sj
Staff member
Northwest Arkansas
On Tuesday at New Holstein, nearly everyone was away at the Washington Island Flyout. I'm glad I chose to stay behind this year as Brad Damm, Cubcrafters VP of Sales and Marketing stopped by in the new controversial NX-Cub and let me take it around the patch a few times.
First, I should say I have flown the "normal" X-Cub before and was impressed the with fit and feel of that machine even with the rather rough conditions I flew it in Yakima, so I was familiar with how it feels sitting in it, except now, even the most vertically challenged can see over the nose when stopped.
One of the first things you notice is how easy it is to get in and out of. Those of you with floats/amphibs know how much that helps the climb in, this is even better since you start from the ground.
This is a market survey airplane and they are still working on a LOT of tweaks, like this new 393i engine which Brad said was more than 215HP. I followed Brad's instructions about setting the mixture for best power before launching, and I was on my way!
When ever I fly a "new to me" plane, I have a series of things I do. Coordination rolls (often mistakenly called "dutch rolls" even in a recent bush flying book), Steep turns, super slow flight, a number of different stalls including accelerated. I don't record a bunch of numbers when I do this, so for you number nerds out there you will be disappointed. You will also notice I don't do a "cruise speed" test, because for me it is not about that.
After all that I can say that this thing flies and responds exactly like you would expect a carbon or xcub to fly, in fact it is one of the smoothest flying machines I have flown to date. It takes off like a rocket for a 1300lb airplane (see video below) and the ability to hold the brakes when you land is a game changer. There was a decent crosswind that day and I chose to try it out on the crosswind runway and as you would expect - although I still did all the standard tailwheel x-wind corrections since you totally forget you are in a nosewheel after take off - it was a breeze to land.
When anyone talks about any new airplane, the cost comes up. This is a market survey plane so I don't even know if they have a price in mind yet. It would be a great primary training airplane in my opinion, as well as a great airplane for folks who just can't seem to get then hang of the tailwheel thing or are not as spry as they used to be to climb in and out of a tailwheel cub.
If you are really concerned, Brad says that it is NOT that big of a deal to convert it back to conventional gear - although the gear legs are different. They are also trying all kinds of different tire options from 31" mains all the way down.
For me, this airplane is the perfect bridge between the nosedragger and the taildragger, but if you happen to get stuck on the bridge, you will not be disappointed!
I am clearly giddy with anticipation!
All the experts had to check out the castering nosewheel configurations. Taxing was as easy as you might expect it to be!
The big engine makes that CC smile much bigger!
Here is a video of Brad departing. That is just the air clearner that got knocked loose that you see flying off the plane.
I would say to any "naysayer" that they ought to fly this airplane. It may not change your mind, but it will put a smile on your face!
sj
First, I should say I have flown the "normal" X-Cub before and was impressed the with fit and feel of that machine even with the rather rough conditions I flew it in Yakima, so I was familiar with how it feels sitting in it, except now, even the most vertically challenged can see over the nose when stopped.
One of the first things you notice is how easy it is to get in and out of. Those of you with floats/amphibs know how much that helps the climb in, this is even better since you start from the ground.
This is a market survey airplane and they are still working on a LOT of tweaks, like this new 393i engine which Brad said was more than 215HP. I followed Brad's instructions about setting the mixture for best power before launching, and I was on my way!
When ever I fly a "new to me" plane, I have a series of things I do. Coordination rolls (often mistakenly called "dutch rolls" even in a recent bush flying book), Steep turns, super slow flight, a number of different stalls including accelerated. I don't record a bunch of numbers when I do this, so for you number nerds out there you will be disappointed. You will also notice I don't do a "cruise speed" test, because for me it is not about that.
After all that I can say that this thing flies and responds exactly like you would expect a carbon or xcub to fly, in fact it is one of the smoothest flying machines I have flown to date. It takes off like a rocket for a 1300lb airplane (see video below) and the ability to hold the brakes when you land is a game changer. There was a decent crosswind that day and I chose to try it out on the crosswind runway and as you would expect - although I still did all the standard tailwheel x-wind corrections since you totally forget you are in a nosewheel after take off - it was a breeze to land.
When anyone talks about any new airplane, the cost comes up. This is a market survey plane so I don't even know if they have a price in mind yet. It would be a great primary training airplane in my opinion, as well as a great airplane for folks who just can't seem to get then hang of the tailwheel thing or are not as spry as they used to be to climb in and out of a tailwheel cub.
If you are really concerned, Brad says that it is NOT that big of a deal to convert it back to conventional gear - although the gear legs are different. They are also trying all kinds of different tire options from 31" mains all the way down.
For me, this airplane is the perfect bridge between the nosedragger and the taildragger, but if you happen to get stuck on the bridge, you will not be disappointed!
I am clearly giddy with anticipation!
All the experts had to check out the castering nosewheel configurations. Taxing was as easy as you might expect it to be!
The big engine makes that CC smile much bigger!
Here is a video of Brad departing. That is just the air clearner that got knocked loose that you see flying off the plane.
I would say to any "naysayer" that they ought to fly this airplane. It may not change your mind, but it will put a smile on your face!
sj