Taylor J2 and Piper J3 -- huh?

[SoundBarrier]

So I have a number of hours in a J3 Cub and enjoyed almost every minute. Except the ones where the tail was trying to overtake the nose, which incidentally hasn't happened...yet.

I digress. I have only recently found out about the Taylor J-2 which I may have access to fly. I am starting to learn the bigger differences between teh J2 and J3 but I would like to know more about the history of said aircraft. Did Piper buy out Taylor? Who is this Taylor dude anyway? Do we like him? Does anyone know much about this transition from taylor to Piper?

Any info would be much appreciated!

SB

[treadigraph]

It's all here Soundbarrier: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_Aircraft. Follow the link to the Piper Cub further down the page.

Do we like Taylor? Of course, he started it all, and the Cub is everybody's favourite (well apart from Ian Seager!) baby aeroplane isn't it? Well. it's mine anyway. :ok:

I've only ridden in a Cub once, not sure if it was 65hp or a 90hp model but it had seaboots on and carried aloft all that drag, plus the pilot and I who must have weighed 400lbs or more between us... Been towed up behind a 150hp Super several times as well. Nice.

[SoundBarrier]

teadigraph - you are so right. The cub is awesome, and thanks for the link.

If you were here in NZ I would organise to get you up in said aircraft!!! :)

[barit1]

Taylor is the same chap who later built the Taylorcraft A and B (BC, BF, BL etc) and the WWII L-2. Auster later built some (under license I'm sure).

The T-craft's an excellent performer on 65 hp (early ones were 40 hp), tended to float if over 55 mph on approach, and a bit claustrophobic if you're over 5'9".

[Speedbird48]

There is plenty in the various books to show the history from the Taylor factory at Bradford PA to Piper at Lock Haven. "Mr. Piper and his Cubs", is a good one.

The J2 could have been a Taylor machine or a Piper one. The Taylor ones were not completely closed in whereas the Piper J2 was very similar to a J3.

I have flown both, and owned several of them. The Piper J2 had a Continental A-40, 40hp. originally. The engine was not too reliable and had a one piece combined cylinder head on each side, and separate cylinders, whereas the A-65 had separate cylinders with their own cylinder heads. They also had a tail skid on the J2 instead of a tailwheel like the J3. The J3 was a great improvement with the Continental A-65 of 65 hp.

The rudder on the J2 was slightly different and the tailskid was not stearable. The J2 also had a 3 piece windshield instead of the one piece molded one on the J3.

Both fly about the same. get the speed right and it will fly right!!