Next AOPA Sweepstakes: Superior Super Cub

A wrecked Piper Super Cub that has sat for 20 years, exposed to the harsh Montana elements for much of that time, will return to the skies as a completely restored, heavy-hauling Super Cub that AOPA will give away to one lucky pilot in 2019.

Father-son master craftsmen Roger and Darin Meggers of Baker Air Service in Baker, Montana, will perform one of the most extensive restorations AOPA has undertaken for a sweepstakes aircraft. The experts at Baker Air restore Super Cubs out of a love for the airplane, spending an average of 1,500 hours on each project. They’ve restored 40 Super Cubs, including Super Cub number 1 that won a Gold Lindy Award at EAA AirVenture in 2012 and Grand Champion at the Sentimental Journey Fly-In in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, the following year.

This 1954 Super Cub crashed nose first after takeoff in 1997 and partially burned after the owner and his passenger escaped. Baker Air will perform the repair and assembly, apply the fabric coating and paint, and ensure the aircraft is airworthy. The Meggers will work with Aerotronics in nearby Billings to install the panel.

Univair, Airframes Alaska, F. Atlee Dodge, and CubCrafters are providing airframe parts and modifications to complete the skeleton of the aircraft, replace components that were damaged in the accident, and boost performance. Consolidated Aircraft Coatings is donating the fabric and coating. Mum’s the word on the engine and propeller, but AOPA has its eye on more horsepower and a lighter propeller.

The panel will feature Garmin’s G5 non-TSO’d primary attitude indicator, aera 660 GPS, GTR 225 comm radio, and GTX 345 ADS-B transponder, making the Super Cub ADS-B Out compliant and improving situational awareness by displaying ADS-B traffic and weather data. PS Engineering is supplying the intercom. CiES Corp.’s electronic fuel-sending units and J.P. Instruments EMD 900 all-in-one digital engine instrument and monitor will give a precise read of the engine’s health and fuel status.

For the first time in AOPA’s sweepstakes history, the association will give away the aircraft with three types of landing gear: conventional gear, hydraulic skis, and amphibious floats. To increase the useful load and make it more, well, useful, on amphibious floats, Wipaire is donating a kit to increase the maximum gross weight to 2,000 pounds in addition to the floats.

Once the restoration is complete, watch for the Super Cub to splash in, ski in, or land at an aviation event near you.

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