Throughout the tumultuous business history of Piper Aircraft Inc., one very significant achievement stood out. That was the manufacture and distribution of the Piper Cub, the company’s first ever single engine aircraft built. Originally, it was called the Taylor E-2 Cub, designed in 1930 by Taylor Aircraft. It was actually sponsored by William T. Piper to be an affordable aircraft geared towards garnering interest in aviation. Later that year, Taylor Aircraft went bankrupt, at which time Piper bought out its assets. Thereafter, the name of the aircraft changed to the J-2 Cub after going through some alterations.

The Piper Cub aircraft is a small light aircraft that was built between 1937 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. Its first flight was actually in 1938 as a prototype. Originally, it was intended to be an aircraft suited for flight training, but to the surprise of Piper Aircraft, it became one of the most popular light aircraft of all time. And today, people in the general aviation industry still consider it one of those aircraft they would love to own or just fly.

The Piper Cub airplane had a standard yellow paint, which was its signature that allowed it to stand out amongst its competition. Just about 1200 of them were manufactured before a fire burned down the Piper factory in 1938. The company used that demise as an opportunity to further modify the J-2 Cub, hence upgrading it to the J3 Cub after the company moved from that location.

Leading up to and during World War II, the formation of the Civilian Pilot Training Program was a great opportunity for Piper Aircraft, as the J3 Cub was used as one of the primary aircraft for the American pilots. The first lady Eleanor Roosevelt even took a flight in a Piper J3 Cub during World War II for publicity photos to promote the Civilian Pilot Training Program.

There are a few Piper Cub aircraft still available today. Because of how significant it was at the time it was manufactured, many people still strive to own one in their bid to own a part of history. This one pilot, one passenger aircraft is 22'5" long and 6'8" high. The maximum takeoff weight is 1220 pounds, indicating just how light the aircraft is. It has the ability to reach a maximum speed of 76 knots, with a service ceiling of 11,500 feet.

The Piper Cub etched its place in history by having staggering sales figures as well as playing an integral role in American history by its involvement in World War II. If nothing else stood out about Piper Aircraft Inc., the Piper Cub certainly did. And that alone is enough to rank the company as one of the best manufacturers of aircraft of all time.