Following a year-long public market survey effort, CubCrafters has decided to certify a nosewheel option for its flagship Part 23 certified aircraft, the CC-19 XCub.
“The added capabilities and value offered by the new nosewheel option are game-changing,” said Patrick Horgan, president of CubCrafters. “The XCub is easily convertible between nosewheel and tailwheel, so you really get two airplanes in one: A fast, modern, easy-to-fly, tricycle gear aircraft and a traditional big-tire tailwheel Cub together.”
“Putting a nosewheel on a modern Cub type aircraft certainly surprised some people, but the overwhelming public response has been positive, especially among the more than 300 pilots that have had the opportunity to fly the airplane during the Market Survey phase,” said Brad Damm, CubCrafters VP of Sales & Marketing. “A nosewheel equipped XCub is a very easy airplane to fly that takes off shorter, lands shorter, and cruises faster than the tailwheel version. Once a pilot is in the airplane and experiences it, the advantages are obvious.”
“Engaging our customers in a Market Survey effort for this new nosewheel option has been hugely important,” added Horgan. “We went into this process not entirely sure if the market wanted to accept a nosewheel-type personal adventure Cub. There is no question now — we’ve had people wanting to place deposits for this aircraft from day one. Our customers have made it very clear that they want us to build this airplane.”
Hundreds of hours of real-world use by a variety of pilots of varying skill levels during the Market Survey phase led to many design improvements that wouldn’t otherwise have been possible in an internal-only development setting, according to company official.
“Current and prospective customers were able to have a large influence on the final design of the nosewheel option for the aircraft,” officials said in a prepared release.
With a trailing-link nosewheel assembly and tundra tires as an option for the mains, the nosewheel equipped XCub is capable of handling primitive landing strips and most off-airport type operations, company officials reported.
Landing loads on the nosewheel are transmitted to the airframe by a heavy duty truss designed just for this application, and the entire nosewheel assembly is a bolt-on option that can be removed should the owner want to convert the airplane to a tailwheel configuration, officials explained.
“This is something I’ve looked forward to for a long time,” said Jim Richmond, CubCrafters’ founder and CEO. “I’ve always believed that back-country flying should be open to more than just tailwheel rated pilots, and it’s exciting to see that vision now becoming a reality!”
Badged as the “NX Cub” for aircraft leaving the factory in the nosewheel configuration, the new tricycle gear option is available now on experimental XCubs through the company’s Builder Assist program. CubCrafters officials say they expect FAA Part 23 certification in early 2021.
FORGET THE QUESTIONS…
…. “I WANT ONE” ❗️
JB. ….an old cowboy pilot
I’d love to know the details as far as the nose gear/tailwheel conversion process. Per this posting, CubCrafters claims it is “easily convertible”. Perhaps CubCrafters can provide info as to the specifics of an easy conversion and the estimated time requirement to perform it. I’m sure the certified version will require an A&P/shop to perform the conversion legally.
We just tested it and the conversion takes between 3-4 hours with two mechanics. As it’s a configuration change from one type-design approved landing gear to another, it just require a logbook entry for the Part-23 version if the aircraft.
We videoed the entire convresion process, and will post it ont he CubCrafters Blog within the next few wqeeks. – CubCrafters
That’s something I can’t believe! Why should an aircraft with a nose wheel be faster than the same airframe equipped with a tail wheel? A nosegear is heavier, and it creates more drag. How could the aircraft be faster? Can someone explain this?
The only way I can imagine that would be possible is if it moves the CG forward such that the stabilizer doesn’t need to provide as much down force. If the aircraft then flies more nose-down it might decrease drag on the wing, fuselage, and the stabilizer. But that would have to more than counter the increased drag of the nose wheel. It seems unlikely but I suppose it’s possible.
It’s appealing to me, as I’m not an amazing pilot but have a good grasp on tricycle gear, but I’m intrigued by a faster cruise with that giant nose wheel; That’s surprising.