Work begins on Alaska Airmen’s 2021 raffle plane

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — After reviewing a number of exceptional build proposals from several companies, the Alaska Airmen’s Association has awarded its 2021 raffle plane contract to ACME Cub Training, headed by Steven Williams.

The raffle plane is a certified PA-18 Super Cub with many upgrades and modifications, according to association officials.

“We’ve been actively engaged in restoring Super Cubs, experimental Cubs, and other fabric-covered aircraft for a quarter century and have put a lot of them back on the flightline,” said Williams. “The fact that we started this time with a brand new, certified fuselage frame from Airframes Alaska certainly helps. With the other serviceable parts and donated components we’ve received, we will be able to finish and deliver a significantly upgraded, modified backcountry Cub with 35-inch Tundra tires from Alaska Bushwheel and a 0 SMOH 160-hp Lycoming from Custom Aircraft. To call this a team effort is an understatement.”

Williams and his team at ACME Cub Training have “extensive experience building, restoring, and flying Cubs,” association officials add. An ACME-built Cub won the Valdez STOL competition for Bush Class in 2016 and again in 2018.

This is the 21st year for the raffle, which raises funds to support the Alaska Airmen’s mission to “protect, preserve, and promote general aviation in Alaska.”

The raffle will be held in May 2021 on the last day of the Great Alaska Aviation Gathering in Anchorage, Alaska. Raffle ticket sales start Oct. 1, 2020. Details will be available soon on the Alaska Airmen’s website.

According to the contract, the airworthy aircraft will be delivered to Alaska Airmen’s Association April 15, 2021. Williams has expressed confidence that he will be finished well ahead of schedule.