The L-4A
liaison aircraft, originally designated the O-59, was the
military version of the famous Piper J3 "Cub." The Army
ordered the first O-59s in 1941 for tests in conjunction
with its growing interest in the use of light aircraft for
liaison and observation duties in direct support of ground
forces. Between 1941 and 1945, the Army procured almost
6,000 Piper Aircraft. During WW II,
"Grasshoppers" performed a wide variety of functions
throughout the world such as for artillery fire direction,
pilot training, glider pilot instruction, courier service
and front-line liaison.
Dating back to a 1930
design called the Taylor Cub, the Piper J-3 Cub design
was vastly popular as a civilian trainer and sport plane
for at least three years before the US Army Air Corps
selected the aircraft to be evaluated as an artillery
spotter/director platform.
The first J-3s delivered, powered by a 50-hp Lenape
Papoose 3-cylinder radial engine, were designated the
O-59. 40 were delivered in 1941. Shortly thereafter, the
Army ordered a new version powered by a 65-hp
Continental O-170-3 flat-four engine. It was originally
designated the O-59A, but due to an Army designation
change, it was called the L-4A. 948 were eventually
delivered, and the nickname "Grasshopper" was almost
immediately applied.
Subsequent variants included the L-4B, with reduced
radio equipment and a 65-hp Continental engine; the
L-4H, which was almost the same as the B-Model; the
L-4J, with a variable-pitch propeller; and the L-4C and
L-4D, both of which were actually civilian J-3 models
pressed into service at the beginning of WWII. The US
Navy also purchased 250 Cubs for use as trainers, which
they designated NE-1s (and later, NE-2s.)
The Piper J-4E Cub Coupe, powered by a 75-hp Continental
A75-9 engine, was purchased by the US Army and
designated the L-4E. It featured a fully-enclosed engine
cowl, wheel pants, brakes, a fully-castoring tailwheel,
and a slightly increased wingspan. The Piper J-5 Cruiser
next entered service as the L-4F (75-hp J-5A) and the
L-4G (100-hp J-5C), and the US Navy bought 100 modified
J-5Cs and called them HE-1s. They were fitted with a
hinged turtledeck fuselage, which allowed a stretcher to
be loaded. (When the Navy realigned their "H"
designation for their helicopters, the HE-1 became the
AE-1.) An unusual variant, the TG-8 training glider,
consisted of an L-4 fuselage with no engine or landing
gear. In the 1950s, during the Korean war, the L-4 was
reborn as an improved variant, the L-18, and it served
in many of the same roles it had filled in WWII.
The J-3/L-4 not only introduced uncounted thousands of
aspiring military aviators the basics of flying, it also
became a versatile workhorse of the battlefields of
WWII. Many hundreds of J-3s are still airworthy around
the world, although it is not known exactly how many of
these once wore Army colors as L-4s, since many true
L-4s were later sold as surplus and repainted in
familiar "Cub Yellow." Most Grasshoppers are highly
prized and pampered by their owners, ensuring that their
legacy will continue for many years.
Nickname: Grasshopper
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