EAA Sweepstakes Gives AirVenture Crowd A Chance To Win A J-3 Cub

By Maria Morrison

With EAA's annual airplane giveaway sweepstakes, all you have to give is one dollar ... and (hopefully) win a beautifully restored Piper J-3 Cub. The aircraft sits at the base of the KOSH control tower in a traditional yellow-and-black paint scheme. Nearby is a man sitting with a microphone calling out to the public to get in on the sweepstakes. Behind the glistening aircraft is a booth selling tickets. One of those tickets, bought by anyone attending AirVenture, will win someone this perfectly restored Piper.

The Cub was rebuilt by Ellis Clark, who currently lives in California. It took him a year and a half to build. This is his fourth Cub restoration, and he is currently working on his fifth. He did everything himself, from the wiring to covering the wings.

The aircraft has a 90 horsepower Continental C90-12F, and its wooden propeller was built by Sensenich. Everything about the airplane looks exactly how Cubs did when they first came out, from the exposed cylinders down to the Piper Cub logo on the face of the altimeter. Black leather adorns the seats, handgrips, and stick. The two-piece door can be open during flight to let in a summer breeze.

The Cub sports a more modern electric starter, and boxes to hold an ELT. There are lap belts in the back seat, where people solo, and the front seat. The cub can carry 18 gallons of fuel on each side. Heel brakes can quickly stop the Goodyear tires, covered in original Cub hubcaps.

Like every year, someone is going to soon become the happy new owner of an airplane from the EAA. Although only one person can get the cub, there is a second place prize. The second ticket drawn will win a VIP package for AirVenture 2016, including two VIP wristbands, two rides in the Bell Helicopter, Trimotor, and B-17, $500 worth of EAA merchandise, an EAA Lifetime Membership, and more.

Tickets are by donation, but the suggested amount for a single entry is a dollar. If you want six tickets, you can get them for five dollars. Thirteen tickets go for ten dollars, 27 for $20, 70 for $50, and 100 tickets for $70.

Money raised in the Sweepstakes goes to the EAA, specifically their youth programs like Young Eagles. The money is non-taxable and does not go towards any overhead fees.

FMI: www.EAA.org/sweepstakes