.
As it turned out, a late-summer '68 wind storm brought the Cub's covering problems to a head. With the storm fast approaching
and no hangar space available, Hazel quickly tied the Cub down outside. To keep the rudder from slamming from side to side in
the gusty wind, she grabbed a roll of duct tape and taped the rudder to the fin. Needless to say the tape held perfectly during
the storm, but when she tried to take it off later, huge chunks of enamel came off with it. The recovering project couldn't be put
off any longer.
After retaping over the bare fabric spots, Hazel flew the wounded Cub to the Ottumwa, Iowa airport. There the entire airplane
was stripped of its covering and inspected. It turned out to be in worse shape than originally thought. The wooden wing spar had
been damaged by mice and hastily varnished over in '65. The control cables were brittle. The engine needed an overhaul. And
the list kept growing. The Cub needed to be completely rebuilt!
Driving to Ottumwa (50 miles) every night after work, Hazel completely dissassembled the J-3. For better aerobatic
performance, she had 40" clipped off the inboard (cabin) end of both the right and left wing panels. This was done by a licensed
mechanic in accordance with FAA approved modification that were developed by aerobatic pilot Earl C. Reed in 1953 for his
Cub. (Several other J·3 Cubs have also been modified using Earl's plans.) All the steel tubing framework in Hazel's Cub was
cleaned by sandblasting and primed with zinc chromate. The wooden parts were repaired or replaced as needed. The
Continental A65-8F engine was completely overhauled and modified to produce 75 h.p. instead of its normal 65.
Hazel, assisted by her husband Glen and
plant superintendent Maxey Hester, then
trucked the Cub parts back to Montezuma
and put them in a basement room of the SIG
factory. Over the winter months they
recovered the airplane with grade "A" cotton.
When it came time for the color painting
Hazel, Glen and Maxey all had different ideas.
They agreed on the sunburst pattern, but
according to Hazel; "Glen wanted it to be red
and white, Maxey like blue and white, and I
thought yellow and white would look best. As
you can see, "Maxey is the one who actually
loaded the spray gun".
Hazel Sig taxies her rebuilt Clipped Wing Cub out of the hangar for its very first
test flight at the Ottumwa Airport in the summer of 1969. Approximately 3-112
feet was clipped off the root of each wing panel for better aerobatic
performance.
The almost-done Cub took another truck ride
back to Ottumwa in the spring of 1969 for
reassembly.
New cowlings, windshield, side windows, tailwheel, and metal prop were installed. Added touches like chromed cylinder heads
and top shrouds, streamlined bungee covers, a personalized Cub bear emblem, radio gear, and a new interior made Hazel's
Clipped Wing Cub one of a kind.
The first test flight of the reborn Cub was made at the Ottumwa airport in the late summer of 1969 with Hazel at the controls.
Modelers got their first glimpse of the Clipped Wing when she flew it to Doylestown, Pennsylvania for the 1970 RC Aerobatic
World Championships. Since that time, thousands of model versions of the Clipped Wing Cub have been built and flown all over
the world. Over the years, Hazel has graduated to snappier and more powerful aircraft for her aerobatic flying, but none has
captured the attention and affections of modelers as much as the blue and white Cub. It's a very special example of America's
favorite airplane!
Engines
The 1/4-scale Clipped Wing Cub can be flown with a wide variety of engines. In fact, there is such a vast number of good quality
motors available on the market today for a model of this size and type that it is impossible for us to recommend one particular
motor over all others. The engines shown here are just a few of many that we have tried in the Cub. Generally speaking, we've
found that any glow model engine either a .60 - .90 size 2-stroke, or a .90 - 1.60 size 4-stroke - can be recommended for the
1/4-scale Cub. Any brand glow engine that you choose, within these limits, should provide your Cub with good flight
performance.