This is a repaint for the payware Classic Aircraft Simulations (CAS) Piper J-3C-65 Cub. This repaint depicts the restored 1942-built Piper NE-1 (a US Navy J-3C-65) BuNo.26346, registered as N61903, which was restored by Rick Kluver of Belvidere, Illinois. Today the aircraft is owned and operated by Joëlle Gérin and based at Lille Marcq-en-Baroeul Airport (LFQO) in northern France. 

During World War Two, the Piper Aircraft Corporation delivered 230 NE-1s to the US Navy (BuNos.26196-26425), built between late 1941 and 1942, to serve as "elimination trainers". Unlike later military variants, the NE-1s were in no way different than the bone-stock 1941 civilian model J-3C-65. Most were assigned to primary pilot training, while the Navy also assigned some examples to each of its naval air stations. Of those original 230 NE-1s, only about 15 are known to exist today and just a handful of those are flying. The aircraft were all delivered to the Navy finished in overall "Cub Yellow" (Lock Haven Yellow), with some even sporting the lightning bolts on the fuselage sides and Bear Cub logos on the tails, with those having come from pre-existing inventory. While in service, some were repainted on a local level to a derivative of the Navy's current camouflage scheme, but the majority remained in overall yellow with military insignia.

Unfortunately, I have yet to find any details on the World War Two history of NE-1 BuNo.26346. Acquired as a project, Rick Kluver of Belvidere, Illinois, spent two and a half years restoring the NE-1 to flying condition, with the aircraft receiving its certificate of airworthiness in August 2010. The nose art and name 'The Fighting Grasshopper' was added as a nod to the type's World War Two nickname, which was gained by the sight of so many Piper Cubs constantly buzzing around the military training fields, and the bouncing nature of the landings by rookie pilots. While owned and operated by Mr. Kluver, the aircraft was flown to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in both 2011 and 2012 and, with skis fitted, also participated in the EAA Ski Plane Fly-ins held in 2011 and 2012 at Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh. By late 2012, the NE-1 was sold to a buyer in Europe and shipped to France, though it has remained operating on the US n-number registry via the trustee method. Owned and operated by Joëlle Gérin, the aircraft is based at Lille Marcq-en-Baroeul Airport (LFQO) and has been displayed at a number of fly-ins around both France and Switzerland.

The color of yellow used on the real aircraft, NC61903, which I tried to match with this repaint, is a bit darker and more orange than how most Cubs are finished. The shade is meant however to accurately match the nitrate dope color called 'Lock Haven Yellow' that Piper originally used on all Cubs built before 1946. From 1946 onward, Piper changed to using a butyrate dope, which was a little brighter and more pure yellow, which became known as 'Cub Yellow'.

This repaint is based in large part on the excellent texturing work of Classic Aircraft Simulations.