Piper L4 Grasshopper

[PorscheTech911]

Have any of you ever flown or been around the older Piper Grasshoppers? They were also known as Piper Cubs. They used them in WWII and Korea (maybe Vietnam?) as artillery spotters/light transports/ect.

Myself and a friend are getting part time jobs in addition to working at CAT at the local airport. Mt. Hawley Airport, Peoria IL. Part of the job is to earn our pilots licenses and I'd love to know more about the grasshopper because it would make an excellent first plane, and since it's technicaly an MV I can combine the two hobbies.

Thanks for any info, stories, photos and anything else.



PT911


P.S. Need to ask Clinto if there is enough flat ground to land at the GA rally

 

[drgreg]

I had a 1939 Piper J-3 Cub. It is a great plane, simular to the L-4 but civy. They are great planes and you really learn "seat of your pants" flying when you fly them.

 

[DKELONE]

Pt, over the years i have flown most all of piper products produced prior to the 1980's. While in korea in 1969 i flew an l4 & a stinson l5 owned by the roc flying club. They usaf gave those to the rok(republic of korea) flying club without considering that their pilots had no tailwheel experience. I instructed for the flying club & traded training for the use of both planes. I had almost private use of those for several months. Both were lots of fun. At the time i was an army 1lt & civilian flight instructor . I managed 3my in the early 70's.

 

[jasonjc]

My dad was a MP in the Air Force in the Korea war. They use the piper to patol the air field druing the day. The 2nd LT that was to fly him was a party boy and was out drinking all night. He'd gat the plane off the ground then have my dad fly it. So my dad use to tell me. He also told me that at the end of the war they were selling the piper's still in crates for $500

 

[PorscheTech911]

Thanks for all the great info. Seems to me that they go for about 44k in a restored condition. To bad the crate planes aren't available anymore Those are some pretty neat stories. I am about 6' 1" tall, do you think i'll fit ok in the plane? I know they are small for sure, and I dont mind being a little cramped (used to that from working on Porsches) Is there anyway to extend the fuel range by adding another tank or is the 8gal wing tanks the only option?

Thanks again.

 

[rwbrown72]

Thanks for all the great info. Seems to me that they go for about 44k in a restored condition. To bad the crate planes aren't available anymore Those are some pretty neat stories. I am about 6' 1" tall, do you think i'll fit ok in the plane? I know they are small for sure, and I dont mind being a little cramped (used to that from working on Porsches) Is there anyway to extend the fuel range by adding another tank or is the 8gal wing tanks the only option?

Thanks again.

That plane has about the same range in stock condition as my bladder does. Fly for a little while and land and get fuel and take a break. Then fly some more. Then land and repeat! I don't have any Cub time, but I have a lot of Cherokee and Seminole time. Good trainers.
I suspect the cubs would be a lot of fun. Go slow and enjoy the view.

 

[PorscheTech911]

Thats what I thought too. The view (based on YouTube vids) looks just incredible. And I hear they are excellent planes for beginners like me and seasoned pilots alike. I don't know if you have to pay to land, that would be the only draw back for me is having to pay at every airport along the way. Please correct me if i'm wrong here.

Also the Continental 64 is supposed to run on AVgas 80, but from what I've found that isn't available anymore, or very little. The experts claim it is alot like automotive gasoline, but that doesn't have the vaporization protection like the AVgas does. What fuel do you use in these engines today? And how much a gallon is it generally? I expect around 4.50-6 dollars for fuel (the Grasshopper only holds 8 gallons from what i've gathered)

 

[L999here]

...add 'em...

Not a pilot...but should be able to add an extra tank or two...either a bladder style or the outboard boat type. These should be easy to modify for your use....

 

[flyxpl]

Thats what I thought too. The view (based on YouTube vids) looks just incredible. And I hear they are excellent planes for beginners like me and seasoned pilots alike. I don't know if you have to pay to land, that would be the only draw back for me is having to pay at every airport along the way. Please correct me if i'm wrong here.

Also the Continental 64 is supposed to run on AVgas 80, but from what I've found that isn't available anymore, or very little. The experts claim it is alot like automotive gasoline, but that doesn't have the vaporization protection like the AVgas does. What fuel do you use in these engines today? And how much a gallon is it generally? I expect around 4.50-6 dollars for fuel (the Grasshopper only holds 8 gallons from what i've gathered)

landing at airport , usually just pay for fuel unless you tie down and stay overnight then they charge you a ramp fee for parking .

 

[PorscheTech911]

landing at airport , usually just pay for fuel unless you tie down and stay overnight then they charge you a ramp fee for parking .

Alright thanks flyxpl, when I make my flight plan I will call ahead. I think I may be able to do all this next year (thats my preliminary plan) I have Scooter scoping out the GA rally (if I can't make it) to see if there is enough flat land to do a short landing and take off, or if the road is good enough. I really hope to fly to the GA rally and maybe do some overhead photo stuff. I think that'd be awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW8GRJI6Kz4&NR=1

 

[doghead]

This whole plan sounds like another "fantasy" to me.

Hope all your uncles are doing well.

 

[Yarb]

At the airport where I go to there is no landing fee, no ramp fee, and no tie down fee if you purchase a certain amont of fuel. If you go to a larger/generally commercial airport there is often fees for everything, landng, ramp, tie-down, etc. Av gas at our FBO is around 4.75 per gallon. As far as what the engine in the cub runs on, aircraft engines can always run higher octane numbers of avgas. I would think that it would be the same with that engine, although I don't know anything about an engine that old so I definitely could be wrong. Good luck with the plane though, they rock.

I've been to Peoria many times, I actually went to St. Thomas school for a year when my mom lived there. I like it in Peoria.

 

[SoylentGreen]

Best friends Dad had an L-4 based at the now closed Saginaw airport north of Ft. Worth.
We used to go out and fly around the DFW area whenever possible.
This was in the late 80's, early 90's.
Longest trip was to Barksdale AFB to be in an airshow.
Attended several smaller shows locally.
An absolute blast to fly. Low and slow.
We are both 6' 1" and flew with no problems.

 

[rwbrown72]

Alright thanks flyxpl, when I make my flight plan I will call ahead. I think I may be able to do all this next year (thats my preliminary plan) I have Scooter scoping out the GA rally (if I can't make it) to see if there is enough flat land to do a short landing and take off, or if the road is good enough. I really hope to fly to the GA rally and maybe do some overhead photo stuff. I think that'd be awesome.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW8GRJI6Kz4&NR=1[/media]

IF you think Green trucks cost money, wait till you start flying!!!! I'm a CFI, CFII, MEI. Get ready to spend real money, even on a J3 CUB. As far as landing on a road or doing a short field take off and landing out at the rally, forget it! If I were your instructor, I would take you out behind the shed right now. All that stuff is possible with years of flying experience and a lot of time practicing it. Not for a rookie pilot. Period. Not trying to bust your bubble, but safety comes first. I have been instructing for a while now and I have lost two pilots to pilot error. Not a nice thing. One guy took two of his four sons with him. One last thing.... You could drive to the GA rally in a deuce faster than a L-3 cub. October in Illinois has low ceilings, high dew point and low freezing point. That means that if you fly into a cloud, you will turn into a big ice ball. J-3 doesn't have the capability to outrun weather, climb above it or go through it. You just have to land and wait it out. Just FYI.

Other than all that, I say go for it!

 

[PorscheTech911]

Thanks for the info guys. RW i was really joking about that, I would never do such a hair-brain thing like landing on a street or something like they do in the movies. I spoke with my supervisor at work and CAT may reimburse me for some of the lessons under their higher learning policy which would be great.

DH, I don't know why you act the way you do, but just remember karma is a b*tch and will come back to get you. You don't know everything. You only ASSUME. You don't know me, my life, my family, or anything other than what I say here. We both know what assume stands for and you definitly look like an...



Thats all I have to say to you about that.

 

[doghead]

Act the way I do? Ah, so people don't get bull****ted on this site, these people put effort and trust in others on this site.

When you break that trust, it's gone forever.

I know your past, and I can predict your future! Sorry.

Even with the modern marvel of the Internet, you can't just "delete" your History and pretend it never happened.


We don't allow people to assume"Internet lives" on this site, you got away with it once, don't push your luck.(read our rules)

• Keep it REAL. Be yourself. Don’t assume some internet personality in an attempt to impress or deceive the membership.

BTW, I'm not into Buddhism.

 

[PorscheTech911]

You still assume I made it all up. You really are full of yourself. You don't know anything about my past or my future. Moron

 

[PorscheTech911]

Now to get back on topic before being RUDELY interrupted...

rwbrown, you mentioned your an instructor and some of you others have flown/have licenses. What tips and tricks can you give for a prospective pilot? I'm passing all this information on to my buddy as well who is doing the same thing (working at cat, airport,and wants license)



Thankya Kindly

 

[DKELONE]

Pt, in the 60's we used roads as airports for agricultural operatios. Try landing on a road today & you will be my age before you clean up the mess you'll have with the feds. Another consideration about the j3 type plane is that it is tailwheel style & instructors qualified and current for tw instruction are few & far between. I'd suggest you get liscensed in a tricycle gear trainer from a school so equipped. Then get some experience & following all of that move to the tw ac. Tw ac are no big deal if you are well trained, experienced, & until you land on a rough field in crosswind conditions--that is when you earn your pay. I paid for my private-- a whopping $600 in 1962 & then pumped gas & washed ac to pay for the 200 hours then required for a commercial ticket. Being on the airport **** near daily let me get lots of time for no $$$ ferrying, moving, pickup/delivery, etc. Things were a lot less regulated & a lot simpler then. Get ready to spend, spend, & spend some more. Airport wages will not even come close. Good luck. I'm in pia & if you'd like more info just pm me & we'll have a cup.

 

[rwbrown72]

Now to get back on topic before being RUDELY interrupted...

rwbrown, you mentioned your an instructor and some of you others have flown/have licenses. What tips and tricks can you give for a prospective pilot? I'm passing all this information on to my buddy as well who is doing the same thing (working at cat, airport,and wants license)



Thankya Kindly

Not enough time to type it all. Better served up over a cold beer, but I'll give you lesson number one: Check engine oil and Verify Fuel Level!