Cub Crafters, well known for its high-performance Carbon Cub LSA, has rolled up a new Part 23 airplane called the XCub. Based on the Carbon Cub, which is itself an offshoot of Piper’s original Super Cub, the new aircraft is lighter and faster than previous entrants in the utility market and the company is calling the new airplane a sport utility aircraft.
Equipped with a 180-HP Lycoming with a fixed-pitch prop and a new spring aluminum landing gear, Cub Crafters says the XCub is the fastest Cub-type aircraft available, with cruising speeds of about 145 MPH. The XCub can be equipped with a variety of tires and also a float system being developed by Wipaire. The XCub, which uses even more carbon fiber material than the Carbon Cub, has a useful load of 1084 pounds on a gross weight of 2300 pounds.
The airplane also has a luxurious interior with leather seats equipped with memory foam inserts and no fewer than 10 storage pockets scattered through the cabin, including a custom mount for an iPad or other tablet for the rear-seat passenger. One unique design element is control rods in place of cables, which are hidden inside the XCub’s struts. AVweb recently visited Cub Crafters and shot this video on the new aircraft. Initial price will be $297,500 for the launch edition, according to Cub Crafters’ Randy Lervold.
