American light aircraft based on the Piper PA-18 Super Cub
The CubCrafters CC18-180 Top Cub is an American light aircraft designed and produced by CubCrafters of Yakima, Washington , introduced in 2004. The aircraft is type certified and supplied complete and ready-to-fly.[ 1]
The design is based on the 1949 vintage Piper PA-18 Super Cub .[ 2]
Design and development
The CC18-180 Top Cub was designed to comply with the FAR 23 certification rules. It features a strut-braced high-wing , an enclosed cockpit with two-seats-in-tandem accessed by doors, fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration .[ 1]
The aircraft is made from welded 4130 steel tubing, with its flying surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric . Its 35.4 ft (10.8 m) span wing has an area of 178 sq ft (16.5 m2 ) and mounts flaps . Standard engines available are the 180 hp (134 kW) Lycoming O-360-C4P or O-360-C1G and the 180 hp (134 kW) Superior O-360-A3A2 four-stroke powerplants.[ 1] [ 3]
The aircraft can be flown on wheels, tundra tires , skis or amphibious floats . Belly pods are available to increase cargo and fuel capacity.[ 1]
The design was initially type certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration on 16 December 2004.[ 3] The aircraft was certified by Transport Canada on 23 July 2008[ 4] and achieved Australian certification in August 2008.[ 5]
In July 2015 CubCrafters sold the type certificate for the CC18 to the Liaoning Cub Aircraft Corporation of China . Cub Crafters then licensed the design back so they could produce the aircraft for the non-Chinese market. The type certificate was transferred to a holding company, Topcub Aircraft, Inc, on August 13, 2015. The Liaoning Cub Aircraft Corporation plans to produce the design in China for flight training , aerial photography , mapping , agriculture and personal use.[ 3] [ 6] [ 7]
Operational history
Reviewer Marino Boric described the design in a 2015 review saying, "the Top Cub is an ideal choice for any adventure-seeking pilot."[ 1]
By February 2017, 74 examples had been registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration and three with Transport Canada .[ 8] [ 9]
Variants
CC18-180
Version type certified by the US FAA on 16 December 2004 for day and night, Visual Flight Rules (VFR).[ 3]
CC18-180A
Version type certified by the US FAA on 1 July 2005 for day VFR. Only one built.[ 3]
Specifications (CC18-180 Top Cub)
Data from Tacke, manufacturer and FAA[ 1] [ 3]
General characteristics
Crew: one
Capacity: one passenger
Length: 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 3 in (10.74 m)
Height: 8 ft 5 in (2.57 m)
Wing area: 178 sq ft (16.5 m2 )
Empty weight: 1,200 lb (544 kg)
Gross weight: 2,300 lb (1,043 kg)
Fuel capacity: 50 U.S. gallons (190 L; 42 imp gal)
Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-360-C4P four cylinder, air-cooled, four stroke aircraft engine , 180 hp (130 kW)
Propellers: 2-bladed Sensenich Propeller , 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) diameter
Performance
Cruise speed: 127 mph (204 km/h, 110 kn)
Stall speed: 48 mph (77 km/h, 42 kn) flaps down
Never exceed speed : 152 mph (245 km/h, 132 kn)
Range: 570 mi (920 km, 500 nmi)
Endurance: 5 hours
Service ceiling: 14,600 ft (4,500 m) with oxygen system installed
Rate of climb: 800 ft/min (4.1 m/s)
References
^ a b c d e f Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16 , page 42. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ISSN 1368-485X
^ CubCrafters . "Top Cub" . Retrieved February 9, 2017 .
^ a b c d e f Federal Aviation Administration (August 13, 2013). "Type Certificate Data Sheet No. A00006SE" (PDF) . Retrieved February 9, 2017 .
^ Transport Canada (23 July 2008), Type Certificate Data Sheet A-253 , retrieved 9 February 2017
^ Civil Aviation Safety Authority . "Australian Type Acceptance Certificate No. A249" (PDF) . Archived from the original (PDF) on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2017 .
^ "CubCrafters Sells TC To Chinese Corporation" . AVweb . Retrieved February 9, 2017 .
^ "CubCrafters Announces Top Cub Deal With Chinese Firm" . aero-news.net . Retrieved February 9, 2017 .
^ Federal Aviation Administration (February 9, 2017). "Make / Model Inquiry Results" . Retrieved February 9, 2017 .
^ Transport Canada (February 9, 2017). "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register" . Retrieved February 9, 2017 .
External links
Aircraft
Military designations
Foreign variants