The Piper Cub in Photos

Thursday, July 26, 2012 at 12:24 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The Piper Cub, an aviation icon, is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Widely considered one of the greatest flight trainers, it is renowned for its legendary handling characteristics, attributed to its USA-35B airfoil.
Distinctive features include the exposed Continental A-65 engine and a unique open-door flying experience, with earlier models like the Taylor E-2 Cub undergoing restoration and the Super Cub introduced in 1949.

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The Piper Cub, an aviation icon, turns 75.

Piper Cub — Many pilots know the joy, and challenge, of making a perfect three-point landing in the Piper Cub, widely considered one of the greatest trainers ever made.

Taylor E-2 Cub — After 50 years in storage, this rare Taylor E-2 Cub underwent meticulous restoration to flying condition at the Golden Age Air Museum in Bethel, Pennsylvania.

Piper Cub — For the Cub, C.G. Taylor chose a wing shape developed by the Army and wind-tunnel-tested by the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics. Known as the USA-35B airfoil, it produced lots of lift and had good low-speed characteristics, giving the J-3 its legendary handling traits.

Piper Super Cub — Piper introduced the Super Cub in 1949.

Piper Cub — There’s nothing quite like the view out the open door of a Piper Cub. This image was captured in a 1938 J-3 over Maryland’s Fallston Air Park with a GoPro HD camera.

Piper Cub — The black piston jugs protruding from the yellow cowl are a signature design element of the J-3 Cub, which most often flew with the venerable Continental A-65.

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