A while back, while doing research related to our museum's J3C, I kept running into mentions of a Piper Cub "Trainer". There were enough references using the term "Trainer" that I started to wonder about how Piper actually referred to models of the Cub. I forgot about the subject for some time until, as part of my
project to find aerospace manufacturer logos, I ended up trying to find a good quality example of the wartime Piper logo. In the process of looking through ads I again ran into the issue, but this time I started to notice even more of a pattern in names and I was finally able to build up a list of them. In chronological order of appearance:
- Cub Coupe[1]
- Cabin Cub[2]
- Piper Coupe[3]
- Piper Cub Cruiser[4]
- Piper Cub Trainer[5]
- Piper Super Cruiser[6]
- Piper Patrol[7]
However, note that while some of these are technically separate models, no attempt is made to distinguish between them and only very rarely do the referenced advertisements make any mention of the official Piper designations (e.g. J3, J4, J5, PA-12). (Interestingly, one of the few times a designation is used, it is written counter to conventional wisdom with the inclusion of a hyphen as "J-3".) While this non-specificity causes the type of popular confusion that irritates me to no end, I have to wonder if this was part of Mr. Piper's marketing genius. (As an aside, it's also worth noting how consistently that the Piper advertisements appear on the same page in each issue. While this may just be a function of the way
Popular Aviation/Flying structured its magazine, it may also presumably ensure a potential buyer always knew where in the magazine to look.)
More advertisements specifically state that there are "four new models"
[8] and name the "Piper Cub Trainer", "Piper Three-Place Cruiser", and "Piper Coupe".
[9] As evidenced by the "J3C-40" and "J3F-50" designations, these are sometimes further broken down according to engine power and engine manufacturer.
[10] Yet, again, these designations are not specifically called out in the ads.
_________________
Tri-State Warbird Museum Collections Manager & Museum Attendant
Warbird Philosophy Webmaster