How a Piper Cub and a P-40 model inspired a lifetime aviator

When you’re out flying low over the countryside, have you ever wondered if somewhere down below you, a child may be gazing skyward, watching your airplane? Sometimes, that’s all it takes to catalyze an enduring love for aviation.

In the early 1950s, a very young Ira E. “Bud” Coward II was captivated by a yellow Cub dusting the cotton fields on his family’s farm in Aiken, South Carolina.

“I was the fastest pedaling little guy you ever saw when that airplane landed — I couldn’t wait to see it up close, and I still remember the odor of DDT,” Bud recalls with a chuckle.

“That was my introduction to aviation and to the Cub in particular, and it stuck in my mind ever since,” he continues. “Dad and his brother both flew fighters in World War II, but Uncle Ira died while flying a P-51. Dad flew P-40s in combat, and when he saw my interest in aviation at a very early age, he helped me build my first model. He never talked much about his war experience, but I remember distinctly a model of a P-40 sitting on the mantel at the farmhouse. I would often look at that and wonder about his flying.”

In 1958, Bud was treated to his first airplane ride by James Sizemore in his Piper PA-14 Family Cruiser (NC5149H). The two became long-time friends, and many years later, Bud returned the favor by treating James to his last airplane ride. 

Scavenger Hunt

Bud soloed a Cessna 172C on his 16th birthday in 1963, and seven years later, he found himself embarking upon a rather impromptu aerial scavenger hunt.

That cropdusting Cub of yore had been interminably flying through his mind, and when he saw an agriculturally-configured Cub at Barnwell airport in the summer of 1970, he struck up a conversation with the owner. The gentleman told Bud he knew about a J-3 Cub that might be available for purchase.

Ergo, Bud dutifully followed these directions: “Take off from Barnwell, and you’ll see that large tower about five miles south — hang a right at the tower, and keep going until you get to Midfield, Georgia. Then turn left, and you’ll find that Cub on an airfield down in there somewhere.” 

“It took me a little while, but I found it! It was in a guy’s back yard, along with a Luscombe, and his airstrip was in a cornfield,” Bud remembers. “So I borrowed a Super Cub, landed, and talked with him. He told me what he wanted for the Cub, so I went back home and said, ‘Dad, I’ve found us a Cub!’ Dad said, ‘you did what?’ We struck a deal and bought that Cub, and after several years, I figured we gave too much for it. The 1947 bill of sale was for $2,295, and we gave $2,600 for it!”

“I had it recovered in 1976 by Asa Oxner, who could almost recover airplanes blindfolded, because he learned the skill in World War II recovering Stearmans and the like,” he continues. “He did a real good job. It’s not restoration quality, but I wasn’t looking for that. It’s been hangared ever since, but I’m looking at recovering it now.” 

NC3567N was based at Sizemore’s “off-the-chart” airstrip for several decades. After James passed away, Bud moved his Cub over to Barnwell Regional Airport (KBNL) southeast of Aiken.

Sentimental Journey

In 1986, Bud and a friend flew their Cubs to Sentimental Journey at Lock Haven. Along the way, they happened to meet up with another Cub, making it a threesome flying cross country.

“It was a wonderful flight, but I could have driven it faster,” laughs Bud. “That was a very memorable flight because all we had was a sectional chart and a wet compass. We flew up toward Lynchburg, and there’s a pass there so you don’t have to get very high to cross the mountains. You come out in the Shenandoah Valley and then you just follow the interstate that goes up the valley.”

“It was a lot of fun landing at small, uncontrolled airports along the way. You meet a lot of great people that way,” he adds. “I feel for those pilots who haven’t truly experienced that, and I hope my grandchildren will be able to experience it. A couple of years later, James Sizemore and I flew his PA-14 to Sentimental Journey, and it was the only PA-14 there, so we got a lot of attention and had a good time with that.” 

Professional Pilot

While Bud has always loved grassroots flying, he also flew professionally at one time. He had an engineering job while raising a family, and then changed careers in 1999, becoming director of the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission. 

“As director, like my pilots, I had to be current in the aircraft we were flying, which was a Beech King Air 350. We all had to be dual rated — for airplane and helicopter — and I had a lot of other duties in addition to my flying,” explains Bud. “I left the Aeronautics Commission in 2004, and was hired as Aviation Manager for a Department of Energy contractor at the Savannah River nuclear site. There we flew the American Eurocopter BK-117. In addition to other duties, I had a group of pilots to manage and we maintained an FAA Part 135 certificate in addition.” 

Later on, Bud had the thrill of adding a DC-3 Second-in-Command type rating to his ATP certificate.

P-40 History Unveiled

Bud’s curiosity about his father’s P-40 combat flying lingered well after his father had gone west. In 2009, he discovered that the 324th Fighter Group Reunion would be held in Charleston, South Carolina. He decided to attend, and carried some of his father’s 316th Fighter Squadron memorabilia with him. 

“A gentleman read my name tag and said, ‘Coward — are you any kin to Corky Coward?’ I said, ‘yes, he was my dad.’ He said, ‘I’m Ben Jones, and Corky and I flew together, slept in the same tent together, and spent 18 months together in North Africa and Italy.’”

Suddenly, Bud had a flash of memory and asked Ben whether he’d flown a Navion from California to Aiken, South Carolina, in 1958 for a visit. Ben replied in the affirmative. 

“I showed Dad’s old photographs to Ben and he identified all of them for me. Then I pulled out an old North Africa chart, and he said he hadn’t seen one of those since 1943! He started pointing out airfields, and where he was shot down,” says Bud.

As 90-year-old Ben, with his crystal-clear memory, continued sharing P-40 combat flying experiences, the two experienced an amazing revelation. 

“I showed him a piece of silk, which I knew was from a parachute. I said, ‘Ben, to my knowledge, Dad never jumped out of an airplane. He stayed with the airplane the couple of times he was shot down and was subsequently rescued. So I don’t understand why he had this piece of parachute,” recounts Bud. “Ben said, ‘That’s part of my parachute!’ And he told me about bailing out of his P-40 when the engine was on fire. After he was rescued, he ripped the parachute up and gave portions of the silk canopy to his buddies. Ben said, ‘It wasn’t just a souvenir, it served a purpose. We put it around our necks because our shirt collars rubbed our necks raw, since our heads were always on a swivel when we were flying.’”

Bud and Ben became fast friends, and now, at 101, Ben’s mind is as agile and sharp as ever. Just a few years ago, Bud flew his Cub to Siler City, North Carolina, and Ben drove out to the airport to meet him. 

A Cherished Ponca City Cub

There’s a good chance that Bud’s grandchildren — he has twin grandsons (Thomas and Henry McIntosh) and a granddaughter (Ann McIntosh) — may carry on the family flying legacy.

“My seven-year-old granddaughter just recently said she wanted to fly in the Cub, and I was just waiting for her to express that desire,” says Bud. “So we’ll make that happen soon.” 

Bud’s faithful old Cub has the distinction of having been manufactured in Ponca City, Oklahoma.

“Based on my research, the Ponca City plant produced 1,190 J-3 Cubs from 1946 until March 1947. That was about 6% of the total number of Cubs built by Piper, and mine came off the line on Jan. 20, 1947,” shares Bud. “There are three Ponca City Cubs within a 100-mile radius of Aiken, and after the pandemic subsided a bit, we had a little rally at Fairfield County Airport, South Carolina. Five Cubs flew in, three of which were Ponca City Cubs, including mine, Roger Montambo’s NC1502N, and Jim Stoia’s NC3539N.”

In 2013, Bud received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. He’s logged 3,700 hours of flight time, with about 1,700 of that in his Cub.

“My Cub gives me the true feeling and freedom of flight, and it brings back pleasant memories of flying with my father, my wife Bonnie, and my daughter, Caroline McIntosh, in the Cub,” says Bud. “No matter what kind of day or week I’ve had, every time I climb in that Cub and fly around for 30 minutes or so, I come back truly refreshed!”