Piper J-3 Cub: Flying with a Touch of History
At the first instance that you would see a Piper J-3 Cub, your most probable reaction would be that you would never wish to be caught flying it. The plane has the appearance of the typical World War I aircraft, the ones mostly associated with the legendary air barons and flying aces of old, when dogfights still relied on manual skills and luck. However, there are people who still love the J-3 Cub not just for how it looks but also for what it is. Apparently, this plane has defied the usual problems with time, which is depreciation. This only proves that it can still be of good value.
The J-3 Cub was not really introduced during the First World War though. It first came out of production in 1937. For ten years, Piper continued to produce this aircraft, which means that manufacturing lasted until 1947. If such is the case, the J-3 Cub was in production during the World War II. Of course, it also saw action during the war. It did not serve as a fighter plane though but it did well in other combat support tasks, especially in surveillance, spying, and communications. It was also a favorite training plane for fighter pilots at that time. Because of its excellent performance then, it was often compared to other popular aircrafts during the era.
The original Piper J-3 Cub design allows two persons to ride, with one of them piloting the aircraft. Such feature has been maintained as can be seen in the subsequent units produced. The plane's length is 22 feet and 5 inches, which is not really much different from that of the more modern single prop aircrafts. As for its engine, the J-3 Cub is powered by a Continental A-65-8 air-cooled flat four. This very simple but durable engine can produce 65 hp at 2,350 rpm. With an equivalent power of 48kW, it is clear that power is not a major asset of the plane. In fact, there are many ordinary cars that can outpace this anytime.
You may be wondering though why there are still people who are interested in the J-3 Cub when it should only be relegated to the museum. Actually, you would indeed find this in many museums. However, the plane is one of the few that is so durable that it can still be used even nowadays. Of course, it can no longer serve the way that it did before but, for the sake of getting in touch with history, this may be the perfect aircraft. If you go to flying circuses or similar shows, you would surely see units of these being flown still. This only proves that the J-3 Cub may be a dinosaur but it is a live one.
The J-3 Cub was not really introduced during the First World War though. It first came out of production in 1937. For ten years, Piper continued to produce this aircraft, which means that manufacturing lasted until 1947. If such is the case, the J-3 Cub was in production during the World War II. Of course, it also saw action during the war. It did not serve as a fighter plane though but it did well in other combat support tasks, especially in surveillance, spying, and communications. It was also a favorite training plane for fighter pilots at that time. Because of its excellent performance then, it was often compared to other popular aircrafts during the era.
The original Piper J-3 Cub design allows two persons to ride, with one of them piloting the aircraft. Such feature has been maintained as can be seen in the subsequent units produced. The plane's length is 22 feet and 5 inches, which is not really much different from that of the more modern single prop aircrafts. As for its engine, the J-3 Cub is powered by a Continental A-65-8 air-cooled flat four. This very simple but durable engine can produce 65 hp at 2,350 rpm. With an equivalent power of 48kW, it is clear that power is not a major asset of the plane. In fact, there are many ordinary cars that can outpace this anytime.
You may be wondering though why there are still people who are interested in the J-3 Cub when it should only be relegated to the museum. Actually, you would indeed find this in many museums. However, the plane is one of the few that is so durable that it can still be used even nowadays. Of course, it can no longer serve the way that it did before but, for the sake of getting in touch with history, this may be the perfect aircraft. If you go to flying circuses or similar shows, you would surely see units of these being flown still. This only proves that the J-3 Cub may be a dinosaur but it is a live one.
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