I think we're looking at a Wulf in an Arado-pile. Arado 96s, I think.
Ron "Thank you, I'll be here all week" Wanttaja
Printable View
I remember seeing one like that of a military hangar in Ottumwa, IA. A quick search didn't find it.
If you enlarge that photo you can see each cub has a separate rack that chocks the wheels and has a cradle to support the prop. I don't see anything that would secure the prop to the cradle but that seems like it would be a good idea. The cubs might balance in that attitude because they had a forward CG, they were flown solo from the back seat. That balancing act probably would not work for all taildraggers. Also I'm guessing you wouldn't want oil in the engine when stored in that attitude.
I know my Fly Baby, with the tail high, has very little weight on the tailwheel. Pretty sure it'd go all the way over onto the nose, if I let it, and a J-3 is probably about the same. Not sure how stable it might be, so without something to secure the prop (as you suggest), there might be an appalling domino effect if one gets jarred loose.
As far as the oil is concerned, the A65's kidney-shaped oil tank should be able to retain the oil even in that nose-down attitude.
Attachment 9092
This is a C85, not an A65, but they should be about the same.
Ron Wanttaja
Speaking of domino effect consider how you REMOVE one of those J-3s from the stack. You can't just lower its tail, or the nose will hit the Cub in front of it. Whatever method you use to secure the planes has to allow rolling the first one back far enough so that it can get the tail lowered. However, note that the tailwheel is WELL off the ground...too high to reach up and grab. How do you control the destacking process?
Attachment 9093
My guess is that you have to have a pole with a hook on it to snag the tailwheel, and have assistants reach up and recover the airplane as the tail drops. Otherwise, it might go overcenter and slam down to the floor.
I think I'm realizing why this never caught on... :-)
Ron "It's good to have clipart" Wanttaja
As I recall my T-Craft would balance if I held the tail handle over my head without stretching too much. Most taildraggers with properly placed wheels would rest on their nose, if the main gear was too far forward for that then they'd have terrible ground handling (like early Stardusters).
Those Cub cradles may have had tiny wheels or casters to move them into position, the main wheels may be resting on a cradle and not just chocked.
I have a photo somewhere of the hangar at Wisconsin Rapids full of airplanes stacked in like this. It was a mixture of Cubs and T-Craft, and there might have been an Aeronca or two as well. This was pretty common practice as I understand it.
I know a guy who tried to do this himself one time. He'd pick up the tail of the Cub and lift it until it was balanced (he thought) and then try to run around and grab the prop so he could set it on a stand he had made. The first couple of times the tail came banging back down on the floor before he got to the prop. The last time the airplane ended up on it's nose. He gave up at that point!