1946 J-3 Cub floatplane

My birthday present: flying a Cub on straight floats, on the Housatonic River. This Cub has a battery-powered intercom, no radios, no flaps, and no electical system. It is hand-propped. I found that I did not miss having flaps.

at the dock fueling turning around hand-propping taxiing out about to take off climbing out Tony river river cockpit and river cowling and river river bend I84 bridge river bend dam river and float docks river river bend river river bend approach landing taxiing back docking

We returned on June 7, 2014. The Cub's new engine has a different exhaust system, so the cowling doesn't fit, but it seems fine without it. We mounted the GoPro on the strut of the right wing. Rob hand-props the Cub.

hand-propping taxiing on the step taking off, with powerboat turning aerial aloft bridge over Housatonic approach, with geese touchdown idle taxiing head-on taxiing

Another visit to fly this Cub with Tony, October 13, 2014. The cowling has been fixed to match the new exhaust system. We mounted the GoPro on the right wing strut. This flight was almost entirely glassy water takeoffs and landings. I step-taxiied under the I84 bridge at one point, taking off again just beyond it.

step taxi idle taxi approaching the dock Tony casting off landing approach Housatonic River foliage bend in the river overflying the trees GoPro on wing strut under I84 bridge glassy water glassy water landing me and Tony

Another visit to fly this Cub on August 15, 2015:

Landing and taking off (on one float; it was a very hot day) on the Housatonic River.

 

Another visit to fly this Cub on Halloween 2015. The wind was almost dead-calm, so a lot of this flight was glassy-water takeoffs and landings. I had a camera along myself this time and could shoot photographs while Tony handled the Cub. The foliage this late in the season was mostly oaks. After the flight and lunch, Paul and I took a walk around Lovers Leap State Park to photograph the same area from ground level that I had photographed from the air.

Tony turning the Cub around taking off lake shore Candlewood Lake Candlewood Lake lake shore glass water step taxi from the ground foliage

Another visit to fly the Cub on 25 June 2016.

 


©2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 Mermaid Underwater Photographic. All Rights Reserved.

Contact us at mermaid@underwater.org.

Last modified 29 June 2016