Description
There are airplanes you can replace.
And then there are airplanes you may never have the opportunity to own again....and Omaha Aircraft may never have the honor to represent again.
This 1952 Piper PA-18AS-125/160 Super Cub belongs firmly in the latter category.
It left the Piper factory in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania in 1952 as a PA-18A, built for agricultural use. Four years later, in 1956, an “S” was added to its designation, certifying the aircraft for seaplane use and creating something extraordinarily uncommon: the PA-18AS.
Of the thousands of PA-18s produced, only five carry the “AS” designation.
This is one of them.
Its story becomes even more remarkable from there.
The airplane has spent its entire life in Nebraska and recently emerged from a painstaking, more than three-year, nut-and-bolt restoration by Muhle Aviation Works in Columbus, Nebraska. From spinner to tail, the objective wasn't simply to restore a Super Cub. It was to do justice to an aircraft that cannot be replaced.
The original 125-horsepower configuration has been upgraded to 160 horsepower, and with its 2,000-pound gross weight increase, this PA-18AS possesses something unusual for an aircraft of this rarity: genuine working capability.
It could be placed into a collection and preserved as one of the rarest examples of the PA-18 lineage. Or it could go back to work today, supporting commercial operations much like the airplane was originally intended to do more than seven decades ago.
That duality may be what makes this airplane most compelling.
It is historically significant without being relegated to history. Exceptionally restored without becoming merely a showpiece. Rare enough for a serious collection, yet capable enough to earn its keep.
This is not simply a beautifully restored Super Cub. Its pedigree, condition, presentation, and scarcity place it in a category where meaningful comparisons become difficult.
There simply aren't enough of them.
For the collector who has seen exceptional airplanes, owned exceptional airplanes, and understands the difference between “nice” and truly irreplaceable, this PA-18AS deserves attention.
It is the kind of aircraft that becomes the centerpiece of a collection. The one people walk past everything else in the hangar to see. The one whose story begins before the engine ever starts.
Aircraft of this caliber aren't created by writing a check. Rarity cannot be ordered. History cannot be recreated. And another one cannot simply be found when you're ready.
There are five.
And this may very well be the finest of them.
Today's buyer can spend considerably more purchasing a newly manufactured premium utility taildragger. That will buy an exceptional new airplane.
It won't buy this airplane.
This PA-18AS offers something a factory order cannot: more than seven decades of history, extraordinary rarity, a better-than-new restoration, 160 horsepower, a 2,000-pound gross weight, and a designation shared by only four other PA-18s in existence.
You can order another new airplane.
You cannot order another 1952 PA-18AS.
The opportunity isn't simply to buy a Super Cub.
It's to become the next caretaker of one of the rarest and most exceptional PA-18s in existence—and decide whether its next chapter will be spent working, collecting, or perhaps a little of both.Specifications
Year1952
ManufacturerPIPER
ModelSUPER CUB
Serial Number18-1724
Registration #N1894A
ConditionUsed
FlightRulesVFR
Based atKBTA
Total Time1,917
Max Takeoff Weight2,000 lb
Basic Empty Weight1,183 lb
Useful Load862 lb
STOLYes
Fuel Capacity Volume48 gal
Airframe NotesNut and Bolt-Spinner to Tail Restoration by Muhle Aviation Works 2023
Engine 1 Make/ModelLYCOMING O-320-A2B
Engine Serial NumberL-9625-27C
Engine Horsepower160 HP
Engine 1 Time24.2 SMOH
Engine TBO2000
Aftermarket Engine STCYes
Year Engine Overhauled or Installed as New2022
Engine Time Remaining To Overhaul1980
Engine NotesOverhauled in 2022 by Central Cylinder Service Omaha, NE.
Prop ManufacturerSENSENICH
Prop Time24.2 SOH
Number of Blades2
Blade CompositionAluminum
Modifications/ConversionsSTC SA7965SW AirTech Coatings Fabric Covering System
STC SA00997CH Wipaire, Inc. 2000 Gross Weight Increase
STC SA1245CE CubCrafters Scott Master Cylinders
STC SA01026SE Steve’s Aircraft Fuel Gascolator Assembly
STC SE1930NY Casper Labs 90o Oil Filter Housing
STC SA01233SE Alaska BushWheels Tailwheel and Fork Assembly
STC SA5925NM Electronics International Oil Pressure/Temperature Gauge
STC SA00415SE CubCrafters Fuel System
STC SA02294AK Dakota Cub Fuselage Boot Cowl Battery Box
STC SA02356AK-D F. Altee Dodge Safari Seat
STC SA4121CH Svenn’s Aviation Lycoming O-320 160 HP Engine
STC SA11RM Univair Cleveland Wheels and Brakes
STC ST01920CH Professional Pilot Modified Exhaust System
STC SA10682SC Hartzell Technologies Alternator and Voltage Regulator
Year Painted2023
Exterior NotesRestoration 24.2 Hours Ago
Classic Cub Paint Scheme Red over White
New Glass
Stainless Steel Fasteners
LED Lights
Year Interior2023
Number of Seats2
ConfigurationPassenger
Interior NotesNew Interior 24.2 Hours Ago
Altee Dodge Safari Seat
New Seatbelts
LED Cockpit Lighting
Removable Aft Stick
New Floorboards with SS Heel Pads
Inspection StatusComplete Restoration 2023 24.2 Hours Ago Muhle Aviation Works
Annual Completed April 2026
Complete l Concurrent l Original Logbooks
Useful Load 862#
Very Rare PA18AS Designation
Nut and Bolt Spinner to Tail Restoration
AirworthyYes
Year1952|
ManufacturerPIPER|
ModelSUPER CUB|
Serial Number18-1724|
Registration #N1894A|
ConditionUsed|
FlightRulesVFR|
Based atKBTA|
Total Time1,917|
Max Takeoff Weight2,000 lb|
Basic Empty Weight1,183 lb|
Useful Load862 lb|
STOLYes|
Fuel Capacity Volume48 gal|
Airframe NotesNut and Bolt-Spinner to Tail Restoration by Muhle Aviation Works 2023|
Engine 1 Make/ModelLYCOMING O-320-A2B |
Engine Serial NumberL-9625-27C|
Engine Horsepower160 HP|
Engine 1 Time24.2 SMOH |
Engine TBO2000|
Aftermarket Engine STCYes|
Year Engine Overhauled or Installed as New2022|
Engine Time Remaining To Overhaul1980|
Engine NotesOverhauled in 2022 by Central Cylinder Service Omaha, NE.|
Prop ManufacturerSENSENICH|
Prop Time24.2 SOH |
Number of Blades2|
Blade CompositionAluminum|
Modifications/ConversionsSTC SA7965SW AirTech Coatings Fabric Covering System
STC SA00997CH Wipaire, Inc. 2000 Gross Weight Increase
STC SA1245CE CubCrafters Scott Master Cylinders
STC SA01026SE Steve’s Aircraft Fuel Gascolator Assembly
STC SE1930NY Casper Labs 90o Oil Filter Housing
STC SA01233SE Alaska BushWheels Tailwheel and Fork Assembly
STC SA5925NM Electronics International Oil Pressure/Temperature Gauge
STC SA00415SE CubCrafters Fuel System
STC SA02294AK Dakota Cub Fuselage Boot Cowl Battery Box
STC SA02356AK-D F. Altee Dodge Safari Seat
STC SA4121CH Svenn’s Aviation Lycoming O-320 160 HP Engine
STC SA11RM Univair Cleveland Wheels and Brakes
STC ST01920CH Professional Pilot Modified Exhaust System
STC SA10682SC Hartzell Technologies Alternator and Voltage Regulator|
Year Painted2023|
Exterior NotesRestoration 24.2 Hours Ago
Classic Cub Paint Scheme Red over White
New Glass
Stainless Steel Fasteners
LED Lights|
Year Interior2023|
Number of Seats2|
ConfigurationPassenger|
Interior NotesNew Interior 24.2 Hours Ago
Altee Dodge Safari Seat
New Seatbelts
LED Cockpit Lighting
Removable Aft Stick
New Floorboards with SS Heel Pads|
Inspection StatusComplete Restoration 2023 24.2 Hours Ago Muhle Aviation Works
Annual Completed April 2026
Complete l Concurrent l Original Logbooks
Useful Load 862#
Very Rare PA18AS Designation
Nut and Bolt Spinner to Tail Restoration|
AirworthyYes|
