1943 Piper L-4B 43-1285

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 616

Good Morning Gentlemen,

I am new to this site and have really enjoyed it this past week or so. I have owned and restored several Army aircraft over the past 30 years and wanted to share some information on my latest Piper L-4B that I acquired in 2010. I did not restore this aircraft but have spent the last several months researching and documenting it's history.

43-1285 rolled out of the factory Feb 1943 and was one of only a handful of L-4B aircraft that left the factory with radio and electrical equipment installed per special request from the Army. She was then shipped by rail to Camp Roberts, Calif and assigned to Army Ground Forces March, 1943. She flew with Fourth Army during 1944 training Artillery Pilots for Ninth and Fifteenth Armies. The aircraft crash landed December of 1944 due to an engine failure and was sold as damaged surplus Feb. 1945. She was restored as "Janey" an L-4B flown by Dutch Shultz during WWII. She is equipped with a BC-659 tactical radio and AN-29 antenna.

Hope you enjoy the pictures,
Steve

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 616

A few pictures as restored:

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 616

Military leveling points, installed only on L-4 aircraft, civilian J-3s do not have these welded on to the airframe.

Robbie Stuart · **Posted:** Wed Jan 26, 2011 2:42 pm

Now those are some cool pics, good looking airplane.

ZeamerB17 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 27, 2011 5:33 am

Great pics and a neat plane, Steve!

Holedigger · **Posted:** Thu Jan 27, 2011 12:01 pm

Very Cool! Nicely redone. $111 for it? I'll give you $112!
My uncle flew one on N Africa. Once raced a staff car...the staff car won!

Obergrafeter · **Posted:** Thu Jan 27, 2011 4:21 pm

The staff car won, your just bragging how fast a Cub is. We raced a kid on a bicycle one time in the Storch, and the kid won.

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1943 Piper L-4B 43-1285

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