The time has come. The search is on. Our mission is as simple as it is complex. And yes, I’m aware that sentence is an oxymoron, but so is the challenge of searching for, finding, and buying the perfect airplane.
Let the games begin.
Most people will never own an airplane. Some of us, a small minority, will own several. I’m in the latter camp. I’ve owned six airplanes to this point in my life, and I’m not ruling out the possibility that I may own another someday. You just can’t tell. There are too many variables to make an accurate prediction.
My first airplane was a 1963 Cessna 150. With a straight tail and a windowless fastback, it wasn’t pretty, but it was a fine aircraft. It had new plexiglass all around and a brand spanking new propeller. The panel was an absolutely hideous shade of blue, but the price tag for the purchase was so low I couldn’t resist. After a very brief negotiation I took possession of the airplane and the hangar it was stored in for just 55% of the seller’s asking price.
Price matters. There is no doubt about that. Sure, everything is for sale if the price is right, but do any of us really want to pay whatever the seller asks? No, I don’t think so.
At least in my case I’ve found that I can get excited and motivated to purchase a wide variety of airplanes under the right circumstances. Generally speaking, my wife has been very understanding of this penchant of mine.
Then again, I’m equally willing to walk away from a deal if the price is higher than I’m willing to pay, or if the condition of the airplane is so bad that bringing it back to airworthy status won’t be cost-effective.
Airworthiness is neither voluntary nor cheap.
There is a 1940 Piper Cub J3 C-65 out there in the world that I consider to be the one that got away. I shouldn’t have sold it. I regret letting it go to this day. For all its limitations — and a 1940 J-3 Cub with just 65 hp and a wooden propeller has plenty of limitations let me tell you — it’s also a wonderful machine that is inexpensive to fly, loads of fun to take aloft, and a real challenge to fly well.
There’s another oxymoron for you. The Cub is incredibly easy to fly, but it can also be a demanding handful from flair to full-stop. It’s so lightly wing-loaded that even moderate gusts of wind can have a profound effect on the trajectory of the airframe. Its miniscule fuel tank says you’re not going very far on any given hop and the massive amount of drag produced by all the wires and struts and bits and pieces hanging off the airframe make sure you’re going to make every flight at speeds that can best be described as leisurely.
Yet for all that, it’s an amazing airplane.
I was the 28th owner of my Cub, if I recall correctly. It came to me as the result of a confluence of events that would be difficult to duplicate. The previous owner was a student pilot who was not having much luck finding CFIs to fly with. An injury left him unable to fly for a time, and a pending job transfer put him in a real bind. As it turned out he’d never filed the paperwork to register the airplane with the FAA either. Add to that error the knowledge that it still had an unresolved lien on its books from years before.
That’s a lot of baggage for such a minimalist aircraft. Since the owner wasn’t moving around well, post injury, I asked for and was granted permission to visit the airplane in its hangar to make a visual inspection. It had some rough spots, but I liked enough of what I saw to make an offer.
I called the owner, told him I was interested, and offered an amount of money that I was comfortable with. The owner’s response was less than gracious. He was insulted by what he considered to be a ridiculously low bid, which transitioned to anger that simmered for days.
I explained that I wasn’t trying to insult him and that I had no problem with him selling the airplane to someone else for more money. My offer was based on what I was willing to pay, not what others might find acceptable. I made it clear that if he ever found himself in the position of wanting to accept my offer, I’d stand by it.
Several days later he called me back, asking if I was still willing to honor my offer. I was. We closed the deal that day. With the help of a friend I walked the new acquisition from the seller’s hangar to my own. Getting a taildragger sign-off became the next order of business.
Details.
I gave a lot of rides in that Cub. I did quite a bit of dual instruction in it, too. It was a wonderful machine. But one day I found myself with more airplanes than hangar space and it drew the short straw. It had to go.
I still miss that Cub. I suspect I always will.
Both the C-150 and the J-3 were the perfect airplane — at least for a time they were. And that’s enough, I think. Perfect isn’t a long-lasting condition. It’s a fleeting moment in time, just a small slice of life, where everything lines up just right. As it did with the C-150, and the J-3, and perhaps will again with something else that catches my eye.
But if that Cub were to come up for sale again…that would really be something. Just perfect.
If your over 50 you will never live to enjoy new lsa rules
That is an asinine statement ! What makes you think that when people over 50 have been enjoying LSA privileges for almost 20 years already
Jamie, have you ever flown any of Van’s aircraft? I think RVs are about as perfect as any small aircraft can be.nearly. That ‘RV grin’ is a genuine phenomenon.
I built one and have flown it for over 20 years, with 1200 hours behind the stick. They are fine airplanes, but each model has it’s flaws which are, for some reason, rarely talked about. They are a compromise – no different than any other airplane. After 20 years of flying one, I’d say yes they are great, but also just a touch over-rated by “the masses”.
He who hath a nostalgia attack for the J-3 best heed girth expansion test to see if thee can still fit into the front seat.
This article triggered some interesting soul searching, and I like that it’s getting comments. The best airplane over time will be the one that depreciates the least or increases in value.
I love my Taylorcraft for dirt runways and checking my farm fields by myself. I prefer to not buy a glider, but like all four models of Schweizers at my club.
We have it really good in the US compared to most of the world thanks to the strong advocacy from EAA, AOPA, and others.
I think that the title would be more appropriate as; ‘My Perfect Airplane’. We pilots all have wishes and realities of what aircraft to own.
As was noted by others, there is no ‘perfect’ aircraft. We settle on what we can afford and the type of flying we do.
I’ve settled for an old Cessna C175B, for now; easy to fly, reasonable speed for a 400 nm flight, low fuel burn with 5 hrs endurance.
It’s not perfect , but I enjoy flying it…for now.!
In life there is the real world business transactions which are 1) win-win, 2)win-lose, 3) lose-lose. You chose, and chose to write (maybe brag) about your #2 win-lose dealings. Two people walked away from what was most likely a “fair” dealin their asking price. YOU . . .chose to bleed them. Speaks volumes of your personality. I personally don’t do business with chisler’s. Bargain hunting is one thing, chisling is quite another! Hope you have grown up since then!
Randy, I don’t understand how one can “bleed” a seller when they accept a fair offer. No one twisted their arm to accept it and if someone else is willing to pay more, or more than an item or service is worth to me, that’s fine for them and doesn’t make me a “chiseler”. Maybe you need to grow up a bit.
I know the author as well as the airplane and the former owner. ( J-3 ). From my undrstanding of what transpired I was always of the opinion that everyone came out of the transaction with a fair deal. Your comments seem unjustly harsh. These are decent folks who negotiated. No one forced anyone to do anything at gunpoint.
There is no perfect airplane but I think I have the perfect combination, a 1952
PA-18 Super Cub and a 1970 F-33 Bonanza. One for fun flying but with enough power, fuel and speed to make a 200 mile round trip enjoyable not an ordeal. One for hauling people and stuff cross country at 165-70 knots yet still operate routinely off the grass strip I live on.
I have the perfect j3 cub….just restored last year..its a 1945. 45’s were only built for 3 months..And finding a nice 45 is extremely hard…. very proud of this one…
We just had a local guy sell an absolutely beautiful ’45 . I don’t know what took but the advertised price was 29,500.00 . We have a ’39 a ’45 and a ’46 on our field. it is cool to have them around. The ’39 is in great shape as well. I think a lot of people are jealous that while Cubs climb in Value while the majority of others sink. A J3 Cub is just a joy to own and fly and it is a National Treasure !
I solved a fastback CE150 back in 1967. Very simple plane. The starter relay was a manual handle top center of the panel. The tower called it 3058 Junk. It needed an airframe overhaul.
The “perfect” airplane is a BEA36.
No such thing as a ‘perfect’ aircraft. Why? Because the aircraft is fitted to the mission and missions vary as much as pilots vary. The 150 and J3 are light sport aircraft. That niche is on the bottom end of speed and range and variations of weather and ceilings. These craft are suitable for hamburger runs and if you want to get punished more attempt longer trips following roads and picking weather windows.
C150 are not considered LightSport Aircraft
Obviously you know squat about the J3 Cub and even less about the Cessna 150. My J3 has flown to every corner of Alaska! Not just your stupid Lower 48″Hamburger Runs” , We have actual uses for our planes! And to pigeon hole a plane is stupid. Atlee Dodge once said and it is on video saying you can’t beat a J3 with a 90 horse and not ONE of you will ever come close to what Atlee Dodge knew about Cubs, PERIOD.