"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...

While a "Piper Cub" may not be a Taylorcraft or an Aeronca, I've seen
it applied quite comfortably to a J-4 and (IIRC) J-6. They probably
had a proper corporate nomenclature, but as canvas-sided,
tail-dragging, Continental-powered, products of Piper Aircraft, they
pretty much got stuck with the moniker.


There are those who use "Piper Cub" to describe any light aircraft, and some
refer to all of the long-wing rag-and-tube Pipers as Cubs.

My earlier statement, that a Piper Cub is always a J-3, was not quite
correct. While all of the Cubs prior to the J-3 (E-2, F-2, H-2, and J-2)
were certificated by Taylor Aircraft Company, a few J-2s were built after
the company moved from Bradford to Lock Haven and became Piper. The J-3
supplanted the J-2 six months after the move.

There were later variants as well, but they weren't just called "Cub". The
J-4 was called the "Cub Coupe", the J-5 the "Cub Cruiser", and the PA-18 the
"Super Cub".



I got my first flying lessons and solo hours in a J-3 and wish
fervently that I owned one today. Not much good for travel, but it was
easy to "dance the sky" and the yellow aero-doped wings were pretty
easy to "laughter-silver."


I own an Aeronca 7AC, similar performance to a J-3 but you get to sit up
front where you can see.