Over the past decade or so, AirCorps Aviation of Bemidji, Minnesota, has gained a well-earned reputation for some of the some of the finest warbird restoration achievements across the globe, from their work on P-51 Mustangs (such as the legendary Cleveland Air Racer known as Thunderbird) and the razorback P-47D Thunderbolt, Bonnie, (both Golden Wrench Award winners) to their ongoing efforts to restore a rare Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita trainer. Amongst other warbirds over the past year, however, they have worked on a Piper L-4H Grasshopper, a humble type in comparison to the team’s other endeavors perhaps, but one no less important for its impact upon the battlefield. The following report from AirCorps’ Chuck Cravens covers the work they have achieved on L-4H 44-79780 during this past winter. We hope you enjoy seeing their progress!
AirCorps Aviation’s restoration team has focused their efforts on the L-4’s fuselage and empennage of late, along with the installation of control cables and windows.
Parts Returned from the Paint Shop
After inspecting and/or restoring components for the project, those parts that require painting are removed and sent to the paint shop for appropriate treatment.
Fuselage
The main landing gear (sometimes referred to as alighting gear) has been fitted to the fuselage along with the wooden floor, front seat, fire extinguisher, and fuel tank, as the following images reveal.
Empennage
AirCorps’ engineers have installed the bracing wires along with the fairing for the vertical fin/fuselage intersection.
Control Linkages
The restoration team recently installed the control cable linkages to the rudder and elevator, throttle controls, and fuel valve linkages.
The Origin of the Cub Name
The L-4 is, of course, a Piper J-3 Cub after modest modification for military service. There is an interesting story about how the Cub name came about. According to several sources1, the first Piper aircraft to receive the name “Cub” was actually progenitor of the J-3, the Taylorcraft E-2. William Piper had purchased the assets of the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation which had been and closed for about 3 months at the time, while under voluntary liquidation. Piper used these assets to form the Taylor Aircraft Company, with C.G. Taylor as his chief engineer.
Piper saw a market for a low-cost, low-powered trainer that could be used to provide affordable flying lessons. C.G. Taylor soon got to work designing a plane to fit Piper’s concept, with the result being the Taylor E-2. The E-2 was a simple, lightweight, two-seater with a high-wing, open-cockpit design built around a fabric-covered tubular steel fuselage mated to a wooden wing structure.
Taylor E-2 Cub with the Salmson engine which replaced the unsuccessful Tiger Kitten. (image from W.Finch Jr collection2 via AirCorps Aviation)
The first completed E-2 sat at the factory for about a month while Piper and Taylor searched for a suitable and available engine. They had hoped to use a new 40hp Continental design, which wasn’t ready at the time. Another possibility they considered was a 40hp Salmson nine-cylinder radial; they ordered one, but it hadn’t arrived on time.
However, a Brownback Tiger Kitten engine became available, so the designers decided to test-fly the E-2 with this 20hp inverted, two-stroke twin-cylinder unit, despite its lower available horsepower.3
On September 12, 1930, the Taylor E-2 was lined up for its first flight at the end of the 1700-foot airport runway in Bradford, PA. The little trainer staggered into the air, but by the time test pilot George Kirkendall had climbed up to five feet, he was running out of runway and not gaining altitude with sufficient speed, so he closed the throttle and set the E-2 back down onto the grass again.
The test run proved that the E-2 handled well, but that it needed more power. Although the flight was only a limited success, it did engender the Cub name when Gilbert Hadrel, the company accountant, remarked “The engine is the Tiger Kitten, why not call the plane the Cub?”
Later that year, a 40 hp Salmson AD-9 radial was installed; the Taylor E-2 flew successfully with this powerplant. By the winter of 1934-35, C.G. Taylor had left the company, with Walter Jamouneau taking his place as chief engineer. Subsequent Taylor Cubs, along with those following the company name change to Piper, carried the J from Walter’s last name in the model designation.
| 1 Devon Francis , Mr. Piper and His Cubs, Iowa State University Press, 1973, p 2; and Roger Peperell, Piper Aircraft, The Development and History of Piper Designs, Air Britain Ltd, 1996, p20 |
| 2 Photo from Roger Peperall, Piper Aircraft, the Development and History of Piper Designs, Air Britain Ltd, 1996,pg. 21 |
| 3 Roger Peperall, Piper Aircraft, the Development and History of Piper Designs, Air Britain Ltd, 1996,p 20 |
Many thanks to Chuck Cravens and AirCorps Aviation for providing this update on the L-4’s restoration progress. We look forwards to hearing more in the near future!
