WHAT AIRPLANE IS THIS?

The correct answer for the second Name the Airplane contest is the Piper J-5 Cruiser introduced in the late 1930’s. The pictured aircraft is either a J-5A or J-5B model; the A model having a Lycoming engine and the B model a Continental.

The PA-12 interior on the left is a lot better looking than the J-5A’s sparse appointments.
(Photo courtesy of www.airbum.com)

The J-5 was really a redesigned J-3 Cub with added horsepower. The fuselage was widened to allow side-by-side seating, but with a difference. The side-by-side seats were for passengers and were in the rear (although there were dual controls back there). The single pilot’s seat was up front.

The 75 hp Cruiser (10 more than the Cub) was supposed to carry three people but they had best be very thin people. The J-5 airframe was 150 lb. heavier than the J-3, was wider and still had a partially exposed engine and landing gear suspension. The drag was the same as the Cub and the weight more. With practically the same power, the J-5 A and B models climbed at less than 400 fpm.

A restored J-5A Cruiser (Photo courtesy of www.airbum.com)

Piper finally offered a 90 hp version that did OK, but still offered only moderate climb performance. But the J-5 did live up to its name in that it had an 18 gallon gas tank (with options for 9 or 18 additional gallons) and could cruise around 90 mph with the 90 hp engine. Stall speed was an amazing 35 mph.

Piper introduced the J-5C in early 1942 but production was halted by WW II after only 35 were built. The C model featured a 100 hp Continental engine (the same one still used in C-152 aircraft) with a fully enclosed engine and landing gear suspension. The cruise speed increased to over 100 mph. During the war, the army used J-5s as liaison and spotting aircraft, calling them the L-4F Grasshopper. The J-5C entered service as the L-4G. The Navy bought 100 C models calling them the HE-1 (later the AE-1, which probably confused many early Skyraider drivers).

A restored PA-12 Super Cruiser
(Photo courtesy of www.airbum.com)

After the war, Piper again manufactured the J-5C but changed the designation and name. The same aircraft, with better steel in the fuselage, now became the PA-12 Super Cruiser. Manufactured for just two years, 1946-47 with over 3,700 built, the Super Cruiser has become a very sought after light aircraft. Total production for the J-5, all models, was just 1,400.
As to the clues:

“Clarence Taylor designed many of Piper's aircraft so some of them look like Taylorcrafts” was designed to present the possibility that this aircraft was made by Piper. Since C.G Taylor designed the J-3 Cub and the J-5 is almost a J-3 it does resemble a Taylorcraft so this clue tried to eliminate any Taylor-designed airplanes.

“J-3 Cubs were not the only Pipers with partially exposed engines” was meant to eliminate the Cub as a possibility. Website pictures are not always the clearest since detail must be sparse. There should not be any confusion caused by poor photo reproduction in a contest so we wanted to eliminate the Cub as a possible answer.

“Didn't Piper make a "Cruiser" before they made the Super Cruiser” was a give-away that there was such a thing as a J-5 Cruiser. If any of the clues actually reinforce an answer like this, you will know that it is the correct answer. The clues are designed to help, never to confuse.

“Most model aircraft, even the largest ones, do not usually fly above the clouds” was there to make sure the photo quality did not cause any confusion. In photos, aircraft without size references often look like their full-size counterparts. This is especially true in web photos.

I don’t know what the third largest RC model aircraft ever built is, but suspect it could be either the 1/3 scale Lancaster Bomber or ½ Scale Spitfire models that were flown across the English channel on one of the D-Day anniversaries. For all I know, someone out there has built a ½ scale B-36 and is riding around in it.

Thank you again to all who entered. The winner of the J-5 contest will be announced in next month’s answer.

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