Taylor first built a glider that looked like a small Breezy and the E 2 Cub evolved from towing that glider behind a car up and down the Bradford runway.
Designed by C. Gilbert Taylor in 1930 and produced as the Taylor E 2 Cub in 1931, much of the inspiration and many of the design goals for the airplane came from W.T. Piper, Sr. Taylor selected the U.S.A. 35B airfoil for the Cub. This airfoil had a reputation for providing favorable flying qualities at low speeds; all subsequent Cubs. The E 2 was open air except for a windshield and had squared off wingtips and tail surfaces. The tandem cockpit of the E 2 was without side windows, but a young man named Waiter Jamouneau, subsequently chief engineer and now a vice president at Piper, designed optional sliding side windows and a door arrangement that remain features of the Super Cub.
Reliable lightplane engines were virtually nonexistent when the E 2 was designed. For the first E 2, Taylor found a two cylinder engine of 20 horsepower. It was known as the Brownbach Tiger Kitten, and the name reportedly inspired the E 2 to be called the Cub. The plane handled fine on its first flight (in September 1930) but on 20 hp didn’t get too high five feet, actually The new Taylor E-2, now known as the “Cub,” was meant to be an affordable aircraft that would encourage interest in aviation and was awarded its type certificate on July 11, 1931 and licensed by the U.S. Department of Commerce for manufacture.
Twenty-two Taylor E-2 Cubs were sold during 1931, retailing for $1,325; by 1935, sales had increased to more than 200 E-2 Cubs.
A 45 hp, nine-cylinder French Salmson AD-9 was tried: its performance was spectacular, but it was too expensive.
Continental provided the solution with the A 40, a “40 hp” flat four that actually produced 37 hp. The E 2 was certified with this engine on June 15, 1932 and was put on the market for $1,325, or $1,495 with optional 40hp Aeromarine AR-3 engine, or $895 less motor.
Unfortunately, the early Continentals were giving trouble, for the engine company was using the Cubs as test beds. One of Piper’s five children, Tony, said that he rarely got more than 20 miles per forced landing. Sales to people who wanted to fly longer between stops were, naturally, a little sluggish. There was a frustrating period before Continental improved the A 40 during which Taylor actually started designing his own engine.
Continental added dual ignition and cured the annoyances of blowing head gaskets and breaking crankshafts.
The Prototype (s/n 11) was powered by a 20 hp Brownbach Tiger Kitten and was first flown on September 12, 1930. The E2 barely managed to leave the ground with the tiger kitten, however the engine left a legacy in that it prompted one of C.G. Taylor’s colleagues to remark that since the engine was called the Tiger Kitten the E2 should be called the cub. The engine was deemed too weak and a 40 hp French Salmson was tried and deemed too expensive. Ultimately the decision was made to try a brand new and untried 40 hp engine from continental. That engine was an air cooled flat four cylinder designated the A-40. An uncertified A-40 was fitted to s/n 12 which was completed on April 9, 1931. The engine had a number of teething problems and Taylor has been quoted as saying that in the first 30 days of flying with the A-40 the E2 had to make 26 forced landings. It was also discovered that the crankshaft’s tended to break at around 100 hours.
Continental eventually worked the bugs out and the A-40 received its certification on May 15, 1931 which cleared the way for the E2 aircraft certification on June 15, 1931. The E2 was originaly certified under group 2, no 2-358 which covered the first 14 aircraft. The remaining aircraft were certified under ATC A455 which was issued on November 7, 1931 (covering s/n 26 and up.) The aircraft originaly sold for $1325 and no options were offered. The fuel tank was moved from the wing as shown on s/n 12 to the fuselage where it was located between the panel and the firewall starting with s/n 13. A fully enclosed cockpit was introduced on February 9, 1932 and became standard starting with s/n 35 and up.
Sales reflected the improvements, and 351 E 2s were produced between 1931 and 1936.
In the midst of the depression Continental announced that they were getting out of the aircraft engine business (a decision they later changed.) As a result the Aeromarine AR3-40 (40 hp) was installed starting with s/n 75 (3 Jan 34). This new configuration was designated the F2 cub. The Aeromarine was not satisfactory and several further engines were tried (models G2 with a Taylor designed T-40 and the H2 with a 35 hp Szekely SR-3-35.) Eventually Continental updated to the A-40-3 and this engine was used for s/n 178 and up.
The company was always sensitive to customer desires, and in 1936, Taylor introduced a refined Cub in order to incorporate design improvements as well as suggestions from the field. A young man named Walter Jamouneau was given the job of improving the E 2 resulting in the Piper J 2. In 1937 a fire destroyed the plant, prompting the company to relocate to a defunct textile mill in a town called Lock Haven. In November of 1937, the relocated company changed its name and became the Piper Aircraft Corporation.
The 1934 Taylor F-2 Cub (ATC 525) featured and open-sided cabin with optional side panels. Selling for $1,470, about 30 were built.
The 1934 Taylor G-2 Cub was an F-2 with a 40hp Taylor T-50 experimental motor. Only the one was coverted, N14756, which was rebuilt as an H-2 Cub in 1935.
The 1935 Taylor H-2 Cub (ATC 572) featured an open-sided cabin with optional side panels. Selling for $1,425, at least four were built.
Production Summary
| Year | Model | Quantity | S/N Range | Note |
| 1931 | E-2 Prototype | 1 | 11 | |
| 1931 | E-2 | 21 | 12 to 32 | |
| 1932 | E-2 | 22 | 33 to 54 | * |
| 1933 | E-2 | 18 | 55 to 72 | |
| 1934 | E-2 | 1 | 73 | |
| 1934 | F-2 Prototype | 1 | 74 | |
| 1934 | E-2 & F-2 | 64 | 75 to 139 | * |
| 1934 | H-2 Prototype | 1 | 140 | |
| 1934 | E-2 | 8 | 141 to 148 | |
| 1935 | G-2 | 0 | 149 | * |
| 1935 | E-2 & H-2 | 206 | 150 to 358 | * |
| 1936 | E-2 | 5 | 359 to 380 | * |
Total Production: 348
22 Aircraft in the batches marked * were not delivered. They were either not built or they were completed as later models and assigned new serial numbers.
Taylor E 2 Cub
Engine: Continental A 40, 36 hp
Length: 23 ft 3 in / 6.78 m
Wingspan: 35 ft 3 in / 10.74 m
Chord: 5 ft 3 in
Airfoil: USA 35B
Wing Area: 183 sq.ft
Empty Weight: 532 lb
Gross Weight: 925 lb
Useful Load: 393 lb
Gross Weight (ATC 455): 970 lb
Emp Weight (ATC 455): 556 lb
Useful Load (ATC 455): 414 lb
Fuel Qty: 9 gal (54 lb)
Oil: 1 gal (7 lb)
Fuel Consumption: 2.8 gph
Max speed: 74 kts / 137 km/h / 80 mph
Cruise speed: 68 mph
Stall: 28 mph
Best Climb: 450 fpm
Ceiling: 12,000 ft
Take off (ground run): 120 ft
Landing (ground roll): 95 ft
Range: 173 nm / 320 km
Crew: 2
Original Sales Price: $1325
Datum: Rear of Wing LE (aft positive)
CG Limits: +16 to +20.5 in
Incidence at Root: 2.5 deg
Incidence at Tip: 0 deg
Diehedral at Front Spar: 3/4 deg
Diehedral at Rear Spar: 1 deg
Horiz Stab Area: 24.2 sq.ft
Aileron Area: 9.77 sq.ft
Rudder Area: 7 sq.ft
Fin Area: 3 sq.ft
Taylor F-2 Cub
Engine: 40hp Aeromarine AR-3
Wingspan: 35’3″
Length: 22’0″
Useful load: 405 lb
Max speed: 85 mph
Cruise speed: 75 mph
Stall: 30 mph
Range: 240 mi
Seats: 2
Taylor F-2 Cub
Engine: 40hp Continental A-40
Wingspan: 35’3″
Length: 22’5″
Useful load: 407 lb
Max speed: 85 mph
Cruise speed: 70 mph
Stall: 29 mph
Range: 195 mi
Seats: 2
Taylor H-2 Cub
Engine: 35hp Szekely SR-3
Wingspan: 35’3″
Length: 22’0″
Useful load: 406 lb
Max speed: 80 mph
Cruise speed: 72 mph
Stall: 30 mph
Range: 215 mi
Seats: 2
All Aero 