This site will
chronicle the complete restoration of a 1946 J3C-65 Piper Cub. We will
journal this laborious process and accompany it with photos of the
aircraft at various stages in its journey back to airworthiness in an
original fashion. You
will have the opportunity to learn about some of
the events that are involved in preserving a piece of aviation history.
This particular Cub
has belonged to one gentleman since 1957. At age 24, when acquiring
this aircraft, he became its third owner. The itinerant pilot, who
planned to complete his flight training in the Cub, ended up liking
flying so much that he became a flight instructor. Prior to its
purchase, the cub had sat in a barn in Wyoming, where it had been
somewhat weathered and damaged by hail. In 1967, it was recovered with
grade A cotton and dope.
The owner decided
that it was time to restore the aircraft even though it still passed the
punch test. Restoration provides an opportunity to look at the
airframe, as well as, upgrade the horsepower. The process begins with
removing the wings and tail section, engine, instruments, and finally
removing the skin from the frame. Inspection of the frame revealed it
to be fairly clean, with low corrosion.
Cub
Restoration Diaries
Volume 2
Since
our first entry, we have discovered some historical information about
Piper Cubs and about this cub specifically which we would like to share
with our readers. The
Taylor Aircraft Company produced the Cub’s predecessor called
the Taylor E-2. Unfortunately it was terribly underpowered, and the
Taylor Company soon went bankrupt. The company’s assets were quickly
purchased by William T. Piper with Gilbert Taylor staying on as
president. The Piper E-2 Cub received its type certificate
July 11, 1931.
Twenty-two cubs were sold that first year for a price of $1,325. In
1935 the Piper E-2 was redesigned by Walter Jamouneau. With the new
design, it was renamed the Taylor J-2 Cub or the “New Cub.”
Cub
Restoration Dairies
Volume 3
Next,
the individual portions of the airframe were then cleaned of all paint.
This makes it possible to inspect the airframe more completely. After
inspection, tubing was treated internally. This was done to prevent
corrosion of the inside and outside of the airframe. Grade “A” cotton,
which was the material used originally to cover Cubs, had a cover-life
of 7 to 10 ten years. Polyester, now the covering material of choice,
can easily last 30 to 50 years. Recognizing this, the importance of
careful inspection and properly treating airframe tubing for corrosion
control becomes clear. While still unassembled, each portion of the
airframe were primed and painted. All control and trim cables, rollers,
bolts and associated hardware were replaced with new products and
installed in preparation for fabric application.
There are many aircraft fabric processes available
today. We, at Blue Sky Aviation, are familiar with most that are on the
market and have chosen the Superflite™ process.
Each fabric piece was individually cut and applied
to its flight surface.
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