Piper L4 Grasshopper Quartet - Duxford 'The Americans' Flying Day 2023

Four 1940s vintage Piper L4 Grasshopper reconnaissance and liaison aircraft, displaying together at The Imperial War Museum, Duxford, England during 'The Americans' Flying Day 2023.

Aircraft shown are:-
1/. 1944 Piper L4-H Grasshopper model J3C-65D (serial number 12776), G-BECN (Formerly F-BCPS), wearing United States Army Air Force (USAAF) markings 44-E and serial number 480480.
History - delivered to USAAF at Lock Haven, PA; transferred to Army Ground Forces;Coulommiers [B-58], Brussels, Belgium Jan45; damaged; Headquarters, Artillery Air Section, Ninth US Army 9Jan45; 50th Mobile Reclamation and Repair Squadron; returned to USAAF; 9th Air Force, Europe; registered F-BCPS 31May47, cancelled 9May75 as withdrawn;
registered G-BECN July 27, 1976.

2/. Martin Shaw's 1944 Piper L4-H Grasshopper model J3C-65D (serial number 10998), G-BFBY (Formerly F-BDTG), wearing USAAF markings 44-S and serial number 329707.
History - 29707 (MSN 10998) registered F-BDTG 27Jun47, cancelled 8Sep77 as sold abroad; registered G-BFBY Sep 29, 1977.

3/. 1944 Piper L4-H Grasshopper model J3C-65D (serial number 12193), G-BOXJ (Formerly OO-ADJ), wearing USAAF markings JD and serial number 479897.
History - 79897 (MSN 12193) to A. Martens May 15, 1948 as OO-ADJ. OO-ADJ cancelled Jun 30, 1988 and was sold to an English owner and registered G-BOXJ Aug 1, 1988.

4/. 1944 Piper J3C-65 Cub (serial number 12062), G-BKHG (Formerly F-BCPT), wearing United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) markings 63-D and serial number 479766.
History - 79766 (MSN 12062) delivered to USAAF at Lock Haven, PA; transferred to Army Ground Forces; 50th Mobile Reclamation and Repair Squadron; Headquarters, Artillery Air Section, Ninth US Army 4May45; returned to USAAF; 9th Air Force, Europe; registered NC79807 June 4, 1946; registered F-BCPT May 31, 1947, cancelled September 9, 1982 as sold abroad; registered G-BKHG September 13, 1982.

The Piper L-4 Grasshopper is a military version of the famous 1930’s Piper Cub. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Grasshopper/Cub is one of the best known light aircraft of all time. The L-4 was typically used for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, moving personnel and casualty evacuation.

In 1929 in the United States, as the economic crisis erupted, engineers and manufacturers joined forces to continue production but at lower cost. In the field of aviation, engineer Clarence G. Taylor imagined a light and economic tourism plane, which structure was essentially made out of wood. The first flight of the prototype took place in September 1930. The model was adopted and baptized “Taylor Cub”.

In December 1930, businessman William T. Piper bought the Taylor company, without questioning the production of the small monoplane. Real commercial success, the “Cub” was renamed “Piper J-3”. In 1938, while its unit price was just over US$ 1,000, it had already sold 700 copies.

The first to be interested in this light aircraft was not the US Armed Forces, but the Mexican Air Force, for the surveillance of its borders from 1939. However, US Civil Aviation selected the “Piper Cub” as its main training plane. In 1940 (when 3,016 copies were shipped from the factory), it only took twenty minutes to build a Piper J-3.
A few months before the United States entered the war against Germany and Japan in 1941, the Piper was selected in June following a call to equip the US Army Air Corps with an aircraft allowing to carry observers to spot and correct artillery fire. Originally designated as O-59 (“O” recalling its role as observer), the monoplane then took the name L-4 (“L” for liaison) from April 1942.

Nicknamed “Grasshopper”, the Piper L-4 was engaged in all theatres of operations of the US Army during the Second World War. On 'D-Day' 6 June 1944, it was used to spot and correct the heavy artillery shots from the ships of the Allied Navy. Throughout the battle of Normandy, it continued to inform Allied gunners while participating in the transport of personnel. Particularly lightweight, it was capable of taking off over a very short distance and did not require any prepared landing ground. Used by the British as well, the Piper L-4 was also equipped with improvised supports allowing the carrying of anti-tank rocket launchers (such as Bazookas), allowing for bold ground attacks against enemy troops and vehicles, including tanks.

After the Second World War, the aircraft was used by the Americans during the Korean War. France also used Piper L-4s during the Algerian war, until 1953.

Video and Audio content is
Copyright © High Flight

This video and audio material may not be reproduced in any form (except as the videos Youtube embedded video option on any other website), without written permission.