. Collins.
• T-8F Pilot Operating Handbook (1.5 MB)
  This is a copy of an extremely rare manual, provided by an owner.

Luscombe Service Bulletins

• Luscombe Service Letter #1, dated October 4, 1938
  Cracked jury struts.
• Luscombe Service Letter #2, dated November 3, 1938
  Install micarta fairleads to prevent aileron cable wear.
• Luscombe Engineering Bulletin #3, dated January, 1939
  Rudder hinge modification.
• Luscombe Service Bulletin #4, undated
  Bulkhead reinforcement for landing gear.
• Luscombe Service Bulletin #5, dated February 27, 1939
  Replace tail tray bracket.
• Luscombe Service Bulletin #6, dated June 1, 1939 (Frayed elevator cables).
• Luscombe Engineering Bulletin #9, dated Dec 29, 1939 (More heat from heater).
• Luscombe Engineering Bulletin #11, dated Jan 11, 1940 (Oil cooler baffle for cold weather operations).
• Luscombe Engineering Bulletin #12, dated May 13, 1940 (Fuel system mods for injected engines).
• Luscombe Engineering Bulletin #13, Undated (Engine baffle mods for injected engines -- revised in 1960).
• Luscombe Engineering Bulletin #14, dated Jan 7, 1941 (Fuel line mods for injected engines).
• Luscombe Engineering Bulletin #15, dated Aug 28, 1941 (fuselage skin cracks at rear spar).
• Luscombe Engineering Bulletin #16, dated Aug 8, 1941 (rear fin spar cracks).
• Luscombe Engineering Bulletin #17, dated Aug 14, 1941 (E.D.L. muffler extensions).
• Luscombe Engineering Bulletin #18, dated Jan 21, 1942 (frayed rudder cables).
• Luscombe Engineering Bulletin #19, Undated (Aileron hinge brackets).
• Luscombe Engineering Bulletin #20, dated Dec 9, 1941 (Defective mufflers).
• Luscombe Gear Rework - 1946 Instructions (missing diagram) for repair of some defective 8A gear legs delivered in 1946.
• CAA Letter, dated Feb 12, 1946 (explanation of carb heat on takeoff for Model 8A).
• Luscombe Service Bulletin 3-46, dated Jun 18, 1946 (Installation of rudder return springs)
• Luscombe Service Bulletin 4-46, dated Feb 11, 1947 (Inspection of Rudder Pedal Horn)
• Luscombe Service Bulletin 5-46, dated Dec 3, 1946 (Add battery cable clamp to prevent chafing in models 8E)
• Luscombe Approved Spar Cap Repair, Undated (Drawing describing spar cap repair procedure).
• Luscombe Service Bulletin dated August 4, 1947
• Luscombe Service Bulletin 2-47, dated Sept 25, 1947 (Improved prop spinner attachement)
• Luscombe Service Bulletin 1-48, dated March 1, 1948 (trim rudder for tailwheel clearance)
• Luscombe Rudder Horn Inspection, dated May 12, 1948.
• Luscombe Service Bulletin 3-48, dated August 6, 1948
• Luscombe Service Bulletin 4-48, dated August 11, 1948 (Missing fuse in generator circuit of Master models)
• Luscombe Front Fin Attachment Inspection, dated August 27, 1948
• Install New Type Landing Gear, dated 1948
• Luscombe Engineering Bulletin, dated November 6, 1950 (Outlines issues with inadequate carb heat and Harding fuel valves)
• Luscombe Service Bulletin 51-1
• Ft. Collins Service Bulletin 1, dated August 11, 1959. Recommendation for replacing clevis pins in elevator control system.)
• Ft. Collins Service Bulletin 4, dated November 13, 1959 (Heater exhaust cracks -- most likely superceeded by sweeping ADs issued in the 1960s regarding heat systems in most aircraft.)
• Luscombe Foundation Service Recommendation 5 From the Foundation, dated 1994 about inspecting gear legs.
• Luscombe Service Recommendation 4 From the Foundation, dated 1996, also about inspecting gear legs. Note the number is lower than an earlier bulletin.
• Luscombe Service Recommendation 2 From the Foundation, dated 1997, describes wing inspection procedures for Luscombes with metal wings as well as how to add inspection holes.

Other Manuals

• Silvaire Operators Handbook and Parts Price List (6.6 MB)
  This manual belongs in the library of every Luscombe 8-series owner. It contains drawings, part numbers, and other info you'll find useful.
• Luscombe Checklist
  One owners cockpit checklist in PDF format
• Luscombe Checklist
  Same checklist in Microsoft Word format for easy editing
• High-A Fuel Injection Manual (800 KB)
  Not many Luscombes had fuel injection, but this manual is really tough to find.
• Goodyear Wheel & Brake Parts Catalog
  This is an excerpt from a parts catalog showing diagrams and part numbers for Goodyear disc brakes. Was manually re-created from some (terrible) scanned images of the original.
• Luscombe Rigging Instructions
  Just like it sounds -- how to rig the wings on a Luscombe
• Continental Engine Service Bulletins
  Continental engines, like any other engine, have service bulletins. Some of them apply to Luscombes--especially if you have an O-200 conversion.
• Pliocel Fuel Cell Repair Instructions - Temporary
  Goodyear instructions for the temporary field repair of Pliocel fuel bladders.
• Pliocel Fuel Cell Repair Instructions - Permanent
  Goodyear instructions for the permanent repair of Pliocel fuel bladders.
• Scott Tail Wheel Assembly Parts List Scanned catalog pages from a 1940s catalog.
• Larsen Gross Weight Interpretation Moody Larsen published a "letter" stating how a 150 HP Luscombe conversion falls within FAA regs for 2-place operation. He was the TC holder at the time; however you may or may not be able to use this to persuade the FAA...
• Continental Operators Handbook Scanned copy of the handbook, circa 1941 (108 pages). Because this is scanned, not reproduced (as in re-typed), it is a 23 MB download. There are 5 sub-sections in this manual: (1) The core engine ops manual including overhaul guidance, (2) an illustrated engine parts list, (3) a Stromberg carb manual, (4) Bendix manual, and (5) a Bendix mag parts price list.
• Continental Service Bulletin M49-17, dated December 20, 1949, describes a camshaft change for increased power.
• Super Luscombe is not a manual at all. Rather it is a reprint of an article that originally appeared in Air Progress in 1972. Reprinted with permission of both the author and the magazine, this article is about Moody Larsen, who was a legend in the Luscombe community.
• Continental Power Curves shows the power curves for various small COntinental engines, ranging from the A-65 up thru the O-200.
• Luscombe 8 Series Weight and Balance in Microsoft Word Format. Makes it easy to modify and print out. 1 MB download.
• Luscombe 8 Series Weight and Balance in PDF Format. Not so easy to modify, but if all you want is a form to fill in, it may be just the ticket.
• An Excel spreadsheet set up for an 8A; however you can modify for any plane. Includes a CG Envelope Chart

Last Updated: September 29, 2009