Video: Clipped Wing Cub - Possibly The World's Greatest Airplane!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 08:18AM
This video of Brendan O'Brien (O'Brien's Flying Circus) at the Rougham (England) Airshow in 2010 gives you an idea of why I believe the Clipped Wing Cub is possibly the world's greatest airplane. On just 100hp (or 90hp like the one I used to fly way back in the day) you get a very sporting, aerobatic leaning, antique icon that is cheap to fly and nothing but smiles, smiles, smiles. You can open the window on the left and the whole door on the right and be almost open-cockpit, or you can button things up and go for a high speed cruise of almost 90mph!
Brendan O'Brien and his 100hp Clipped Wing Cub (photo: O'Briens Flying Circus)
It's both an easy and challenging taildragger... there's something very cool about having to fly it from the back seat, but it'll keep you busy when you've got a big person in the front that you can't see around. And to me, it's hard to beat the simple beauty of an old Continental hanging its cylinders out in the breeze!
All things considered, flying just doesn't get any better than doing it in a Clipped Wing Cub! My personal financial recovery from the collapse of 2008 is both long and very slow, but I'm ever hopeful that somehow 2012 will give me the chance to wrap my arms around a Clipped Wing Cub once again : )
Me in N38365 in 1980 when I was 19 years old - my most favorite airplane ever!
N38365 in 2007 - it hasn't been part of my life since 1981 (photo: Terry Shepherd)
Reader Comments (8)
Pretty little airplane. Reminds me of the Luscombe 8C/E I owned (my first and last airplane). You just can't beat flying low and slow with a taildragger. It beats a C150 any day! I wish I never sold that plane....
Nolan- It's funny you mention the Cessna 150... that exactly what I was thinking when I wrote this, and almost made mention of it. There just no way a Cessna 150 can ever be as satisfying as an old taildragger flying low and slow!
Not clipped wing and not 90-100 hp, but EAA is giving away a J-3 at AirVenture this year (but I'm sure you knew that, Martt.) Raffle tickets are easy to come by and don't require a specific donation. Anyway, as long as it has a stick and a tailwheel, I'm in favor of it.
I can see what you mean about the Clipped Wing Cub as the world's greatest airplane. :) So cool!
In my humble opinion Charlie Kulp was the epitome of the J-3 airshow. It's tough to beat an Cub, and that's from a Champ owner!
airpigz lurker- yeah, I saw quite a while back that the EAA is raffling a Cub this time around... I'm highly in favor of this! I was gonna put a post up about it as well, but haven't gotten around to it yet, but I will : )
We just sent away our sweepstakes tickets. EAA chapter 22 raffled a Cub every year for several years during the Rockford conventions.
Martt,
Thanks for this awesome post! Nice 80's cub pic. :-)