Piper J-3 Cub
18 models built 1938–1947 · 3,761 on the US register today
The Piper J-3 Cub, built 1938-1947 and the aeroplane that taught more Americans to fly than any other: a tandem two-seat fabric-over-steel-tube taildragger soloed from the rear seat. The designations encode the engine — J3C for Continental, J3F for Franklin, J3L for Lycoming, with the horsepower after the hyphen (40, 50, 65, and the post-war 75/85/90 upgrades the type certificate approves) — and an S suffix for the seaplane. The L-4 Grasshopper is the military Cub.
The variants
| MODEL | YEARS | ACTIVE | TAILFAX SCORE | WHAT CHANGED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J-3 | 1938–1947 | 104 | — | Registry spelling of the J-3 Cub |
| J-3C | 1938–1947 | 56 | — | Registry spelling of the Continental-engined Cub |
| J-3C-65/L-4 | 1938–1947 | 1 | 28.3/50 | Military L-4 Grasshopper spelling |
| J3C-40 | 1938–1939 | 0 | — | 40 hp Continental A-40 |
| J3C-50 | 1938–1940 | 13 | — | 50 hp Continental A-50 |
| J3C-50S | 1938–1947 | 1 | — | Seaplane J3C-50 |
| J3C-65 | 1938–1947 | 3,189 | 28.3/50 | 65 hp Continental A-65; the standard Cub |
| J3C-65S | 1938–1947 | 26 | — | Seaplane J3C-65 |
| J3C-75S | 1938–1947 | 1 | — | Seaplane J3C-75 |
| J3F-65 | 1938–1941 | 127 | Partial 13.3/30 | 65 hp Franklin 4AC-176 |
| J3F-65S | 1938–1947 | 0 | — | Seaplane J3F-65 |
| J3L | 1938–1940 | 15 | — | Lycoming-engined Cub |
| J3L-65 | 1938–1941 | 179 | Partial 14.5/30 | 65 hp Lycoming O-145 |
| J3L-65S | 1938–1947 | 1 | — | Seaplane J3L-65 |
| J3C-75 | 1939–1947 | 7 | — | 75 hp Continental conversion |
| J3C-85 | 1939–1947 | 34 | — | 85 hp Continental C-85 conversion |
| J3C-90 | 1939–1947 | 6 | — | 90 hp Continental C-90 conversion |
| J3C-90-8F | 1939–1947 | 1 | — | C-90-8F engine spelled out |
Family fleet, active
3,761
FAA registry
NTSB events / 1,000, 10 yrs
18.1
68 events over 3,761 active aircraft, pooled across the family
Successor
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · scores Sep 30