If the name jack of all trades fits perfectly for an aircraft, then it is the Cub by Piper.

Whether for pilot training, as a seaplane with floats, on skis for glacier flying or to tow gliders and advertising banners, the Cub is popular all over the world because of its versatility.

That's not surprising.

Because the robust two-seater was built for a good 50 years and in a number of more than 30,000 units.

The basis for this success: A Cub - the name means bear child - is good-natured to fly, and it only needs short take-off and landing distances.

As a robust bush plane, it can also be operated on grass or gravel runways, especially in North America.

Pilots in Canada and Alaska even land there on river sandbanks or simply somewhere in the wilderness where 150 meters of reasonably unobstructed space can be found.

The American Cub also has cult status in Europe.

That's why the international Piper Cub meeting took place for the 39th time at the Albstadt airfield in Baden-Württemberg.

The members of this year's hosting air sports club Degerfeld worked hard to offer the Piper friends a nice stay.

Participants from all over Europe took part to cultivate old friendships, make new ones and fly with like-minded people.

Above all, numerous Swiss and Austrians took the opportunity to drop by the neighborhood with their vintage Pipers and pay homage to their beloved classics together.

But even an Englishman traveled from the island to the meeting with his cub.

An intuitive operation

However, the weather posed a challenge for the participants.

On Friday, a storm swept over the Swabian Alb and made an approach impossible, at least in the early afternoon.

Joint excursions to sights in the Swabian Jura or the Black Forest were offered by the air sports club on Saturday in much better weather conditions.

Each pilot could also explore the region individually.

However, socializing and telling exciting cub stories were clearly the focus.

Around 70 aircraft took part in the three-day meeting, which has been held annually at different airports in the three German-speaking countries since 1984.

All of Piper's classic high-wing models, including the Super Cruiser, Tri-Pacer and Colt models, can take part.

The ergonomics with the control stick in the right hand and the left hand on the throttle is still perfect for pilots of the Cub, which was basically developed in the early 1930s.

In more recent models, the lever for actuating the landing flaps, which are extended by hand, is located in front of the pilot on the cabin floor.

Using a small crank, the pilot then trims the elevator to the correct approach speed for landing after extending the flaps.

Everything in the Cub can be operated intuitively.

One notices the aircraft's constant model maintenance over half a century.

The machine is also incredibly versatile.

A Cub lands and takes off on grass, gravel, sand or asphalt.

It tows gliders and banners, can serve as a flying photo platform, and most importantly, is incredibly fun to fly.

The grass runway at Degerfeld Airfield, which is only 580 or 766 meters long depending on the landing direction, is no problem for the two-seaters, which are capable of short take-off and landing.