The story of the J-3 began in the late 192Os with C. Gilbert and
Gordon Taylor, partners in the very small Taylor Brothers Aircraft
Company of Rochester, New York. Onetime barnstormers, the brothers
had designed and were attempting to market a two-seat monoplane
called the Chummy, when Gordon Taylor was killed in a crash.
Gilbert Taylor, who believed there would be a growing market for
light planes, moved in 1929 to Bradford, Pennsylvania, where
community leaders were anxious to promote new local industries.
The Bradford Board of Commerce provided $5O,OOO to capitalize the
new Taylor company, which built five Chummys before the Great
Depression put a halt to construction.
One of the stockholders was an oilman named William T. Piper.
Being interested in aviation and believing that the Chummy was too
expensive and inefficient, Piper offered to sponsor the development
of a small plane to sell for half the Chummy's $3,985. The
resulting aircraft designated the E-2, was completed in late 193O
and fitted with a two-cylinder Brownbach "Tiger Kitten" engine.
Testing had revealed the Tiger Kitten, which was rated at 2O hp,
had too little power for the E-2. At full throttle, the small
plane was able only to indulge in "grass cutting," rising a few
feet into the air before settling back to earth. The Tiger Kitten
engine had suggested the name Cub for the airplane, however,
denoting the E-2 as the earliest true ancestor of the J-3.
With no suitable power plant, the Taylor company was forced to
declare bankruptcy in 1931. Piper bought up the assets keeping C.
G. Taylor on as chief engineer. Later that year, Continental
Motors Corporation came out with the 37-hp A-4O and the Taylor E-2
Cub was placed on the market.
Twenty-two were sold that year, with sales growing tenfold by 1935.
The following year, the plane was completely redesigned.
Redesignated the Taylor J-2, it featured a greatly improved
Continental engine. Also in 1936, C. G. Taylor left to establish
the Taylorcraft Aviation Company in Alliance, Ohio.
When the plant at Bradford burned down in 1937, Piper moved his
manufacturing equipment and more than two hundred employees to an
abandoned silk mill in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The company
resumed production under the name Piper Aircraft Corporation and
completed 687 aircraft before the end of the year
ln 1938 Piper introduced the improved J-3 Cub. Powered by 40-hp
Continental, Lycoming or Franklin engines, the J-3 sold for $1,3OO.
Engine horsepower was soon raised to fifty and reached sixty-five
by 194O. Piper also standardized a color scheme; just as Henry
Fords Model T's were all black so Wiliiam Piper's Cubs were all
bright yellow with black trim.
Immediately before the entry of the United States into World War
II. Sales of the Cub were spurred by the organization of the
Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) Program. ln 194O, 3,016 Cubs were
built and at the wartime peak a new J-3 emerged from the factory
every twenty minutes. Seventy-five percent of all pilots in the
CPT Program were trained on Cubs, many going on to more advanced
training in the military.
Cubs were also flown during the war as observation, liaison, and
ambulance planes. Known variously as the L-4, O-59 and NE-1, these
planes rendered valuable service and were nicknamed "Grasshoppers."
The L-4A liaison aircraft, originally designated the O-59, was the military
version of the famous Piper J3 "Cub." The Army ordered the first O-59s in 1941
for tests in conjunction with its growing interest in the use of light aircraft for
liaison and observation duties in direct support of ground forces. Between 1941
and 1945, the Army procured almost 6,000 Piper Aircraft.
During WW II, "Grasshoppers" performed a wide variety of functions
throughout the world such as for artillery fire direction, pilot training, glider
pilot instruction, courier service and front-line liaison.
| L-4 SPECIFICATIONS |
| Span: | 35 ft. 3 in. |
| Length: | 22 ft. 5 in. |
| Height: | 6 ft. 8 in. |
| Weight: | 1,200 lbs. maximum |
| Armament: | None |
| Engine: | Continental O-170 of 65 hp. |
| Cost: $2,600 |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Maximum speed: | 85 mph. |
| Cruising speed: | 75 mph. |
| Range: | 190 miles |
| Service Ceiling: | 9,300 ft. | |
By 1947, when production ended, 14,125 Piper Cubs had been built.
The J-3 is now finding an ever-increasing popularity among antique
airplane buffs, and brand new Cubs are being constructed by
homebuilders. Both an excellent trainer and a delightful sport
plane, which lends itself to lazy summer afternoons, the Cub might
best be summed up by the words "simple," "economical." and above
all "slow."
The high demand for J3 Cubs is because of three basic facts:
they are very nostalgic, they are lots of fun, they are cute as a bug.
(But this has caused a high market demand which has driven the cost
for a nice J3 out of sight for the average person).
| J-3 SPECIFICATIONS |
| MANUFACTURER | Piper Aircraft Corporation |
| TYPE | Trainer |
| ENGINE | Lycoming 65-hp air-cooled |
| WINGSPAN | 35' 2" |
| LENGTH | 22' 2" |
| HEIGHT | 6' 8" |
| GROSS WEIGHT | 1,220 lbs. |
| MAXIMUM SPEED | 85 m.p.h. |
| RANGE | 190 miles |
| RANGE | 9,300 ft. |
| CREW | Two in
tandem cabin |
| Super Cub Specifications |
| The Piper Super Cub gained certification on November 18, 1949. Initally powered by
a Continental C90-12F, improvements over the years resulted in a Lycoming O-320, 150hp in
it's final production form. It continued in production until 1981, when all rights were
sold to WTA Inc. of Lubbock, Texas. A versatile aircraft, suited to many roles, especially
bush flying. Several varients were also constructed for the military, including the L-18,
and L-21...differing mainly in horsepower. |
| Power: One 150hp Avco Lycoming O-320 flat four | | Max Speed: 113kts |
| Service Ceiling: 19,000ft |
| Range: 460 miles |
| Weight Empty: 983lbs |
| Gross Weight: 1,750lbs |
| Wing Span: 35ft 2.5in |
| Length: 22ft 7in |
| Height: 6ft 8.5in |
| Engine Limits: 2,700rpm |
| Airspeed Limits: Maneuvering...............96mph (83kts) |
| Max Structural Cruise.....121mph (105kts) |
| Never Exceed..............153mph (133kts) |
| Flaps Extended............85mph (74kts) |
| Fuel Capacity: 36gal |
| Oil Capacity: 8qts | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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