PIPER CUB J-3 / L4J

[O.P.]

Is this plane a "Solo from the back seat only" like the regular ole yellow cubs I've seen before? I saw it on Barnstormers, the full text is,


1945 PIPER CUB J-3 / L4J, C-85

The picture is here,


http://www.barnstormers.com/uploads/adp ... 07orig.jpg

Thanks,
O.P.

[C170BDan]

Yes... this looks like a basic Cub which would me a back seat solo. The Cubs that you can solo from the front might have a large wing tank and bigger engines. There is more to it than that but if you are Cub shopping that is how you might find one that you can fly solo from the front.

[O.P.]

Thanks Dan! I'll keep looking. I'm starting to get a thing for tandem seating planes that I won't have to pay for for the rest of my life. I like the way the sentinels,cubs and birdogs look. I think it would be cool to fly with the doors,windows off in the summer. And they are STOL type of aircraft also, I'd like to try the Sierra airplane camping thing. I guess if push comes to shove, I could always get a 67 Citabria, and paint invasion stripes on it.

[O.P.]

I agree. It's just that, given the kind of biplanes I like, Ymf Super, Upf7, yellow peril Stearmans, I'm getting back up into the T6/T28/P3-05/T34 price ranges. Which is something I'll have to wait on for a couple ten years. I'll take a look at the Moths. What do those go for these days? Is it STOL like?

You can fly solo from the front seat of an L4 if it still has the original military radio gear on the shelf behind the rear seat. What about a Champ?

[O.P.]

You can fly solo from the front seat of an L4 if it still has the original military radio gear on the shelf behind the rear seat. What about a Champ?

Sounds cool. I guess if the radio wasn't there, I could just use the equivalent weight in guns and weed. (I love that saying/crack) I'll check out the Champ too.

[bdk]

You can fly solo from the front seat of an L4 if it still has the original military radio gear on the shelf behind the rear seat. What about a Champ?

Why is sitting in front important?

[O.P.]

Why is sitting in front important?

I like the way the Decathalons and the Husky's are laid out. I'll admit I've never flown in a cub, but looking inside them, it kinda looks like it would be a pain in the butt to Solo in them. I'm probably wrong. I definatley plan on flying in one of them before making any permanent decision.

[O.P.]

OP,

You can get into a Moth for less the a Decath. beside you can always get the winter kit.

If that does'nt meet your fancy then how about L-19 or the South African Tail Dragger(Can't remember what they are called).

Cheers

Hi Col! By Moth, we're talking about a Tiger Moth, right? I just looked at the one for sale on controller. Me likee.

[gdenney]

Why is sitting in front important?

I'll admit I've never flown in a cub, but looking inside them, it kinda looks like it would be a pain in the butt to Solo in them. I'm probably wrong.

Flying a Cub from the back is far easier than flying from the front. You have more room and your knees are not up around your neck! Solo from the rear seat is not a problem at all. The trim can be quite a stretch, but loosen the shoulder straps and it is easily within reach. If I have passengers I still fly from the back (as do most people I know). You just have to ask them to move their head to the left or the right so you can see what ever instruments you want to see at that time.

Don't be put off by rear seat solo flying. Visibility wise on the ground, well, you may see a little more over the nose when sitting in the front, but not much more!

Glenn

[O.P.]

OP,

Yes I mean Tiger Moth fun plane to fly very forgiving and putts along at a nice speed.

It can be alittle tricky in a cross-wind, I had mine up on its wing twice not pay attention.

If your interest I might know of one hear in the republic that might be for sale, I'll have to ask the son of the former owner.

Cheers

Thanks Col, but it'll have to wait until next spring. I plan on finishing my private license in the next couple of months and then go directly to the conventional gear training and checkout. After that I want to checkout on every plane that I can possibly afford. I have a line on backseat checkouts on a YMF Super and a Cub, not that I can afford the Waco, It's the only bi-plane I have access to at the moment, and I can't resist. I'll add a Tiger Moth to the list and start looking around here for one for a possible ride/checkout. By spring I should be ready to get something, and my money supply should be built back up. Next summer I want to be flying to airshows around the west coast in my own rig. No matter how good of a car I go to an airshow in, it's beginning to seem sacreligious to me.

[bdk]

I'll admit I've never flown in a cub, but looking inside them, it kinda looks like it would be a pain in the butt to Solo in them. I'm probably wrong.

Don't be put off by rear seat solo flying. Visibility wise on the ground, well, you may see a little more over the nose when sitting in the front, but not much more!

One you get over the "fear of uncertainty" regarding forward visibility, it will come naturally. It is really just a fear more than a reality. You need to clear the runway prior to takeoff regardless of the plane, and if you set up your approach correctly, you can see that the runway is clear until you actually flare. Tri-gear aircraft are not immune from taxiing accidents either. And I've even seen a car to car collision on a taxiway (both too busy watching for airplanes!), so sometimes things just happen. The few taildragger taxi accidents I've been close to would not have been solved by sitting in the front- one of them was a Cessna 195 hitting a car. Clearly the fault of the car driver, and these accidents seldom result in injuries.

Some aircraft like Stearmans are really blind on the ground, so you just make adjustments with a few S-turns and some common sense.