Manufactured by Piper
Civilian Aircraft
The 65 horsepower Piper Cub was first approved in 1937 as a new entry into a long line of “cub-type” aircraft extending back into the early 1930′s. Thousands of “Piper Cubs” were built until the plane was phased out in 1975. You can still buy a J-3-65 “Piper Cub”, but it will mount a 150 or 180 horsepower engine rather than the old 65 horsepower Continental and it will be called a “Super Cub”. These Super Cubs can be seen all over the world where they are widely used by back-country pilots. They are good “short field” performers.
At one time, J-3-65 Piper Cubs were everywhere in the world. They were usually tied down outside in the weather and often deteriorated quite rapidly. Today, the J-3-65 is hard to find. Those who like the breed will need to pay 25 to 30 thousand dollars for a licensed J-3-65 Piper Cub. This is roughly twenty times what they sold for in 1937.
The J-3-65 Piper Cub was used to train thousands of pilots in peacetime as well as wartime. Prior to and during World War Two, the J-3-65 Cub was a popular trainer in the Civilian Pilot Training Program. It was known as the L-4 by the U. S. Army where it was used for liaison and courier duties as well as by forward observers who served as spotters for artillery and ground attack aircraft.
With a cruising speed of 80 miles per hour, the Piper Cub is a very stable machine, easy to fly and quite docile. In the hands of a good Cub pilot, the ship can do a number of primary aerobatic maneuvers and do them very well. It was and is a great airplane for the sport pilots who fly on warm Sunday afternoons.