The J3 Piper Cub plays an important part in aviation history.  It is considered the start of general aviation.  The birth of the J3 came as World War II was winding down.  Bill Piper along with the Taylor brothers and designer/fabricator/welder/visionary Walter Jamouneau came up with a cleaner looking aircraft that had power and could be purchased relatively cheaply.   People of that era took to flying in great numbers.  This little yellow “Cub” had a lot of advanced manufacturing features for the time.

A group of GAM volunteers made some observations about our historically popular airplane at the “Montgomery Aviation fly-in” last August 25, 2009.  We decided to investigate the J3 to see what it would cost in time and money to restore it.  We named the project Cub788 in honor of its registration number N98788

There was obvious evidence that the aircraft was suffering from corrosion on the fuselage.  A seven member team volunteered to assess the situation and report to the Board of Trustees.  What we thought would be a minor repair, such as brushing off the rust and re-painting and replacing the fabric has grown to a much larger project.  The report shows corrosion has been eating away at the fuselage for many years.  Significant problems exist in the tail, nose, cockpit floor section, and the right landing gear.  Minor damage was found around the windows and around the wings attachment area.  The engine needs to be rebuilt (no surprises there) and the wing tips need to be replaced.  

We are anticipating a repair cost between $9,000 and $12,000. The budget at GAM has nothing extra to finance the Cub788 project.  We have chosen to tap fellow aviation enthusiasts for sponsorships to support the project.

These are tough times to be asking for a donation and we are hoping that if enough people support the project then the donation doesn’t need to be that high.  A thousand dollars seems to be a lot but $10 dollars from 100 aviation enthusiasts seems to be doable.

Hopefully you will see “Cub788” at a state festival or function next year.  If you choose to be a sponsor be sure and check out the luggage compartment behind the back seat.  Up dates on the project will be emailed to those that send us their email address.

Since the Grissom Air Museum is a 501(c)(3) your donation could be tax deductible. Check with your accountant.  Pictures of the inspection team and Cub 788 can be seen on our web page. We will keep these updated as progress is made.  Donations $50.00 or more will receive a piece of the original fabric (2” X 4”) that we took off the aircraft 8/8/2009.  The fabric is mounted to a “Historical Authenticity” card.  

We give tours of the Cub788 project to our sponsors. Scheduling must be in advance.

Thank you,

Roger Bitzer
Executive Director

Check out our web site and find out what the “J” stands for in Piper J3 Cub.