Cubs 2 Oshkosh Brings Piper Cub Fans Together Once Again

June 1, 2017 - To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Piper J-3 Cub, the signature yellow airplanes will be celebrated during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017. The festivities actually begin the weekend before AirVenture kicks off on Sunday, July 23, at the Cubs 2 Oshkosh gathering.

Event organizer Steve Krog said the event is intended to honor the legacy of the Cub aircraft, which have been in use for 80 years.

“What it is, is a commemoration and recognition of the Piper J-3 Cub and the influence it’s had on general aviation from 1937 right up until present day,” Krog said. “It was the airplane used to train our fathers and grandfathers.”

Multiple Cub owners have been signing up daily, according to Krog, and attendees from more than 20 states and two Canadian provinces will send Cubs to Hartford before they continue to Oshkosh.

“Many of the Cub owners who participated five years ago wanted to participate again, and many of the Cub owners who didn’t participate five years ago wanted to after hearing about it last time,” Krog said.

Krog said Cub owners who have never been to Oshkosh or Hartford for a Cub fly-in before should know they are missing out on meeting a passionate group of Cub enthusiasts.

“If you’ve never done it, you have really missed out on a unique opportunity to fly your airplane with other similar airplanes, and especially meet and get to know other cub owners/pilots,” Krog said. “They are a unique group of folks that all have a true understanding of what grassroots flying is all about and really appreciate it.”

Krog said he fell in love with the Piper J-3 Cub by watching them fly from a nearby airport as a child, and summed up the Cub’s charm succinctly: “They’re slow, they’re noisy, they’re hard to get in and out of, but they’re still the most fun airplane out there. There’s nothing like it.”

The Hartford Cubs 2 Oshkosh gathering will take place on Friday and Saturday preceding AirVenture 2017. Cubs will launch from Hartford to fly to Oshkosh early on Sunday morning. More information and a registration form for the event can be found on the Piper J-3 Cub 80th Anniversary page.