With a maximum takeoff weight between 1,322 and 1,433 pounds, the small sport aircraft, or light sport aircraft (LSA), is one of the smallest among the different classes of aircraft. Normally used for sport or recreational flying and flight training, these small planes are popular among flying enthusiasts because of less rigorous regulatory compliance requirements and cheaper operating costs. One of the popular models of LSAs is the Carbon Cub light sport aircraft, which is developed and built by
CubCrafters as a backcountry flyer. Depending on the model, a brand new Carbon Cub can cost between $293,500 for the UL version and $472,100 for the NX Cub.
The original Carbon Cub was introduced in 2009 and was designed as a single-engine, high-wing configuration, two-seater light aircraft. For its latest version, the Carbon Club features a Titan CC340 180 horsepower engine that is capable of powering the aircraft to a climb rate of 2,100 feet per minute and a cruising speed of 110 mph. Measuring only 23.3 feet long and 8.4 feet high, with a wingspan of 34.3 feet, the Carbon Cub is shorter than a standard-sized RV and is narrower than the length of a common yellow school bus.
Because of its lightweight design and relatively strong engine, the Carbon Cub is capable of Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) capabilities. This STOL ability of the Carbon Cub was demonstrated to the extreme in a 2023 exhibition when CubCrafters partnered with Red Bull energy drink in an event that saw a modified Carbon Cub land on the Burj Al Arab Hotel's small (for an airplane) helipad in Dubai. Aside from the rooftops of fancy hotels, the Carbon Cub can handle landings on unpaved surfaces because of its durable landing gear design.
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Modern Take On A Classic
For those familiar with small aircraft, the Carbon Cub bears a striking similarity to the classic J3 Piper Cub, which is not too surprising given that CubCrafters began as a company that repaired, restored, and modified J3 Pipers. Headquartered in Yakima, Washington, CubCrafters was established by businessman, engineer, and Piper Cub aficionado Jim Richmond in 1980, where his long-time admiration for the aircraft soon led to the company creating its own version. The Top Cub, its first aircraft, came out in 2004, was heavily derived from the Piper Super Cub, but performed well enough that a Chinese aircraft manufacturer purchased its type certificate, or airworthiness-approved design, in 2015.
Similarities aside, the Carbon Cub is superior to its look-alike, as its engine is over four times more powerful, while the original Piper Cub is one of the aircraft with the lowest horsepower. In addition, the Carbon Cub, as its name suggests, incorporates carbon fiber for its airframe, is 300 pounds lighter, and is constructed with half the number of parts of the original. Interestingly, Piper Aircraft itself has recently launched an astoundingly powerful descendant of its iconic plane with the 700-horsepower M700 Fury.
With its use of expensive materials and specialized manufacturing process, the prices of even used Carbon Cubs command top dollar. As an example, a 2018 EX2 model at $280,000, and a 2018 FX3 model for $345,000 from the pre-owned inventory of CubCrafters. Other websites like trade-a-plane have a barely used 2024 Carbon Cub EX3 for $385,000, while a 2011 Carbon Cub SS is $219,000. While it may seem pricey, a Carbon Cub is far from the exorbitant prices of the most expensive private jets, and for what it costs, its buyer gets a high-performance, more reliable, modern version of a classic aircraft.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
