Piper NE-1 Anyone?

[david layne]

This one belongs to my neighbour.

[marine air]

Sorry for the delay responding. Okay, when Garland Pack first started his glider business with the Cub towplanes, he started the business at the on campus grass strip at MTSU. After a few landouts, they were asked to move to the nearby Murfreesboro airport (KMBT) the high rise girl's dorms at MTSU are on top of where the runway used to be. The one small hangar is still there. It is used by Army ROTC as an indoor shooting range.
Garland highly modified those J-3's, they were very light. Some of the things I remember is of course they were finished out in silver dope, no paint. non steerable tailwheels and no brakes to save weight. rear seat made of fabric and front seat netal basketweave, no cushions. control sticks shortened, no grips just an open tube. interior left open, bare, no panels or floorboards. No wing root fairings, engine cowlings, spinner or hubcaps. Oil, fuel tank, and fuel reservoir all re-welded to reduce capacity and weight.
The prop had a very wild and illegal pitch. It looks like something off an airboat, or drone. Very fat at the root with a knob sticking a good 2 inches forward of the root. otherwise long and tapered. He carved them himself. Of course, no doors on the J-3 either.

[marine air]

To answer the question about can a 100 hp. aircraft tow a Schweizer SGU-2-22. No. But if you want to try, my suggestion is to attempt it at a closed airbase wher you have long runways and the ability to make turns to stay over the closed runways. You may get airborne but not able to escape ground effect.
There's a lot of math involved to determine how a towplane will perform. To simplify, the towing aircraft has to be able to overcome the drag of the glider being towed. No big deal. What is a big deal is the amount of spare climb rate the airccraft has to donate to the glider. The Schweizer 2-22 has a sink rate of 205 feet per minute. This has to be subtracted from the climb rate of the tow plane. Next, the Vy, best rate of climb for the towplane is probably going to be 15 or 20 mph. faster than V l/d or best lift/drag or even the "minimum sink" rate of the glider. So there's another penalty in climb performance.
On the Maule M-5 we used flaps to close the gap, which of course had a huge drag penalty. The lowest horsepower I would recommend to tow a two place glider is 150 hp.

[ScottD]

I just found this photo today. My Grandfather has a few flight log entries from 1943 and 1945 with this type of aircraft and this particular Bureau Number. I would love to get a picture of my kids with the aircraft one day.

[david layne]

This one belongs to my neighbour.

Actually I have just purchased this aircraft from my neighbour.

[Fouga23]

Congrats!

[ScottD]

Joe G., 224 was the one that I was speaking of. I am in Ohio, but will travel to see the aircraft.

[billtate]

I had my first flight in a NE-1, at least I think so. Back in April 1958 at Park Air A/P in Cobb County, GA.
This is how I remember it though I was only 14 years old. I remember it had a US Navy data plate
and my father bought it from military surplus. I have posted a couple of pictures of the aircraft on facebook with
my father, (William M. Tate) and my brothers and sisters. I would like to know anything about the history of this aircraft.
I believe it still survives some where in Georgia. It would be interesting to know if it was a NE-1.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?book ... =1&theater

[mike furline]

I had my first flight in a NE-1, at least I think so. Back in April 1958 at Park Air A/P in Cobb County, GA.
This is how I remember it though I was only 14 years old. I remember it had a US Navy data plate
and my father bought it from military surplus. I have posted a couple of pictures of the aircraft on facebook with
my father, (William M. Tate) and my brothers and sisters. I would like to know anything about the history of this aircraft.
I believe it still survives some where in Georgia. It would be interesting to know if it was a NE-1.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?book ... =1&theater

These are the only NE-1's registered with the FAA, doesn't mean more don't exist.

http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry ... 1&PageNo=1

[billtate]

Thanks for the info. I was wondering if a NE-1 aircraft could be built under military contract during the war but after the war the surplus aircraft rebuilt to J-3 standard and registered with the FAA as a J-3 Cub? Is this possible?

[Cubs2jets]

Bill,

N27139 is a 1940 Piper J3C-65 S/N 4389. This fits squarely in the serial number range built in 1940. All NE-1 aircraft were late 1941 or early 1942 build J3C-65's.

This aircraft is now registered in Tunnel Hill, GA (north of Dalton).

John Scott

[billtate]

Thanks for the help John. I must have missed remember the data plate on my Pappy's plane.

[Joe G]

The info that Scott has shared from his grandfathers logbook documents flights in bu no 26369 and happened at the locations and time that corolates with Navy records showing the aircraft being located in Anacostia and Mustin Filed. Very cool.

Thanks, ScottD