Barn Find in Texas - 1946 J-3 Cub (197 TT)

Fellow pilot (Jared from Ranger, TX) in a DFW flying club I participate has this great story. Jared is only 22 years old, but a real enthusiast and I'm reposting here with his permission.

The Ranger Airfield is now home to a unique piece of history. I acquired a 1946 J-3 Sunday afternoon. The plane, which was full of life for a short three years, has not flown in 59 years.

NC7057H was purchased by Charles Moseley of Coleman County in late '46. The plane, assembled in Lock Haven, PA, took a 30 minute test flight and was then flown to Fort Worth in Oct. 46. The trip to Meacham took 14.5 hours. For three years Moseley and his daughter Charlotte flew the aircraft 182 hours, bringing the total airframe time to 197 hours. For some reason in 1950, the plane was pushed into the hangar on their farm after a flight and would wait there to see daylight again on Jan. 18 2009. A 25 ft. Mesquite tree blocked the hangar doors.

The airplane is in remarkable condition. Minimal rust and a considerable amount of cotton fabric remain on the airframe. I would be very surprised if I have to replace any tubing. The family had done a fabulous job keeping up with and taking care of the paperwork. Though they are short, I have all of the aircraft logs and documents from the CAA. The most amazing part of what this airplane has to offer is that it has never been recovered. The details I'm finding and will duplicate should provide this airplane with the opportunity to be the lowest time, most original Cub flying. The only item I plan on altering is to not use the original fabric, which was cotton. I will use the original butyrate dope though.

I have all six instruments (they will be rebuilt), seat materials (they will be copied), belts, and even though they're not usable, the original tires with "Cub" inscribed in them.

Though the plane was completely assembled when I got my hands on it Sunday, I've done a very good job of making it a basket case quick. I've really jumped on this thing and want it flying as soon as possible. I plan on utilizing the plane through my nonprofit, Calvert Charitable Projects, to give rides to kids at Ranger and other flying events. What better way is there to expose a young mind to aviation than through the open door of a Cub.

More info from the grandson of the original owner.

Charlotte's last entry was a 15 minute flight on 4/13/1950, local. Charles last entry was a 30 minute flight on 7/1/1950, from
Mullen Ranch to Santa Anna. Charles made many more flights than Charlotte from the logbook entries.

It is the surviving family members' understanding that the plane was bought strictly as a necessity for managing two ranching operations
separated by an intervening county. For the past decade, every time I had the occasion to drive mother from family gatherings in the Austin
area and came back by way of Goldthwaite, she tried to pinpoint the exact location of the ranch, but she could never be certain. Until
looking at the logbooks a few days ago, we were not aware of this designation "Mullen Ranch". Rather than being a city, we
suspect that "Mullen" was a proper name associated with the land's former owner. There is a "Mullin, Texas", but the log entries are
"Mullen" and I don't think they would have made a mistake like that, certainly not repeatedly.

Charles and his wife Inez met in Santa Anna, but both of their familes came from the Mills county area.
At least from the time they were a couple, and maybe even before, Charles' best friend was Arthur Casey, who convinced him that the thing
to do was to concentrate on raising sheep in Santa Anna, where they were nearer to the market in San Angelo. He was raising goats and sheep
on the ranch in Mills County, but the ranch was divided by both a railroad and a creek or small river. These land divisions made it
difficult to restrict the movement of the herds, so that also was a compelling reason to sell the ranch and concentrate on his Santa Anna
operation. I suspect that once the ranch was sold, there was no longer a reason for flying the Piper Cub. But, like almost every other asset
my granddad and mother ever owned, there was rarely a reason to sell it just because you had no immediate need for it. Charles was
a very practical, no nonsense sort of man, and I doubt he would have let Charlotte go out and take the plane up if there was no practical
reason for it. Besides, this was just after World War II and there were still limits on expendibles that may have contributed to the Cub being
left mothballed in the hanger.
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I will pass this on to Jared, thanks Bob.