.
It quickly became obvious to Hazel that the Cub was going to need recovering again in the near future, much sooner than
should have been the case.
As it turned out, a late-summer 1968 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!
Hazel’s Cub in 1968
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!
Hazel’s Cub in 1968
Hazel, assisted by her husband Glen and SIG factory superintendent
Maxey Hester, completely disassembled the J-3 and trucked it back to the
SIG factory, where they worked on it through the winter. Since the airplane
needed a complete overhaul, they decided to make it a Clipped Wing Cub
using Earl Reed’s FAA-approved plans and instructions. In addition to
shortening the wings and struts, the steel tube fuselage was sandblasted
and primed with zinc chromate. The wooden parts were repaired or
replaced as needed. The airframe was then recovered with grade "A"
cotton and painted with SIG SUPERCOAT MODEL AIRPLANE DOPE.
When it came time for the color painting Hazel, Glen, and Maxey all had
different ideas.
They had 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."
The Cub’s Continental A65-8F engine was given a complete overhaul and modified to produce 75 h.p. instead of its normal 65.
New cowlings, windshield, side windows, tailwheel, and metal prop were installed. Added "extras" 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.
In the spring of 1969, the Cub was trucked back to Ottumwa airport for final assembly. Hazel made the first test flight herself
and then flew the Cub back to it’s home at SIG FIELD. Pilots who’ve had a chance at the controls of Hazel’s Clipped Wing say it
is the sweetest flying Cub they’ve ever flown. Most modelers feel the same way! Over the years, Hazel moved on to snappier
and more powerful aircraft for her aerobatic flying, but none has captured the attention and affections of modelers worldwide as
much as the little blue and white Cub. It's a very special example of America's favorite airplane!
Build A Standard J-3 Or A Clipped Wing Cub
You can build either a standard PIPER J-3 CUB (84-1/2" wingspan) or a CLIPPED WING CUB (68-1/4" wingspan) from this kit.
All of the parts to build either version are included in the kit. The differences between the J-3 and the CLIPPED WING are
clearly shown on the full-size plans and are noted in the building instructions. Decide which version you want to build and pay
close attention to the instruction sequence as you proceed.
Engine Selection
Engine choices for the 1/5-scale Piper J-3 Cub are many. When selecting an
engine, please keep in mind that the Cub is by nature a lightly loaded airplane
meant to be flown slow. Over-powering this model is totally unnecessary and not at
all recommended.
We’ve found that 4-stroke engines in the .45 - .65 displacement range give the Cub
outstanding flight performance. It just looks and sounds "right" with a 4-stroke in the
nose. Our preferred installation is to side-mount the engine.