CubCrafters Certifies G3X In XCub

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CubCrafters announced Monday at AirVenture that it’s offering Garmin’s top-selling G3X Touch in its Part 23 certified XCub, making it the first company to amend a type certificate to allow non-certified or non-TSO’d avionics. The G3X Touch is a favorite among homebuilders and light sport manufacturers and has a full-featured primary flight display plus an autopilot with envelope protection.

The announcement is significant because, according to CubCrafters’ Randy Lervold, it represents the first example of the FAA approving a Part 23 type certificate amendment under the new risk-based criteria it had pledged to follow. Mel Johnson, deputy director of the FAA’s just announced Policy and Innovation division, told reporters and editors that the roadmap CubCrafters used is available to any company that wishes to use it.

CubCrafters’ iteration of the glass panel includes the Touch, a GTR200R comm radio and GTX335 transponder, all from Garmin. The transponder has ADS-B Out functionality. The new suite will be available in the 2018 XCub models as a $27,000 upgrade over the standard steam gauges the airplane is equipped with. The XCub has proven to be a strong seller for CubCrafters since its introduction a little over a year ago. The airplane is approved for floats and can be flown day and night VFR. Lervold said he wasn’t certain if the XCub would achieve IFR certification.

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