Celebrating the Cub at AirVenture
EAA and the Cub community are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the J- 3 Cub during AirVenture in 2012! While details are still in the planning stages, arrangements are being made for a fun Cub weekend in Hartford, Wisconsin, leading
up to a mass arrival in Oshkosh and group parking in the Vintage area. Airborne celebrations of the Cub design are also being planned
for the daily air show, with Greg Koontz and the Alabama Boys already confirmed. Visit www.Cubs2Oshkosh.org for more information
on planned activities and to register for updates. Activity suggestions welcome via e-mail at J3Cub@eaa.org.
There’s just something about seeing
that wheel spin as you fly low and
slow over the countryside. It’s how
flying was meant to be.
The airplane has less than 100 hours on the airframe since the restoration in 2004. Bob ordered new UNIVAIR wing spars, ribs, and compression
struts to replace the old wood components. He also added an Aero
Fabricators 12-gallon wing tank to increase the little yellow airplane’s fuel
capacity to 24 gallons. Along with all new hardware, control cables, and
shock cords came a new wood floor (beautifully stained and varnished) and
a matching wooden top to the storage compartment behind the rear seat. A
wooden Sensenich W72CK42 propeller was purchased for the Continental
A- 65-8 that had been installed on the Cub in the ‘60s. Under the cowling are
new Slick magnetos and a Wag-Aero exhaust system.
The craftsmanship bringing it all together is impeccable, and the
plane flies like a dream. No, it doesn’t have an intercom system, and yes,
you’ll have to hand-prop it to get where you’re going, but it is beautiful
in its simplicity.
Bob and Clifford finished the restoration, and Bob performed the first
flight and enjoyed a few hours in the air with his son, Max, before his feet
and legs became worse, and he decided it was time to sell the airplane. “It
wouldn’t be fair to hurt the airplane or anyone else,” he said. The plane
will always hold a special place in his heart, however. “It’s a sweet airplane,” he said.
I think you’ll agree.
Kelly Nelson, EAA 787745, is associate editor for EAA publications. A private pilot, she earned her
tailwheel endorsement in June 2010 flying J- 3 Cubs in Hartford, Wisconsin.
