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The rarest of all—a stock Super Cub?

"Stock", as in heavy Harrison oil cooler, heavy Prestolite starter, generator, lead acid battery, seat back shoulder belt, no shoulder belt for passenger, aluminum starter cable, single puck brakes, original instruments and radio in panel, original type tail wheel, short skinny prop? No thanks.

Jim
 
With all due respect to cub purists, if you are operating off airport on smaller high pressure tires and stock suspension, your airframe is taking quite a pounding, resulting in premature wear and tear on fittings, hinges, instruments etc. In the past we didn’t have many options, now we do.
 
^^^^^
This. Just because people "used to do it" on 850's when supercubs were cheap and disposable doesn't mean it was ever a good idea.
 
All this being said...I love anybody that flies a cub anywhere. Cuz cubs are what makes the soul feel good, so make it fit your lifestyle.

For those in the lower 48 with time to listen to some oral history...try out University of Fairbanks Project Jukebox. Hear tales of the ol' days up North and what kind of environments, conditions, aircraft, etc they flew. The overwhelming theme is that everything has always been done out of necessity--they didn't care what they looked like or who they impressed...there maybe more vanity these days, but we still have crazy bastards doing insane things (out of necessity even).

The first cub I owned (and wrecked) was maintained extensively by Bill Ellis. God damn that thing was sweet, and nobody batted an eye at it cuz it looked nothing special. There's always progress and reasons to make things better. Perhaps Jack Wilson talked **** about wing modifications, but who out there with slats, VGs, cuffs, etc disagrees? Cleo McMahan was flying a 65hp J-3 and probably accomplished more than most of us ****-talkers!

For those in AK or the NW territories, fly your cub down south and hang out with some ol' timer ag/barnstormin'/ etc. cub dudes...they are equally (or more) as crazy about these machines and lifestyle. They probably even have a 30 year old cubbie tattoo to prove it :)

The perspectives are all different and I have yet to venture anywhere unworthy. The love of cubs, in any configuration, outweighs who is right, wrong, or indifferent! So please, just go fly and do what makes you happy.

For me, I fly whatever PA-whatever I can afford (which isn't much)...and that comes in all shapes, colors, and configurations...I haven't found one that I haven't destroyed that hasn't put a smile on my face ;) Happy Labor Day
 
Through out a Super Cub rebuild you get to know a person. Thee are hurdles, there are choices that have to be made when that "oh $hit" is found. Thee are those "what do you want to do here" which is where I get a lot of questions as to why etc. That is where I have to look at the peson's mission, give them the advantages, disadvantages and let tem make an informed decision as to if they want or need that particular upgrade or mod. Joe came down and loked at Kirby's Super Cub when it was about to go home after rebuild and he will tell you that cost him some money, he really like the more modern panel and the comfortable interior over is all original set up. ;)

I think Joe's whole point in this post was he dosn't need to spend all of the money on gadgets to enjoy his Cub. It does what he wants pretty much stock. The young guys around him have all the cool stuff and he is ok with that too. He just doesn't need it. I got to know Joe over the years when I rebuilt his 1979 1000 hr. west Texas Super Cub and still maintain it years later even though it is a good 3 hour Cub flight. One thing no one can see is Joe's big grin everytime he gets out of his Super Cub.
 
Crash said:
^^^^^
This. Just because people "used to do it" on 850's when supercubs were cheap and disposable doesn't mean it was ever a good idea.
Click to expand...

Well, it’s pretty much all we had. I guess it’s good we didn’t know what would be available in the future or we probably would have just waited on the ground for them. And I never flew anything I considered cheap and disposable.. :)
 
My L18-C is as close to stock as I could determine. The only mod would be the safety cables and seatbelts. Lots of pictures taken of 18-1 in Oshkosh with the restore. Military colors may be a shade off.
 
Unless you consider the radio, transponder and ADS-B installation as "non-stock", I am flying a stock 90 hp Super Cub. Built in 1960, it has less than 500 total time airframe and engine. Still has the 8.00x4 tires and expander tube brakes. No flaps, no balanced elevators, no VGs, no nothing except what it came out of the factory with. She's a sweetie and I ain't changin' a thing! FYATWD_04.JPG
 

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So they do exist! Joe, yours is even more stock than mine. Besides the electronics I did add VG’s some years back. Well done!

Dobow, I’d love to see a picture of yours. Sounds great!
 
Damn Wood, yours is a modded up bush plane compared to Joe Norris’s. Since he’s got you beat, let’s go ahead and get the bushwheels out:p
 
A fellow addict sent this to me.....
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L18-c

Joe Wood said:
So they do exist! Joe, yours is even more stock than mine. Besides the electronics I did add VG’s some years back. Well done!

Dobow, I’d love to see a picture of yours. Sounds great!
Click to expand...


First pic taken when France sold to a flying school, second pic at the Didactic flying school in Belgium, and the first pic when it was restored in 2015.

n 0A73C258-BF95-4D32-B162-70EFF5B32DD1.jpeg

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This kinda reminds me of the guy who used to "moderate" the C170 Assn site.
Among other annoying behaviour, he bragged about having a stock 170B,
& chewed on other folks for profaning theirs with mods that he didn't like.
That is, until someone pointed out all the mods that were on his airplane.
"Oh but those are for safety"....
I quit that website long before I sold my old 170,
but I think he ended up changing his byline to "mostly stock...for all the right reasons".
:roll:
 
hotrod180 said:
This kinda reminds me of the guy who used to "moderate" the C170 Assn site.
Among other annoying behaviour, he bragged about having a stock 170B,
& chewed on other folks for profaning theirs with mods that he didn't like.
That is, until someone pointed out all the mods that were on his airplane.
"Oh but those are for safety"....
I quit that website long before I sold my old 170,
but I think he ended up changing his byline to "mostly stock...for all the right reasons".
:roll:
Click to expand...

That’s the great thing about super cubs. There are so many STC’s you can customize to suit you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Tom Ford and Steve Pierce are terrible people and are both good at using ones own words and actions against himself;-)

For the record Ford, I already got “my money out of mommas purse.” I/we, mainly her decided to use said money to buy patio furniture and rugs which happen to also double as dog chew toys.

Pierce, my “get out of jail free card” was actually permanently revoked after the purchase of my first two airplanes. Seems that I forgot to tell momma about the purchases but did the right thing and ended up telling the truth....two years later.

I did try and buy Jason’s alum. struts. He priced them at $1,000,000 which I found slightly inflated. That said, if Borers keep increasing in value, I may be converting an 82” prop into alum struts.
 
Ya, my wife is into quilting. When she bought her first machine I figured a $199 Singer was gonna do it. Ended up with a $3,000 Pfaff..... Last year she decided she needed a new surging machine and when I asked how much those cost, she stopped, turned around, gave me the look and said “well, they’re expensive, but not AIRPLANE expensive”... I don’t ask anymore, I just smile and nod....
 
Original super cubs?

Joe Wood said:
Am I the only one still flying a stock Super Cub? I’m beginning to think I am. Everyone I know who is flying them has added about every mod available till they’re beginning to look like bloated pelicans. There just doesn’t seem to be any end to the quest for the latest and greatest. The only thing I’ve added to my1979 Cub are vortex generators on the wings. Running 8.50’s and still have bungees (they’ve worked for 80 years), and I find very few places I want to land that I can’t. I’ve flown cubs for 53 years, 2 J-3’s and for the past 21 years my super cub. Never have bent one (yet) and the places I put them in when I was much younger would raise the back hair on most pilots. This morning I took off with full fuel from a 8,300’ field in a dead calm and a 9,500’ density altitude and was off in about 300’.

I can’t wait till a 45” bush wheel is offered! Then retractable stepladders.....
Click to expand...


I think your post got stolen!
 
Brad Dahmes (lurker) asked me to post this about his PA-18-95:

---

Hello Brad, ...Wondering if you would share some N8671C info on the supercub.org site? I’ve never posted on Steve’s site. N8671C left factory in 1953 weighing 779 lbs. , today still less than 800 lbs after installing shoulder harness, sealed struts and Scott tailwheel. Most fun cub I’ve flown, will hate to see her go but my PA-14 should be back in the air this coming spring.

ce067c45f171a8d2977b70cb.jpg


0b09c468559be5ef39c452f8.jpg
 
Cubus Maximus said:
Brad Dahmes (lurker) asked me to post this about his PA-18-95:

---

Hello Brad, ...Wondering if you would share some N8671C info on the supercub.org site? I’ve never posted on Steve’s site. N8671C left factory in 1953 weighing 779 lbs. , today still less than 800 lbs after installing shoulder harness, sealed struts and Scott tailwheel. Most fun cub I’ve flown, will hate to see her go but my PA-14 should be back in the air this coming spring.

ce067c45f171a8d2977b70cb.jpg


0b09c468559be5ef39c452f8.jpg
Click to expand...

I've seen photos of this airplane before. Beautiful bird. LOVE the Polar Gray! (My Pacer was Polar Gray and Pontiac Red.) Nothing like a 90 hp Super Cub!
 
KevinJ said:
Seems that I forgot to tell momma about the purchases but did the right thing and ended up telling the truth....two years later.
Click to expand...

I feel your pain. Although I didn't wait that long to tell momma, I pretty much did the same thing when I bought my baby. Went to look at it for a friend, which was the truth at the time. But when I saw that it had only 312 hours since new on it and was totally stock, I bought it for myself. When I got home Jeri asked me how it looked, I said "I bought it". She said something about buying it for the friend and I said "No, I'm keeping it". And that's when the fight started!! :eek:
 
KevinJ said:
For the record Ford, I already got “my money out of mommas purse.” I/we, mainly her decided to use said money to buy patio furniture and rugs which happen to also double as dog chew toys.

Pierce, my “get out of jail free card” was actually permanently revoked after the purchase of my first two airplanes. Seems that I forgot to tell momma about the purchases but did the right thing and ended up telling the truth....two years later.
Click to expand...

Your not alone.
 
Weird. My wife said you know what we need? Some anfib floats. Yes dear. I blame Flying Miss Daisy. He let me take her up in his cub on floats.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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