Life had been a bit busy and as things settled down, my wife said "I deserved it" regarding building a plane. Ever hear the term “striking while the iron is hot”? So I bought the plans and began to study. I guess I went a bit farther than most. I got out the balsa wood and engineering scale and proceeded to make a 1 1/2”: 1foot scale of the fuselage, tube for tube.
I even went as far as making scale jigs as per the drawings. Why? To make sure I could do it. This was the best decision I made. It took me about a month to build the model but it was worth it. I decided that yes, I could understand the plans so I guess I could build it. Now, I had to decide that the 2+2 was the right plane for me. More research. I found the best source of info to be on the Supercub.org site. I started reading every thread related to building and maintaining the Super Cub. I also noticed how many pilots out their love the cockpit room of the PA-12 and the PA-14. I know they are different than a Super Cub, but for the sake of argument, let’s call them a 3 and a 4 place Super Cub. Don't shoot me Super Cub drivers, I know nothing is a Super Cub but a Super Cub. I am simply making some generalizations here. I wanted a plane that my wife would be comfortable in with me, and for her sitting in the back seat won't cut it. So, as I read more, I found out that the pilots with PA-14's simply will not give up their plane. They love them. Close to the Super Cub in performance with a whole lot more room. I was hooked.
So, here I am building. I started with the fuselage materials kit from Wag so I could weld my own fuselage. The material kit is now about $1800. You can not beat the price. With the number of pre bent and pre formed fittings, it is one of the true bargains out their. I would be happy to give more detail for anyone interested. I also decided to build a wood wing. Why? Well, I have taught woodworking for 25 or so years and I know the stuff pretty well. Also, my wife doesn't mind the smell of wood and said I could build ribs in the house in front of the TV with her. During the summer of 2005 we were vacationing in Washington State and were attending the Arlington EAA fly in. And guess what? I found a mill that supplies spruce to the aircraft suppliers "back east" as the owner said. Well we picked out a beautiful piece (tree) of spruce and he cut and rough milled it for me. He then helped my son and I wrap it in tarp and he loaded it on top of my motor home. So, I got all the wood for the four spars, all the cap strips, and miscellaneous wood for the wings. All I need is the plywood. Cost, well less than $500 for all of it. Yes, I needed to run it through my plainer and cut it to size but so what. It all boils down to time vs money. The next thing I did was buy a set of Super Cub landing gear used for $250. And so the build began.
My shop; ready to build.
All in all, the 2+2 has been a great decision for me. I will be posting pictures here, and at Supercub.org as I go along. My reason for this site is simple. Along with keeping a “builders log” for the FAA I want to pass along all the tips that I have picked up along the way from other builders.