In 1938 when designers C. G. Taylor and Walter Jamouneau first introduced the J-3 Cub, the unit cost was $995-$2,461.They produced over 19,888 in three variations until 1947. Nearly 20 years after Piper Aircraft discontinued production of the PA-18, the Super Cub remains the iconic plane for the Alaskan outback. Enter Jim Richmond who is one of those fortunate people who have made a successful career of something they love. In Jim's case, it's a deep appreciation of the iconic airplane: The Piper Super Cub.
Back in 1980, after a thorough fact-finding trip to Alaska (where the Super Cub is a favorite of bush pilots), Jim made the decision to sell his home insulation business and switch to rebuilding Super Cubs. CubCrafters was born.
Over the next two decades, this ambition evolved to the stage where CubCrafters was no longer in the modification business so much as it was building new airplanes - airplanes greatly improved from the original Super Cub- stronger, safer, easier to fly. Currently base priced at $134,950 for the Sport Cub S2, the plane design is still considered the most fun all-round classic tail wheeler.
February will see the delivery of the 200th CC11 series Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) from Yakima, Washington-based light aircraft designer and manufacturer, CubCrafters.
This milestone solidifies CubCrafters position as the number-one selling United States made LSA manufacturer, in terms of both fleet size and annual sales. CubCrafters offers two models of LSA, the 100 horsepower Sport Cub S2 and the180 horsepower Carbon Cub SS. The Carbon Cub SS has won virtually every Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) competition in which it has been entered.
"It is most gratifying to see the market respond to our combination of quality and performance. As the market leader, we take our responsibility seriously - we are spending as much time developing our fleet support infrastructure as we are working on product development. Both are high priorities here at CubCrafters, commented CubCrafters General Manager, Randy Lervold.
Bucking industry trends, CubCrafters continues on a path of increased sales and manufacturing capability. In December, the company added 15,000 square feet of manufacturing space and a dedicated Research and Development shop. The expansion also creates job opportunities. Openings in several departments have been posted and can be reviewed at the CAREERS link on the company website, cubcrafters.com. -B Meyer, FMI: http://www.cubcrafters.com/