Stephen Nowers photos

Photos Laab posted along with the flier he put up to try and get his plane back.

Don Laabs moved to Alaska in 1962 and started flying the same year. He's 73 years old, works as a mechanic, and loves to fly. But about 10 days ago someone got into a plane Laabs owns and fired up the engine. When the thief took off, he flew away in a plane Laabs had rebuilt himself after owning the pieces for 29 years.

The plane was a Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, a red and white beauty that, when it was stolen, was parked at the Big Lake airport. The plane was in a bad wreck in 1981 and Laabs bought it that same year, keeping the plane, in parts and pieces, in his basement for a long time. Laabs finally found the time recently to put the plane together and do all the work necessary to get it up in the air, and the Cub had its first test flight about a month ago. But now it's gone.

"There's a whole lot of sentimental value. Having a Super Cub is like having a pet horse or a pet dog," Laabs said. "I'd just gotten it together and was ready to start flying it."

Laabs said he figures the plane was worth about $80,000. It was not insured. He's put up fliers offering $5,000 for the plane's return, but he's definitely worried about his baby. (His number is 279-4011.)

"My fear is that somebody just takes a knife and cut the fabric off and starts stripping the parts off to put on another airplane," Laab said.

Laabs has another plane, a Piper J-3 built in 1943, but he said it's not as good as the one that was stolen, and now that he's getting on in years he doesn't think he has enough time left to build or buy another Super Cub.

"I'm at the age where I probably won't be able to replace it," Laabs said.

Contact Joshua Saul at jsaul(at)alaskadispatch.com.