Piper
J-5C Cub Cruiser
NC33532
(c/n unknown)
The Cub Cruiser was developed as a three seat
advancement over the J-4 series. It became
the
forerunner of the popular post WW II PA-12 Super Cruiser.
Although billed as a three seat
machine
it would probably have been better described as a 2 and a half
seater. The rear may
have been
O.K. for a child but things got rather cramped if the third passenger
was a 200 pounder.
The original J-5A (below) with the 75 hp
Continental
engine was a bit of a foot dragger, but the
J-5C
illustrated above with the 100 hp Lycoming
O-235-C was a much better proposition.
Both photographs were acquired
from the Piper Aircraft Corpotation in 1947. Almost 1,500
Cub
Cruisers had been built before
the war converted Piper's
Lock Haven plant lines to L-4
Grasshopper production, or, in the case
of the J-5, orders
for US Navy HE-1/AE-1s.
Production
was resumed after the
war, but soon abdicated in favor
of the afore-mentioned PA-12.
Piper
J-5A
Cub Cruiser
NC40796
(c/n 5-1138)