Flight, July 1937

A LITTLE CUBBING
Some Impressions of the Taylor Cub: America's Idea of the "Flivverplane"

   NOW that they have become accustomed (again) to the idea of low-power flying, pilots are beginning to expect something more from a machine than a mere capacity to rise in the air and return to the ground. They are, in fact, and rightly, demanding a full-size take-off a short landing, reasonable travelling comfort and space for luggage.
   As one might expect from a country producing its own special brand of private-owner types, one of America's most successful contributions to the idea of flying-by-the-man-in-the-street, the Taylor Cub, is, in many respects, simply a scaled-down version of the "formula" which has, during the past few years, been most popular in the bigger sizes - the high-wing cabin monoplane, of mixed wood and welded steel tube construction, with straightforward flying characteristics. The scaling-down, however, has not merely been in the matter of size, but in all-round performance and handling qualities. Instead of 130 m.p.h. we have 85-90 m.p.h. as a top speed, but instead of 55 m.p.h. as a landing speed we have 30 m.p.h. or lower; the wing-loading has come down to suit the purposes of the machine, and the controls are lighter in proportion. At the same time these are pleasantly powerful and remain operative right down to the stall.
   Generally speaking, the machine flies more like a lightly loaded Mark I Moth than anything else, though the take-off is a good deal better (to the point, in fact, of being quite phenomenal when flown one-up), and the stall less pronounced. It is safely possible to bring the Cub in on a half-stalled sideslip, with the controls in two opposite corners; the pilot still has plenty of control left to take off bank and carry out the landing. One does not recommend this method of approach as a normal procedure, but it would be useful if it was necessary to put the machine down in a very small space. To quote another instance of controllability, we brought the Cub into Hanworth slightly off-wind, discovered the fact with only about 5 m.p.h. of air speed to spare, and fiat-turned into wind without difficulty or delay by use of the rudder alone. The majority of machines would have skidded for the first second or so and the drift would have been more pronounced than ever at the moment of contact.
   Stalling tests at a safe height showed that the Cub merely sank on a level keel with the stick right back, while the nose rose and fell gently against the horizon. The application of rudder caused a wing to drop momentarily, but there was no tendency for the machine to flick into a spin. Apparently the Cub can only be made to spin on wide throttle openings - a deficiency which, from the instructional point of view, can be treated as a good or bad thing according to one's attitude to such things.
   The occupants sit tandem-wise, the machine being normally flown from the rear seat. There is, however, plenty of trimming range and one can fly solo from the front seat if preferred, the only risk in this case concerning a possible landing on rough or muddy ground, when the forward position of the e.g. might cause a nose-over. The all-round view from either seat is excellent by cabin standards, and the two-piece door on the starboard side can be fully Opened or completely removed for summer flying (if any). Curiously enough there is little or no draught when these panels are open, yet quite a lot is experienced when the port-side window is opened by itself.
   Unfortunately the A.S.I, on this particular machine was virtually useless, merely showing nothing much at maximum speed and rather less at the stall. However, the standard spring-loaded strut indicator appeared to be telling a fairly true story; at cruising revolutions (2,200 to 2,300 r.p.m. with the Continental flat-four) this indicator showed 70 m.p.h., and at maximum revolutions (2,500 r.p.m.) it showed 85 m.p.h. On a carefully timed flight from Hanworth to Hatfield and back, with a 20 m.p.h. beam wind, the Cub's cruising average - including a climb to 1,500 ft. at each end but not the takeoffs and landings - worked out at 62 m.p.h., a figure which, in the circumstances, tallies fairly well with that indicated. The effect of the wind alone, apart from the climbing periods, would account for 3 or 4 m.p.h.
   In standard form the Cub is sold with the barest essential flying and engine instruments. Different buyers will require the machine for different purposes and additional instruments can be ordered as required. The wings do not fold. The official figures are given in the accompanying table.
   Although the price of the imported Cub is necessarily high by ultra-light standards, there should be a niche in the market for a machine which is quite practical and which can be used for training or leisure touring at very small running costs. Not only can the machine be put into ridiculously small spaces, but it can also be flown out of them with safety; as a flying device pure and simple it is as nearly foolproof as any fixed-wing machine can be; and the Continental engine uses an average of 2.7 gallons of fuel an hour in general work.

THE TAYLOR CUB (J.2)
40 h.p. Continental Flat-four Engine

   Span 35 ft. 5 in.
   Length 22 ft. 5 in.
   Weight, empty 563 lb.
   All-up weight 970 lb.
   Maximum speed 90 m.p.h.
   Cruising speed 75 m.p.h.
   Take-off run 125 ft.
   Landing run 100 ft.
   Range 200 miles
   Price L460
   Concessionnaire: A.J. Walter, 37, Lancaster Close, St. Petersburg Place, London, W.