Piper NE-1 Anyone?

[marine air]

I was down in Eagleville , Tn. today flying a Piper PA-15 and all day kept seeing a Cub in military markings. I was told that it is the last of it's kind, a 1940 Navy NE-1 Cub. It is at the Gliderport and is available for instruction and rental. Talk about a rare working warbird!

[mike13]

The NE-1 was the Navy's version of the Piper L-4A and was used for flight instruction in the USMC glider program as well as utility. Looks like you can't keep the old girl from her old ways.
mike13

[RyanShort1]

Can you get a picture and a company / school name?

Ryan

[JBoyle]

The MAAM in Penn, their website says thay have a NE-1.
Plus there are a few HE/AE-1s (J-5s with opening turtledecks) out there.

[marine air]

i will try to get pictures of it the next time I go down to fly the Piper PA-15. This NE-1 is an all Navy Yellow with black U.S. Navy letters on the sides. It has the roundels on the top and bottom of each wing. No red in the center, and they appear oversized .

[RyanShort1]

i will try to get pictures of it the next time I go down to fly the Piper PA-15. This NE-1 is an all Navy Yellow with black U.S. Navy letters on the sides. It has the roundels on the top and bottom of each wing. No red in the center, and they appear oversized .

Thanks! Sounds like a neat bird.

Ryan

[Cubs2jets]

Piper sold the Navy 230 NE-1's as "elimination trainers". The NE-1's were off the shelf, bone stock 1941 J3C-65's with battery powered nav lights ( a factory option). By serial number there are approximately 15 NE-1's still in existance. NONE are finished in their military markings.

The aircraft were delivered to the Navy finished in overall Cub yellow. As many came from existing inventory, some had lightning bolts on the fuselage sides and some had Bear Cub logos on the tails. Original insignia included the star with the red center "ball" Top and bottom of BOTH wings, but not on the fuselage. Later the insignia migrated to the correct locations and to later styles. During service, some were repainted on a local level to a derivitave of the Navy's current camoflage scheme, but the majority remained in overall yellow.

The MAAM NE-1 is completely disassembled and in storage.

C2j

[mike13]

William T. Larkins fine book of U.S.Navy and Marine aircraft has a photo taken by him showing Piper NE-1 BuNo 26322 in full military markings circa 1943. Also Squadron's U.S liaison aircraft has a picture of a NE-1 which was passed to the 1st Marine Provisional Observation Group retataining its USAAF number 43-30170 and USMC on the tail fin and listed as being painted Semi-Gloss Sea Blue and Neutral Gray in 1944 and shown parked in the Russell Islands.. This could have been a L-4 in reality but may very well have been called a NE-1 by the Marines. A profile is given of NE-1 BuNo 26358 from Airship Squadron 32 similarly painted in 1944 again with stars and bars on the wings/fuselage and the serial and designation on the fin/rudder. Just some variations on the normal overall aluminum or orange-Yellow
mike13

[Cubs2jets]

Insignia/markings of course did change during service. I doubt that by late war any NE-1's still carried the original style markings.

I believe the Larkins photo is actually form 1945(?) and is of the aircraft when up for "War Assets" sale? The Marine "NE-1" you refer to in the Squadron/Signal book is an Army L4 "baled" to the USMC. The "Airship Squadron 32" NE-1 only served with the squadron for less than 9 months and I have pictures of it in 3 variations of the scheme. Must have been the CO's plane.

There were 10 (20 ordered, but 10 canceled) NE-2's which were L4H's with the greenhouse glass. Otherwise all NE-1's had standard J3 windows. I believe that by S/N, about half of the NE-2's still exist.

C2j

[Cubs2jets]

I have most, if not all NE-1 photographs from the National Archives, NMNA, Piper and the Smithsonian. All photographs show the aircraft in U.S. Navy markings.

By late 1944 the U.S. Marine Corps operated about 1/3 of the NE-1's in inventory, yet I can find NO pictures of an NE-1 so marked. I have tried the NMUSMC, MCAS Cherry Point, MCAS Beaufort, and the Flying Leathernecks Museum and come up empty handed.

Anybody got a lead on a picture of an NE-1 in USMC markings?

Thanks!

C2j

[AFML]

Try:

http://www.usmc.mil/news/publications/D ... 8700_1.pdf

Has info and a few pics on Marine Observation Squadron Six.

Wes

[Joe G]

The aircraft that was mentioned to start this thread is no longer availible for training or rides. I purchased it this week and am looking forward to flying it to different cub events.

[Dan K]

The aircraft that was mentioned to start this thread is no longer availible for training or rides. I purchased it this week and am looking forward to flying it to different cub events.

Congratulations on that purchase and welcome to WIX. I'm sure many (myself included) would love to see some pics of your aircraft.

Are you at liberty to divulge your home airport?

[Joe G]

Thanks - Mine is small potatoes compared to most of the equioment mentioned in this forum but I am excited just the same. I want to get it off the dirt floor it sits on very soon. Not sure were I am going to take it just yet.

[jdvoss]

Yes, I have found a wartime photo of a USMC marked NE-1 !!!

RE: Flying Leathernecks of World War II by Thomas E. Doll, page 52.

The referenced book shows three of the aircraft parked on the island of Pavuvu, Russell Islands in August 1944. Although the photo is in B&W the aircraft "appear" to be painted dark blue but then again...it could be olive drab. On the tail there is a simple "USMC" written above the BuNo of 43-30170. Further, just above the expression USMC there is an undentified painted winged emblem. Actually both tail markings seem to be oversize compared to normal stenciled nomenclature of period naval aircraft (probably because the USMC re-painted the aircraft!).

FWIW, this same book has a photo of a USMC marked Timm N2T.

The referenced book is available on Amazon.com (20+..all inexpensive)