A Very Special Cub and Sunrise

Click for full-size image.

This week's Plane & Pilot Photo of the Week is from Cub owner and enthusiast Thomas De Wilde, a longtime private pilot in the north of France near Lens. The shot is a different take on the usual dawn patrol pics, with the rising sun directly on the nose of the plane, the entirety of the flight seeming centered on that brightest light. We love it!

Thomas, who works in the international defense, aviation and security sector, shared the remarkable story of his Cub, which is not a J-3 but an L-4-H built in 1943 and delivered to the Moroccan Army that year in support of the 65^th French Artillery Regiment. It took part in the massive Operation Dragoon in August of 1944, during which more than 150,000 soldiers landed on the beaches of Southern France---more than half-a-million personnel took part in the invasion, including more than 75,000 French soldiers, who had a score to settle with the Nazis. The result was an overwhelming victory for the Allies, and the German forces had to retreat from the entire southern coast. So, Thomas' Cub is not only a beauty; it's an important living historical artifact of great importance to us all but especially to the French people. Thomas told us that "a lot of pilots have enjoyed flying it on a private basis" since the end of the war.

Thanks for the great shot and the great story, Thomas!

---

Miss last week's Photo Of The Week? Click here: An-225: A Look Back At A Fallen Giant In Action

Isabel GoyerWriter

A commercial pilot, editor-in-Chief Isabel Goyer has been flying for more than 40 years, with hundreds of different aircraft in her logbook and thousands of hours. An award-winning aviation writer, photographer and editor, Ms. Goyer led teams at Sport Pilot, Air Progress and Flying before coming to Plane & Pilot in 2015.