'Big sky' Cub Special This hard-driving PA-11 doesn't show its age Almost 70 years of hard Montana living takes a toll-but, somehow, this Piper PA-11 Cub Special seemed to have avoided paying. It was May 2017, and the simple tube-and-fabric airplane that had come to the Big Sky Country shortly after it was built in 1947 gleamed in fresh crimson, gold, and white paint. Its frame had been sanded, reinforced, and repainted. Its fabric covering was taut as a drum head, and its windows were so clear you had to tap them to confirm they really were there. Its 90-horsepower Continental engine was freshly overhauled, along with every component and accessory. B Y DAV E H I R S C H M A N P H OT O G R A P H Y B Y C H R I S R O S E 66 | AOPA PILOT October 2017