What Was Old... Is New -- Again

CubCrafters is on the move -- reporting to ANN that they accomplished a number of milestones in the SPORT CUB program and intro'd an overhauled and upgraded website, to boot.

SPORT CUB Program Manager Don Johnston commented, “With the new site, we have confirmed to our SPORT CUB customers the available panels, panel options, and other airframe options. Further, we are nearly finished from an engineering standpoint on several key airframe details and related components. We are well into fabricating new SPORT CUB parts and, although still early in the process, the first conforming SPORT CUB is in on the manufacturing floor.”

Commenting on the overall status of the program, Johnston said, “SPORT CUB is an all new, ground up redesign of the legendary aircraft that inspired the light sport category. We appreciate our customers’ patience and their embrace of our philosophy about this airplane and its place in the new category. Every component in SPORT CUB – the fuselage, wings, cockpit, panel, interior, seats, cowling, fuel system and so on – has been designed new for substantial improvements in safety, performance, materials and construction versus any current or previous like aircraft. None of the more 70 confirmed SPORT CUB deposit holders want a 50 year-old reproduction airplane. More important, for their investment, each wants way more than the nostalgia of ‘just a Cub’.

With SPORT CUB, our customers will certainly get the legacy of the iconic airplane, but in a modern, safe, very well equipped airplane that represents true forward thinking. The new panels available in SPORT CUB, shown here, are examples of our commitment to this philosophy. CubCrafters is following in the footsteps of industry-leading colleagues such as Cirrus, Columbia, or Eclipse, which means leaving the conventional wisdom of antiquated design behind and answering the demand for ‘new’ in general aviation.”

CubCrafters debuted the prototype SPORT CUB at Oshkosh in early August of 2005 and will deliver the first customer SPORT CUB in April of 2006, within nine months of the prototype’s debut. Over that same period, CubCrafters will have delivered 20 FAR part 23 certified TOP CUBs in addition to more than a dozen completely rebuilt PA-18 Super Cubs; plus continuous parts manufacture supporting the existing Super Cub fleet. Vice President Todd Simmons added, “Each of our businesses – TOP CUB, SPORT CUB, and Super Cub – benefit from the others, and our well-earned reputation of the past 26 years is the result of resourceful engineering, manufacturing and sharing of information and other assets across the three product lines.”

FMI: www.cubcrafters.com