For years, if you were in the market for a new, Part 23 backcountry taildragger, Aviat’s Husky was one of a small handful of options a buyer had. The new XCub from CubCrafters gives the market another option.
The beauty of this new competitive pairing is both Aviat and CubCrafters have a great deal of experience of bringing top-of-the-line niche product to market.
Plus, there’s no waiting. Well, for the most part. A buyer can sign a contract and plan for a delivery date written in ink.
With all the press XCub earned following its debut, I got to thinking about how it stacked up to the venerable Husky. The two are closer than I originally thought…
| Aircraft | Husky | XCub |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 22 ft 7 in | 23 ft 10 in |
| Wingspan | 35 ft 6 in | 34 ft 4 in |
| WEIGHT | ||
| Gross Weight | 2,250 lbs | 2,300 lbs |
| Empty Weight | 1,275 lbs | 1,216 lbs |
| Useful Load | 925 lbs | 1,084 lbs |
| Fuel Capacity | 50 gallons | 49 gallons |
| Cargo Area | 19.3 cu ft | 26 cu ft |
| PERFORMANCE | ||
| Max Speed | 145 mph | 153 mph |
| Cruise Speed – 75% Power | 140 mph | 145 mph |
| Stall Speed – Full Flaps, Power Off | 53 mph | 46 mph |
| Takeoff Distance | 200 ft | 170 ft |
| Landing Distance | 350 ft | 170 ft |
| Rate of Climb | 1,500 fpm | 1,500 fpm |
| Range | 800 miles | 800 miles |
| POWER | ||
| Engine | Lycoming O-360-A1P | Lycoming O-360-C1G |
| Horsepower | 180 hp | 180 hp |
| PRICE (2016) | $302,503 Tundra Edition | $301,000 Standard Edition |
I wonder, is this the new Chevy vs Ford?
The differences in the cargo area is a HUGE advantage for the XCub. I have flown both planes, the XCub was by far superior
Xcub actually performs to the numbers claimed. A Husky will not go 125 mph! A 180HP Xcub outperforms a 200HP Husky in every way.
I’d have to disagree with that statement, at least with regards to my bone stock 1991 A1 Husky. With 8.50’s, my husky was an honest 130mph airplane, with the 31″ bushwheels it’s right at 122mph.
Should’t you actually go fly these before you put out a comparison? You are making conclusions based on brochure numbers? I understand that Xcub actually demonstrated it’s cruise, landing and takeoff numbers. Husky will NEVER cruise anywhere near the 140 mph mark, perhaps 125 mph is more like it on a good day. The 180HP Xcub way outperformed a 200HP Husky badly at a recent fly-off.
Another important difference between the two is that the Husky can be IFR certified and to my knowledge as of now, the XCub is only VFR certified. That may not be super important if the owner plans on solely flying to off airport locations, or from backcountry strip to backcountry strip, it definitely adds flexibility for the pilot of the Husky to have an IFR certified aircraft if they want to fly from a backcountry strip to a general aviation airport
I’ve often wondered what flying an approach in actual IMC in something as light as Husky would be like. I guess for something benign like a California marine layer it would be pretty useful
You should have started with the bottom number so I could stop reading right there. $300,000! The performance really doesn’t matter after you realize there’s no way you’re ever going to sit in one of these. Thank God for the home built industry. I can get 2 or 3 Murphy Moose ready to go for that kind of money. Nice planes though.
Either one’s a WIN for me! I’ll take them BOTH, please!
What about the CubCrafters Top Cub (Part 23-certified in in 2004), or the American Champion Scout (Part 21 and Part 23), or even the much more obscure Super 18 (Part 23-certified in 2009)? I’ll give you that the Super 18 was never widespread enough to count as competition or a choice, but the Top Cub was a fairly well-known outgrowth of CubCrafters’ spare & surplus rebuild program and the Scout has been around and industry-accepted for decades. This is not to say these aren’t two airplanes buyers will want to compare, but to say that customers didn’t have much of a choice until the XCub came about is also fairly inaccurate.
Good points, all of them, Amy. I’ll be adding your suggestions to my growing list of aircraft to compare going forward.
I own a Husky A-1B. With small tires it will cruise at 135mph 25″ 2500rpm.