The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design that gives it good low-speed handling and short-range performance. The Cub is Piper Aircraft's most produced model, with nearly 20,000 built in the United States. Its simplicity, affordability and popularity have drawn comparisons to the Ford Model T. The plane is a high-flying monoplane with struts and a rectangular wing of a large area. Most often, it is equipped with a 4-piston air-cooled engine that drives a fixed-pitch propeller. Its fuselage is a welded steel frame covered with fabric, which can accommodate two people in tandem. Cub was designed as a trainer. It was very popular in this role and as a general aviation aircraft. Its characteristics made it well suited for a variety of military purposes such as reconnaissance, communications and ground control. It was produced in large numbers during World War II as the L-4 Grasshopper. Many cubs still fly today. Cubs are highly valued as flying machines.
