Bargain Buys on AircraftForSale: 1947 Piper J3 Cub

First flown in 1938 and derived from the 1930 Taylor Cub, Piper’s J-3 Cub is perhaps the purest form of flight. Happiest meandering from grass strip to grass strip on warm summer days, the pilot is provided with a stick, rudder pedals, a door that can be opened in flight, and little else to distract from the experience. 

When evaluating various Cubs for purchase, a wise buyer pays close attention to the two most costly items to address - fabric and the engine. With full fabric replacement easily exceeding $30,000 to $40,000 and engine overhauls running about $20,000 to $30,000, these are the items that can make ownership a particularly pricey endeavor. 

Fortunately, this Cub has new fabric and a freshly overhauled engine, setting the new owner up for decades of reliable and enjoyable flying. With the average price of J-3 Cubs hovering around $55,000, this example provides new fabric, an overhauled engine, and full restoration for a premium of only $15,000. 

In addition to the above improvements, the restoration included new Grove brakes, Dakota wings, metal spars, and 18 gallon wing tanks. A new exhaust, propeller and cowl were installed, as well. Described as “better than when it left the factory,” the resulting showpiece is sure to turn heads, whether at AirVenture among thousands of other beautiful airplanes or at your local airport diner on a Saturday morning.

Perhaps best of all, the standard 65 horsepower Continental has been upgraded to the 90 horsepower C90. While this upgrade has little effect on the cruise speed, it makes this Cub notably more spritely than stock examples. The added power certainly makes tall trees at the departure end of short grass strips less of a concern.

For an iconic piece of golden-age aviation history with all of the big-ticket maintenance items addressed, it’s tough to find a better example than this classic Cub.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance and quickly calculate your monthly payment using the airplane finance calculator. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.