The 1946 Piper Cub J3C-65
My father flew this airplane a lot. I used to call it "the big bumble bee." We also flew an identical model plane, "the little bumble bee."
My father was a pilot. He flew all kinds of different airplanes: wooden airplanes, metal airplanes, fabric airplanes, and (my favorite) model airplanes! I can still remember the smell of the fuel they ran on... and how frequently we crashed them! Usually, they crashed during take off or landing, and these bad landings seldom resulted in serious damage, but sometimes, if you ran out of fuel or lost control in mid-flight, they got banged up pretty badly. My job was to hold the airplane on the runway until it was revving up to take-off speeds. Then, I would let it go, and it would take off up into the air! Round and round it would circle above our heads. Sometimes, my dad would hand me the controls, and most likely, I would crash it. But I remember at least one time when I had it going for a good long time. It was great fun!
My dad didn't crash a whole lot of airplanes, but his friend Bunky did! It is rumored that Bunky crashed over twenty airplanes, and walked away from each one of them! I went up once with Bunky and my father, and Bunky did a flip, and it was quite an experience for a little kid! Boy, was I glad when we touched down!
Aircraft Photo Gallery
Here are some of the airplanes my dad might have flown. Click on the pictures to see more planes from each of the three eras below.
Antique Aircraft
Single-engine airplanes manufactured before 1946.
Classic Aircraft
Single-engine airplanes manufactured from 1946 to 1960.
Modern Aircraft
Single-engine airplanes manufactured from 1961 to present.
