Help!
I managed to find and purchase the 1946 J-3 Cub that my grandfather owned in the 1950's.
It had been ground looped and totaled. I bought the salvage from a guy who had bought it with the intention of restoring and selling the plane.
I finished getting the plane together and airworthy in August of last year (2016). Since then I have been fighting with the FAA to get a registration issued.
The issue is the data plate. Unfortunately at some point the data plate was apparently lost, and replaced with something that is not valid (according to the FAA). I finally got the correct letter from the FAA (after seven months of back and forth) to allow me to purchase a new data plate from Piper (only $500!).
Now Piper has contacted me saying that they will not issue a new data plate because the serial number on the fuselage does not match the original build sheet.
That is correct, in October of 1946 the fuselage was replaced with one from a piper glider. I have copies of the 337 along with a letter piper sent the CAA in 1945 giving approval for the glider fuselage to be used on a J-3. Despite all of this piper is refusing to give me a data plate, and the FAA.
This seems insane. The plane has flown this way for over 70 years!
What can I do to get this plane legal again? It is sitting in my hangar rotting away, and has been ready to fly since last August....
Help please.
-Dan
I managed to find and purchase the 1946 J-3 Cub that my grandfather owned in the 1950's.
It had been ground looped and totaled. I bought the salvage from a guy who had bought it with the intention of restoring and selling the plane.
I finished getting the plane together and airworthy in August of last year (2016). Since then I have been fighting with the FAA to get a registration issued.
The issue is the data plate. Unfortunately at some point the data plate was apparently lost, and replaced with something that is not valid (according to the FAA). I finally got the correct letter from the FAA (after seven months of back and forth) to allow me to purchase a new data plate from Piper (only $500!).
Now Piper has contacted me saying that they will not issue a new data plate because the serial number on the fuselage does not match the original build sheet.
That is correct, in October of 1946 the fuselage was replaced with one from a piper glider. I have copies of the 337 along with a letter piper sent the CAA in 1945 giving approval for the glider fuselage to be used on a J-3. Despite all of this piper is refusing to give me a data plate, and the FAA.
This seems insane. The plane has flown this way for over 70 years!
What can I do to get this plane legal again? It is sitting in my hangar rotting away, and has been ready to fly since last August....
Help please.
-Dan
