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3854 (J-3C-50: 1939)

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NX-4L

Coming soon to a lake near me.
Joined
Jul 29, 2021
Messages
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Location
Three miles down Four Mile Lake
3854 was built, probably in August of 1939, as a J-3C-50 and sold to a civilian flight club located at the Albrook Army Airfield near the town of Balboa in the Panama Canal Zone. Arriving by ship in October of ‘39, it was assembled and registered on the civilian rolls as CZ-121. Acquired by the United States Army in October 1941 it was assigned to a squadron that flew reconnaissance and security missions in the Zone before being sold as surplus following the war.

This information, like that provided to potential home buyers by a realtor, came from an involved third party-- a previous owner-- and is only partially verified. His handwritten notes contain serial and construction numbers and Panamanian, Tico, and Nicaraguan registration numbers for numerous other aircraft assigned to two wartime squadrons that used Mister Taylor, Jamouneau, and Piper’s Cubs.

From 1941 to 1945, 3854 along with its brethren was used to patrol the physical infrastructure of the canal itself, the locks, railway, roads, lakes, rivers, viaducts, and water supply pipelines. The other squadron was an air ambulance operation that exclusively used J-5As.

Eight airplanes of the squadron were A-40-1 powered Taylor E-2s. They were supposedly requisitioned from a flight school when the squadron was established in February of 1941. Joining the E-2s were six Continental powered J-3Cs, one besides 3854 was a -50, the rest were -65s. There were also a pair of J-3F-60s, and a pair of J-3L-65s.

The squadron didn’t have all eighteen aircraft operational at once. It began its patrols with five. Additional aircraft were acquired during the war. Twelve seemed to be its maximum strength. The air ambulance squadron had seven in total and six at maximum strength. It lost one airplane to a hard landing on a beach and a high tide that washed the disabled aircraft out to sea.

Later, beginning at the end of ‘42, more Cubs came. Three in that year and the next, then two more in 1944, and the final one in ‘45-- these replaced six aircraft that were rendered unairworthy in accidents. But apparently no flight crew were lost.

I know the grandson of the man who bought the two Lycoming powered Cubs as surplus in 1946. Their construction numbers are just three apart, and they had sequential USAAF serial numbers. Family lore has him paying $60.00 for the pair. The more expensive one was airworthy; the $10.00 one had a badly twisted frame. This second aircraft was disassembled and stored, occasionally being raided for parts before finally being restored in the 1970s.

3854 was sold as surplus in 1946 and spent a few more years “down south” registered as (R of Panama) R-6 and serving as a trainer with the Aviation Club of Panama before returning to the US. It’s been on wheels and three different sizes of Edo floats-- 1170s, 1320s, and 1400s. It was converted to A-65-8 POWER, POWER, POWER… It’s been wrecked and rebuilt a few times… Born yellow, then painted OD green and eventually recovered with white Ceconite and painted with red stripes to resemble a Super Cub.

I suppose 3854 is kind of like the guys that I imagine flew it and it’s siblings in the Canal Zone. A gainfully employed civilian drafted to do a difficult job. “Because… Well, somebody had to.” Then it just returned to civilian life after the war and went about doing whatever it was that needed to be done-- here as well as there.

Addendum, I purchased 3854 today, Thursday August 12, 2021...
 
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