Piper J-5

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The Piper J-5 'Cub Cruiser' was a larger, more powerful postwar variation of the basic Piper J-3 Cub. It was designed just two years after the J-3 Cub, and differed by having three seats instead of two, a 75-hp Continental engine and a cruising speed of 85 mph. It was advertised as being a three-seater, but pilots of the Cruiser have said it would be more accurately described as a two-and-a-half-seater, because only a small child would feel comfortable in the third seat. The Cruiser also had a deeper fuselage than the J-3. The Cruiser sold for $1,995 when it was first designed. Only about two hundred remain airworthy today.

[edit] History

Throughout World War II, Piper tinkered with the basic structure of the J-5A, and by wars end, they had designed the J-5C. This version had a 100-hp, fully cowled Lycoming engine, an electrical system, and redesigned landing gear. When Piper dropped the J- designation system in exchange for the PA- system, the J-5C became the PA-12 "Super Cruiser". The Super Cruiser was more popular than the basic J-5A. They sold for $2,995 each. In 1947, two PA-12s flew around the world, and the worst mechanical failure they suffered was a cracked tailwheel. More than a thousand still fly today.

Piper also came out with a four-seat variant of the Super Cruiser with a 115-hp engine. It was designated the PA-14 "Family Cruiser". It was the least successful of the three Cruiser designs, and only about one hundred remain in existence.