CubCrafters' Newest Model: Easier To Fly And Easier To Build

摘要

Maybe it's the heightened visibility of the Valdez Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) competition, persistent messaging from the Recreational Aviation Foundation or just some aerial extension of the back-to-nature movement, but interest in bush flying and STOL aircraft is trending. Surely, neo-Cub manufacturer CubCrafters belongs on the list of contributing factors. Originally founded to provide aftermarket upgrades to the Piper Cub, CubCrafters (CC) began creating composite, "better than original" versions of the iconic bush plane-theTop Cub, Sport Cub S2 and Carbon Cub SS-in the last decade. Its amateur-built kit Carbon Cub EX, introduced in 2010, furthered the refinement process. Wrapped around a chromoly-steel cage, the airframe is stronger than the original Super Cub, yet weighs almost 300 pounds less and has fewer than half the parts. Lauded for its STOL performance, high useful load and smart design enhancements, the EX nonetheless had room for improvement. First, the heavy stick forces needed for controlling roll could make a flight feel like an arm-wrestling contest; and secondly, you had to build the EX yourself-no factory-built equivalent existed. CC has answered both issues with its next-generation EX derivatives: the do-it-yourself CarbonCub EX-2 and the CarbonCub FX, an owner-built model made at the factory through CC's new builder-assist program.