You never really own a J3 Cub, you merely act as it’s steward for a little while. To say that you own a J3 would be like saying you own its history, the unique soul of the plane made from the memories of all those it touched before you. I came to believe this over the weekend as my brother and I inspected the plane that I now steward.
For the most part, J3 Cubs share a similar history. They were first built in 1938 with production ending in 1947. They were used as a trainer in WWII and by the time the war ended 80% of the US military pilots had received their primary training in the J3. There’s a lot more detail and variation, but generally speaking, that’s it in a nutshell.
What makes the J3 Cub special isn’t the history it shares with its brothers and sisters of various generations. What makes this plane special is each and every ones unique history and the impact it’s had on anyone that’s ever had one based on their home field.
The plane that I purchased today is no exception. As we inspected, fixed, and test flew the plane it was amazing to see how many people expressed surprise that this particular Cub was being sold, much less to a guy that was going to take it all the way to California. Actually, I’m pretty sure that if my family wasn’t local I wouldn’t have been allowed to buy it and take it off the field.
I heard story after story about the plane and why people had an emotional attachment to it. Stories like how this was the plane they first learned to fly in or this was the plane “ole Jimmy” used to land on top of moving train cars back in the 50’s. There didn’t seem to be one local that hadn’t flown it or at least flown in it. Also, everyone seemed to have an intimate knowledge of the planes history; who first brought it to the field, what it was used for, who restored it, why and how, and lots of other details. One guy even wanted to know when we were leaving in it because he wanted to get some pictures with the plane before I flew it away. It was like people were saying goodbye to an old friend.
But of all the people that have an attachment to this plane, one person’s is the strongest, Sherman Lee Campbell, the man who sold it to me. This plane belonged to his Father-in-Law from 1950 on. After a hard life of instruction, crop dusting, and air shows it eventually sat in pieces, retired, until it was restored and given to Lee’s wife. In 2000 Lee’s wife became ill and passed away leaving the plane to him. Over the past several years, the plane has been in its hanger; un-flown except for the occasional hop needed to keep all of its joints loosened up and in working order. It must have been a hard decision for Lee to sell his Cub, hard enough that a little extra money in the bank probably doesn’t do much to help soothe the loss.
The video above is a short interview that I had with Lee after we signed all of the paperwork and I officially became it’s new owner, sorry… it’s new steward.
Entries (RSS)