Piper L-4 Grasshopper (USA)
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Museum Hours:
April 1- September 30
9:00am - 5:00pm
October 1 - March 31
10:00am - 4:00pm
The museum is open
daily year round (weather permitting),
except for the following days:
New Year's Day,
Easter,
Thanksgiving and
Christmas Day.
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The Castle Air Museum is chartered by the Department of Education and operated by the Castle Air Museum Foundation, Inc., a private not-for-profit corporation,
tax-exempt under IRS Code 501 (c)(3). The mission of the Museum is to preserve military aviation history for future generations.
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Specifications
Country of Origin:
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United States
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Manufacturer:
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Piper Aircraft
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Role/Function:
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Liaison
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Serial Number:
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22318
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Model Number/Mk #:
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J-3C-65
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Crew:
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2 (pilot and passenger)
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Power Plant:
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1 - 65 hp Continental A-65-8 air-cooled flat four
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Maximum Speed:
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87 mph.
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Cruising Speed:
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75 mph.
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Service Ceiling:
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11,500 ft.
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Range:
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220 mi.
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Weights:
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Empty: 765 lbs. Maximum: 1,220 lbs.
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Wing Span:
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35 ft. 3 in.
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Length:
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22 ft. 5 in.
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Height:
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6 ft. 8 in.
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Wing Area:
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178.5 ft²
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Armament:
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None
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Cost:
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$995.00-$2,461.00 (when new)
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Number Built:
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19,888 U.S. Built; 150 Canadian built
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# in Current Service:
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Many in private ownership
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Piper developed a military variant ("All we had to do," Bill Jr. is quoted as saying, "was paint the Cub olive drab to produce a military airplane"), variously designated as the O-59 (1941), L-4 (after April 1942), and NE (U.S. Navy).
The variety of models, as well as similar, tandem-cockpit accommodation aircraft from Aeronca and Taylorcraft, were collectively nicknamed “Grasshoppers” and used extensively in World War II for reconnaissance, transporting supplies and medical evacuation. L-4s were also sometimes equipped with lashed-on infantry bazookas for ground attack. These proved to be most useful during Operation Overlord, in the hedgerowed bocage country south of the invasion beaches, for spotting hidden German tanks waiting in ambush for American and British tanks of the invasion forces. Since the L-4 Grasshoppers were mechanically identical to the J-3 civilian version, the military versions were distinguished by the presence of rearwards-entended Plexiglas windows going over the top of the wing and behind the rear-seat passenger, somewhat aft of the wing's trailing edge. Nearly 5,700 L-4s were produced for the U.S. Army and 250 for the U.S. Navy as "elementary trainers".
In Europe, the final dogfight of WWII occurred between an L-4 and a German Fieseler Fi 156 Storch. The pilot and co-pilot of the L-4, Lts. Duane Francis and Bill Martin, opened fire on the Storch with their .45 caliber pistols, forcing the German air crew to land and surrender.[citation needed]
After the war, most L-4s were destroyed or sold as surplus, but a few saw service in the Korean War. The Grasshoppers sold as surplus in the U.S. were redesignated as J-3s, but often retained their wartime glazing and paint.
Other Points of Interest: