Finding visuals...
  • The Locator
  • Airframes Database

    Social media...
    Follow AV on facebook
    Follow AV on Twitter @aerial_visuals
    Follow the AV YouTube Channel

    Site navigation...
  • Home
  • Desktop Calendar
  • The Racers
  • FAQs
  • About Aerial Visuals
  • Comment on this Dossier

  • Search For Airframes Now
    Search - Index - Gallery - Reports - Lists - AV Needs You!

    This page documents a history of a specific aircraft. The details provided vary from aircraft to aircraft and are dependent on the research and amount of data uploaded to the Aerial Visuals database.

    Airframe Family: Taylorcraft A / J-2 / J-3 / J-4 / J-5 / L-4/O-59/C-83 Grasshopper / L-18 Super Cub / L-21 Super Grasshopper / PA-11/PA-18/PA-19
    Latest Model:L-4H Grasshopper
    Last Military Serial:44-79889 USAAF
    Construction Number:12185
    Last Civil Registration:SP-AFY
    Compressed ID:Piper L-4H sn 44-79889 USAAF cn 121...
    Latest Owner or Location:Zar Airfield, Miedzybrodzie Zywieckie, Slaskie (Silesian Voivodeship)

    EDIT THE HISTORY HERE
    If you can add to the history or would like to submit a correction please use the editor to do so.

    UPLOAD A PHOTO
    If you have a photo of this airframe to share then use the photo upload tool.

    The Airframes Database depends on user contributions to stay current.
    If you have any news about this airframe or photos which you would like to share please do so
    by using the links above.
    The more you and others share the better the database becomes!

    Dates

    Event

    1944

    Constructed as a L-4H by Piper.

    1944

    Taken on Strength/Charge with the United States Army Air Force with s/n 44-79889.

    1944

    Transferred to Lock Haven, PA, USA.
    Delivered to the USAAF here.

    1944

    Transferred to US Army Ground Forces.

    1944

    Transported by ship.
    To France.

    1944

    Reassembled.
    Assembled on arrival from USA at Azeville, France.

    By October 1944

    Transferred to 50th Mobile Reclamation and Repair Squadron.

    Circa 1945

    Transferred to 280th Field Artillery Battalion.

    8 April 1945

    Crashed.
    Crashed on a ridge in low cloud cover.

    After 8 April 1945

    Transferred to 9th Air Force, USAAF, Europe.

    By 1946

    Stored in Goppingen, Germany.

    By December 1946

    To Polish Ministry of Communications.

    6 September 1947

    To League of Aviation, Warsaw with new c/r SP-AFY.

    Circa 1949

    To Warsaw Aero Club.

    Circa 1949


    Photographer: Unknown
    Notes: Photograph taken c. 1949. Emblem of Warsaw Aero Club painted on vertical stabilizer.

    After October 1950

    To Institute of Aviation, Warsaw.

    By 26 September 1951

    Converted into float plane.

    From 17 October 1951 to 10 October 1954

    Evaluation and flight tests.

    10 October 1954

    Leased to Technical Training Center of the League of Friends of the Soldier, Mragowo.
    Test exploitation.

    Circa 1954


    Photographer: Unknown
    Notes: Photograph taken between 1954 and May 1955, after modification to a floatplane.

    31 May 1955

    Ordered for scrap by Civil Aviation Board (Zarzad Lotnictwa Cywilnego).

    After May 1955

    To unknown owner.
    Private owner.

    24 July 1963

    Restoration completed.
    Restored to original configuration by WSK(PZL)-Swidnik.

    2 October 1963

    First post-restoration Flight.
    At Swidnik Aerodrome.

    1963

    To unknown owner with c/r SP-AMH.
    Private owner.

    14 June 1972

    To MOTOR Sport Club, Lublin keeping c/r SP-AMH.

    After 21 November 1977

    To unknown owner.
    Sold in poor condition to private owner.

    By May 1990

    Restored.

    By September 1990

    To unknown owner with c/r SP-FPA.
    Private owner.

    From April 1999 to October 2002

    Restored.

    By December 2002

    To unknown owner with c/r SP-AFY.
    Private owner.

    2002

    Markings Applied: F, 39.
    USAAF markings.

    Based at Zar Airfield, Miedzybrodzie Zywieckie, Slaskie (Silesian Voivodeship).
    View the Location Dossier

    19 June 2010


    Photographer: John Bennett
    Notes: Taken at Deblin - Irena, Lubelskie, Poland

    25 June 2017


    Photographer: Marcin Rogowski
    Notes: During XIII Krakow Air Show in Poland (XIII Malopolski Piknik Lotniczy).

    23 June 2019


    Photographer: Marcin Rogowski
    Notes: During XV Krakow Air Show in Poland (XV Malopolski Piknik Lotniczy).


    This dossier is waiting for review by an editor.This airframe dossier is based on
    unreviewed imported data.
    If you can verify the documented history or add to it with additional text and/or photos please feel free to do so by using the upload tool and the history editor.

    Credits
    Data for airframe dossiers come from various sources. The following were used to compile this dossier...

    Internet Sources
    Aerodata Quantum+
    Civil Aircraft Register of the World by Pascal Brugier
    Euro Demobbed by Horrex, Ray, Boulanger, Dunn, McGhee and Wood
    United States Military Services Serial Number Lists by Joe Baugher

    Individual Contributors
    John Bennett
    Marcin Rogowski

    Tell Others About this Airframe Dossier
    Forum Link: [URL=https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=141866][IMG]/home/users/web/b1393/nf.aerialvisuals/public_html/AV/Support/Logo_20x20.jpg[/IMG]Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - Taylorcraft-Piper L-4H Grasshopper, s/n 44-79889 USAAF, c/n 12185, c/r SP-AFY[/URL]
    Direct Link: https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=141866

    Copyright 1993-2025 AerialVisuals.ca
    The Aerial Visuals pages are best viewed with a screen at least 800 pixels wide.
    In case you are wondering Aerial Visuals is a huge fan Google Chrome. If you do not have Chrome installed why not?
    Aerial Visuals requires cookies and Javascript to function correctly. Please ensure these features are enabled in your browser.
    Aerial Visuals is powered by Netfirms.