When Flying a 'Little Yellow Bird' Became a White-Knuckle Affair

Delivering a former Civil Air Patrol Piper J-4 Cub provides a journey back in time.

Gary Figgins

Wednesday, September 18, 2024 at 11:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

[Courtesy: Garry Figgins]

Key Takeaways:

The article details a challenging "white-knuckle" flight by two pilots delivering a 1940 Piper J-4 Cub through strong headwinds to the Thunder Over the Rock airshow at Little Rock Air Force Base.
The vintage J-4 Cub (NC32775) boasts a significant WWII history, having served with the Civil Air Patrol and been flown by Frances Nolde, one of the organization's first female colonels.
After being restored following hurricane damage and its historic lineage discovered, the Cub, in its CAP livery, became a popular and meaningful static display at the airshow, captivating admirers with its rich past.

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The windsock whipped back and forth above us as we completed the external preflight and checked the cowl fasteners one last time. Climbing into the bright yellow 1940 Piper J-4 Cub, one of my longtime flying friends, David Wilkins, and I fastened our seat belts and purposely made our way down the preignition checklist. With the “before start” list out of the way, we continued through the “engine start” portion, then inched forward to check the heel brakes and flight controls before moving on to the run-up.

The weather briefing we had reviewed a half hour earlier promised a 20-knot headwind that would require two fuel stops on the 130-mile trip from our home airport in Kennett, Missouri (KTKX), to Little Rock Air Force Base (KLRF) in Arkansas. The windsock promised that getting the little yellow bird into the air would be a white-knuckle affair. We knew the flight would be anything but smooth.