The windsock whipped back and forth above us as we completed the external preflight and checked the cowl fasteners one last time. Climbing into the bright yellow 1940 Piper J-4 Cub, one of my longtime flying friends, David Wilkins, and I fastened our seat belts and purposely made our way down the preignition checklist. With the “before start” list out of the way, we continued through the “engine start” portion, then inched forward to check the heel brakes and flight controls before moving on to the run-up.