Cub Crafter prices

[saddletramp]

I don't intend to bash Cub Crafter airplanes. I've instructed in them & admit they are a hoot to fly with spectacular climb performance & docile slow speed handling. I'm in the process of selling my straight tail 182 & buying a tailwheel airplane built by another manufacture. Just for grins I was pursuing Cub Crafter classifieds & was stunned at the prices. How can a person justify that? Just curious.

 

[ateamer]

Very easy to justify: If someone pays the asking price, then the plane is worth it. Foolish to sell for less than people are willing to pay.

 

[Grum.Man]

I've always wondered the same. Then again people are out there paying 45k plus for J3's so there doesn't have to be a reason.

 

[hindsight2020]

"gA iS thRiviN' sTop bEinG poOr"

 

[wanttaja]

Homebuilt with the most completions in 2023? RVs. Second most completions? Carbon Cubs.

If you lump all the Carbon Cub models together (they're basically the same airframe) more new Carbon Cubs were licensed last year than any single Vans model.

So, yes, like the RVs, they're popular on the used market. Because the kit price is so high, the used sale price is going to be high, too.

Ron Wanttaja

 

[Salty]

I've never met anyone that actually built their own carbon cub. I've met lots of people that have built Vans.

I say that only to ponder if they are really EAB, or if it's just a factory shell game.

 

[SoonerAviator]

I've never met anyone that actually built their own carbon cub. I've met lots of people that have built Vans.

I say that only to ponder if they are really EAB, or if it's just a factory shell game.

I have a high school friend who's father has built at least 4 of the Carbon Cubs, then sells them. Absolute works of art and he's got the builds down to a science at this point. However, when I see the sale prices it makes my eyes pop out of my head; $300K+ is absurd for a cub of any sort, carbon or otherwise, lol.

 

[Flyxaos]

Sort of related... I parked next to Cub Crafters last Friday. Their Cubs were all over the ramp. Lots of planes for such a small facility. This is just one side.

 

[wanttaja]

I've never met anyone that actually built their own carbon cub. I've met lots of people that have built Vans.

I say that only to ponder if they are really EAB, or if it's just a factory shell game.

The Carbon Cub FX has a seven-day factory build assist program. This is on their web page:


Note that the customer builds parts, and the company assembles the airplane. I would presume the FAA has approved airplanes built under this process as EAB.

As of January of this year, there were 527 Carbon Cubs on the FAA registry. 312 of them used the factory quick-build option (Model name starting with "CCX").

In 2023, EAB Carbon Cubs saw a net 25% increase in registrations. RVs registrations rose 3%. Explains Van's interest in the RV-15....

Ron Wanttaja

 

[Salty]

The Carbon Cub FX has a seven-day factory build assist program. This is on their web page:

View attachment 126851
Note that the customer builds parts, and the company assembles the airplane. I would presume the FAA has approved airplanes built under this process as EAB.

As of January of this year, there were 527 Carbon Cubs on the FAA registry. 312 of them used the factory quick-build option (Model name starting with "CCX").

In 2023, EAB Carbon Cubs saw a net 25% increase in registrations. RVs registrations rose 3%. Explains Van's interest in the RV-15....

Ron Wanttaja

Yeah, I didn’t mean to say it was illegal. But it does seem like some companies have more flexibility on this than others.

And I guess I do have an internal bias against factory assist builds not being “real” home built.

 

[Racerx]

Having just drover by an airstream I had the same thought about prices

 

[Grum.Man]

They do go together extremely fast. Pretty common for a novice builder to knock one out in a couple years. A second time builder that is likely retired can easily get one airworthy in a year. You are paying for the completion level. If you really plan to use one for its capability then great. What blows my mind are the ones I see on the eastern half of the country that aren’t likely to go anywhere an RV or Spam couldn’t go and takes twice as long to get there.

 

[wanttaja]

Yeah, I didn’t mean to say it was illegal. But it does seem like some companies have more flexibility on this than others.

And I guess I do have an internal bias against factory assist builds not being “real” home built.

I'm sure the Cubcrafter's folks got FAA approval for their process (they wouldn't advertise it, otherwise), but agree as to not them considering "real" homebuilts. Two places where this might affect things. First is the danger of "calibrating" DARs to expect professional-level workmanship when evaluating a true amateur-built aircraft. The planes don't have to be perfect to be safe.

The second is the "checkbook trophy" aspects. EAA judges presented with a Wag-Aero Super Cub vs. a Cubcrafter's quick-build may not apply enough credence to the true amateur's work, if both end up in the kit-built category.

I've always felt a separate category was needed; a "Custom-Built" category instead of "Amateur-Built." But the existing GA manufacturers will fight it...Cirrus wouldn't want its potential customers able to buy almost-ready-to-fly RV-10s.

Ron Wanttaja