Flying and owning a plane is all about passion. But, sometimes when you have seen many seasons in your life, you decide it is time to encourage others to fly rather than continue to fly yourself. That is what the owner of a 1946 Piper Cub did when he decided to donate his beloved and beautifully restored aircraft to a teenager. Of course, that teenager, Kyle Carden, was infected very early with the aviation bug.
For the former owner of the Piper Cub, it was all about encouraging Kyle to get rated, first as a private pilot and then to pursue his dream of becoming a professional pilot.
At just 14, Kyle tends lovingly to the aircraft and receives dual instruction towards his private certificate. Of course, he has a bit of wait until he reaches 17, the minimum age to take his check ride.
Until then, he’s not only learning how to fly, but also how to take care of the Cub, under the watchful eye of A&P Phillip Grice, who is also his flight instructor. Grice is a long-time employee of Continental Motors, and the aircraft is equipped with a Continental Motors A65 engine.
Like all good stories, there is a twist to this one.
Kyle is only the temporary owner of the Piper Cub. After becoming a professional pilot and ready to move on to bigger and faster aircraft, it will be his duty to select the next teenager who will become the temporary owner of the plane.
In the meantime, his CFI thought it would be a great experience to gain a bit of cross-country experience and practice landing on various unknown airfields. Instead of organizing a few proverbial hamburger trips, Phillip sought permission from Kyle’s parents to embark on an adventure to fly to the biggest aviation adventure in the world: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
Kyle departed July 19, 2017, from the Mobile Bay area of Alabama, with Phillip Grice, to fly to Oshkosh. The plane is joining the crowd of J-3 Cubs converging on Oshkosh to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Piper Aircraft.
Kyle, no doubt, will gain a lot of experience during this trip of a little over 800 nm.
What a refreshing story. It is great to see that there are still great folks in our world. Phillip Grice’s generosity of his time and skills is a blessing and the owner of the Cub is a selfless, aviation lover. How fortunate Kyle Carden is to be touched by these two people.