Jim Richmond Brings Back Piper Cubs, Irks Old Maker

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Friday. May 31, 2002 | J. LYNN LUNSFORD

[TroutStalker]

YAKIMA, Wash. -- In 1994, the future looked bleak for the Piper Super Cub, a fabric-skinned two-seat puddle jumper with a cult-like following among pilots.

Amid a wave of liability lawsuits that sent the entire light-plane industry into a crisis, the Cub's maker went out of business. The company that re-emerged, New Piper Aircraft Inc., said it couldn't get insurance if it resumed building the airplane that had made Piper's name synonymous with grassroots aviation since the 1930s.

[isthisnickcool]

SKYYYYYY KINNGGGGG!!!!

[Hunble]

The company's two-seat planes sell for between $145,000 and $200,000, slightly less than entry-level four-seaters made by other manufacturers.

Those prices can not be correct, or they will have a hard time selling them.

[Inge_CAV]

" Almost every tail-dragger pilot has faced a phenomenon known as a ground loop, in which the airplane veers out of control after being caught by winds blowing across the runway."

There are two types of taildragger pilots, those that have groundlooped and those that will groundloop someday........

So I was told. : )

[Pylot]

I just sold my 1946 J-3 Cub in March.

They are incredible airplanes with all of the peculiarities mentioned in the article. And yes, taildraggers are notoriously finicky about your landing skills. Fortunately they touch down at about 35 or 40 miles per hour so even if you really screw up you usually only embarass yourself.

I have taken many people up for their first small plane ride in my Cub. Once in the air, anyone can fly the plane as it is one of the most forgiving aircraft out there.

The simple reason Cub Crafters is making hay with their Cub is that there is a tremendous demand for that particular airplane. A Super Cub is like a Jeep on steroids in the airplane world. Things can be done with them by a skillful pilot that would leave any witness flabbergast.

A vintage 1950's Super Cub that has been through Hades will bring $100,000.00! A decent one easily $150,000.00. So the new and only slightly improved versions from Cub Crafters are a relative bargain. It's little brother, the J-3 Cub is essentially identical in dimension but with a motor only about one third as powerful.

The J-3 Cub was used to train 90% of our WWII pilots as their first plane. Eisenhower himself was a competent Cub pilot. If you can land a Cub, the rest are just variations on a theme.

[blackdog]

PA18 Bump! I did my sea plane rating in a super cub. It was my first "seat of your pants" flying experience. Until then I never saw the beauty of pure stick and rudder flying. No radio, no electricals, not even a cushioned seat!

[Tribune7]

bump

[blackdog]

Next time you are near an Aztec, take a good look at the wings. The Aztec uses the same wing as the cub with just a larger scale and the load sits on top and not under. A very stable design. BTW, the WAG AERO catalog has been selling kit versions of the cub for home builders for about 20 years now.

[TroutStalker]

I've flown in a number of small airplanes (as a passenger; the only one I have flown was the Piper Warrior), from the J-3 to a Beech Bonanza V-tail.

I loved the simplicity of the Cub. We flew with a friend to an EAA fly-in at a farm where we landed between the corn fields.

The Cub is the only plane I have fewer landings in than takeoffs.

[marktwain]

If there are kits to make these airplanes, and they sell for about $100K, I would think there would be a small cottage industy of people makeing and selling the airplanes at home, one at a time!

I have been told that an airplane is much simpler to make than a car, so where are our $20K airplanes? Is it just the stupid trial lawers who are preventing us from having them?

[TroutStalker]

I was in the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) almost three decades ago. The club was building a plane at it's location at the airport, and a number of the members were building one at home.

The amount of time required to build a plane from a kit is huge. All of these people were perfectionists, and every Experimental plane has to be inspected at several stages of assembly by the FAA. They are doing it for love, not money.

Planes, like cars, are assembled most efficiently on a production line. As soon as this company gets big enough, you can bet the lawyers will be on it as soon as some pilot makes an eror.

[Tennessee_Bob]

If I could fly, I'd want one of these:

[Howie]

If you like old planes go to my website and read the short story (with pics) about air racing in the 30's. It was written by a friend that still flies at the age of 82. He is as smooth as grease with the controls. click

[Howie]

My best friend owned a J2 back in the '70's and I flew it a lot. It had been converted from about 35 HP to 65 HP, what a delight to fly. It weighed less than most gliders and would get airborne almost instantly.

There were no brakes which made taxiing downhill very interesting.

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[Marobe]

Great article, Troutstalker. I don't fly but have a fiesty Aunt that left Maine when relatives kept showing up and continues her flying in Willow Alaska. I'll be sending her a copy of your article. Yes, I'm jealous ! Both of her and the folks who have already responded to this article that have flown this caliber of craft.What a rush !

[Hunble]

I am currently building a Challenger II and should have it ready to fly in about two months. It does take a long time to build, but that is half of the fun.

The performance of the two seat Challenger II is very close to the Piper J-3, but because of it's low weight, it is also a good glider. There is nothing more fun than to turn off the engine and ride the thermals for hours. Then when you get bored, you just fire up the engine and fly back home.

[wcbtinman]

"...if something goes wrong, they won't be able to get much from Cub Crafters in a lawsuit."

Nowadays, that's how I run my trucking business. Without a pot of gold at the end of the lawsuit, the lawyers go elswhere.

I run my trucks and drivers in the safest manner I can because it's to my benefit to do so. I run only the absolute, state mandated, minimum liability. And I save a bundle in premiums. The savings are just about equal to my profit margin.

[TroutStalker]

That's really a beautiful plane. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

[Alas Babylon!]

A Luftwaffe Storch!!!!