Cub Aircraft Corp. Ltd. J-3C-65 Cub

General Description

The story of the Piper Cub starts in 1927 when two brothers, Gilbert and Gordon Taylor, decided to build a light plane. In 1930, their two-seat Taylor E-2 was first flown with a Brownback Tiger Kitten motor producing a mere 20 hp. This motor proved underpowered and it was replaced by a Continental A-40 engine of 37 hp. With this upgrade the E-2 was a flying success, but not a financial one, and the effects of the great depression forced the Taylor company into bankruptcy.

Oilman, William Piper, purchased the assets of the company in 1931 with Gilbert Taylor as president. Twenty-two of the revised E-2, known as the ‘Cub’, were sold in 1931, retailing for $1,325. Design changes introduced by Piper caused friction with Taylor, who soon after left the company.

By 1938 the upgraded aircraft, known as the Piper J-3 Cub, was being produced with a choice of engines from Continental, Lycoming and Franklin. By 1940 engine power was up to 40 hp. Piper strove for low-cost production and in line with this mindset he introduced a standard colour scheme – bright yellow trimmed with black.

The Cub was a two-seat tandem cabin monoplane. With a wingspan of 35 feet and a 65 hp engine it could achieve a maximum speed of 85 mph and travel 190 miles on a single tank of gas. The J-3 fuselage and empennage were made of welded steel tubing. The wings had spruce spars and built-up duralumin ribs, and the whole aircraft was fabric covered.

While other manufacturers, such as Cessna and Beech, were building bigger and faster airplanes, Piper focused on low-cost flying and in 1940 alone, Piper produced over 3,000 aircraft. This was mostly due to the buildup in flight training programs in the lead up to America’s entry into the war in Europe. After the war, it was determined that 75% of pilots trained in the USA under the Civilian Pilot Training program were trained on Piper Cubs.

During WWII, besides their training role, Cubs were nicknamed ‘Grasshoppers’ and were used for reconnaissance, transporting supplies and medevacs.

Almost 20,000 Cubs were built between 1938 and 1947. Postwar, brand-new Cubs were priced at just over $2,000, but the sales boom quickly dropped off and Piper turned to other more advanced models to better serve the needs of its customers. Piper developed numerous advancements from the Cub, including the Vagabond, Colt, Pacer, and Tri-Pacer, but these too were soon replaced by the all-metal Cherokee and other modern designs.

Though J-3’s were almost exclusively used as a training airplanes and for personal use, some were converted for crop spraying and fitted with 85 hp Continental C-85 engines.

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The J-3 Cub in Canada

In 1936, the Cub Aircraft Corporation was formed and operated out of a small shop in Hamilton, Ontario. The company provided sales and service for the Taylor (Piper in 1937) Cubs. The Cub Aircraft Corporation was also tasked with assembling some Piper J-3 Cubs from American-built components, to be later sold in Canada.

By 1939, the company moved their operation to a 25,000 sq. ft. factory they built at the Hamilton Municipal Airport, and during the WWII the Cub Aircraft Corporation was tasked with producing aircraft parts for various Canadian aircraft companies for the war effort. They also overhauled and repaired sixty aircraft for the RCAF, likely de Havilland Tiger Moths, Fleet Finches, and Fairchild Cornells.

In 1945, the Cub Aircraft Corporation finally tooled up their factory to produce fully Canadian-built J-3’s Cubs. These Canadian built J-3 Cubs were officially not Piper airframes and therefore should be referred to as Cub Aircraft Corporation J-3 Cubs. The company also began importing other US-made Piper models like the Pacer and Vagabond.

While the J-3 Cub was offered for sale in the United States with several engine options, the Canadian-built machines were only fitted with the Continental A-65 engine. Canadian-built Cubs had a higher gross weight than their American-built counterparts and also had fittings for floats or skis.

A uniquely Canadian version, the L-4B Prospector, was later introduced. This was a civil version of the US military L-4 and as its name implies, it was adapted for prospecting or camping and had an enlarged baggage compartment behind the rear seat. The rear seat and control column could also be quickly removed to convert the whole rear of the cabin into a freight compartment. A one-piece windshield and a cabin heater were also installed. An optional enlarged fuel tank could increase the range of the airplane from 250 miles (402 km) to 375 miles (603 km).

The Canadian prototype of the J-3 Cub, CF-BUO, was first flown from Hamilton Municipal Airport on 31 October 1945, by Harold F. Mitchinson. The J-3 and L-4B stayed in production in Canada until the end of 1948 with a total of 149 being built.

The Cub Aircraft Corporation produced 131 J-3 Cubs (c/n 101C to 206C and 208C to 232C) and 18 L-4Bs (c/n 207C and 233C to 239C). All other aircraft delivered by Cub Aircraft Corporation were either built in the USA or assembled from pre-made components supplied by Piper.

One of the only ways to tell the difference between a Piper built J-3 and a Canadian built J-3 is by looking at its serial number. All Canadian J-3s and J-4s had a “C” added to their serials, whereas all American built examples did not. There are nearly 300 J-3 Cubs registered in Canada, of which 38 are Canadian-built Cubs. There are also 10 J-4 Prospectors still registered in Canada.

Our J-3 Cub

Our Piper Cub was built in 1946 by Cub Aircraft Corporation of Hamilton, Ontario as a Piper J-3C65 Cub. With serial #174C, our airplane is one of the rare Canadian-built Cubs. It’s first owner was Coates Aircraft Ltd of Vancouver, BC. But after suffering serious damage in 1947 due to the hangar it was at Chilliwack Airport collapsing, it was rebuilt and sold to G. H. Clark, who then sold it to the Chilliwack Flying Club that same year. While flown by the Chilliwack Flying Club CF-DRU was famously used in a “world’s smallest runway” stunt performed by Peter Deck at a Labour Day event at Langley Airport. As part of the stunt, the Cub touched down on a platform mounted on the roof of a 1950 Ford Custom Sedan, as it sped along the grass runway.

Though built in Ontario, our J-3 Cub spent almost all of its time in British Columbia. It was operated by 9 different owners ranging from Terrace to Tofino, before arriving at the Canadian Museum of Flight. In 2020, it was generously donated to the museum by Douglas Banks and Mark Fortune of Ucluelet, BC, and restoration work began soon after.

The restoration was carried out under the leadership of Bill Butler and the watchful eye of Ray Fassenden. The majority of the work was carried out by the restoration team at past CMF president, Bruce Bakker’s workshop in east Langley. Final painting was carried out with expertise of Tony Walcott guiding the task.

Though this J-3 Cub was originally built with a 65 hp A-65 Continental engine, during the restoration process it was decided to replace the A-65 with the more powerful C-85 Continental engine, which would provide 85 hp. Additionally, for the sake of safety and ease of operation, an electrical system and starter motor were installed. This alleviates crews from having to undertake the task of hand-propping the airplane to get it started.

The museum’s J-3 Cub had its first post-restoration test flight on August 2^nd 2025, almost 24 years after its previous last flight. Since then, the Cub has participated in numerous airshows, helping showcase this wonderful and little known part of Canadian aviation history.

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