Cub Crafters, Inc. (often styled CubCrafters) is an aircraft manufacturer based in Yakima, Washington. Founded in 1980, by Jim Richmond, to build parts and supplementary type certificate (STC) modifications for the Piper PA-18 Super Cub, its CC18-180 Top Cub was Federal Aviation Administration-certified on December 16, 2004 and remained in production in February 2017. The Top Cub is a new aircraft based on the shape and attributes of the Super Cub, but incorporating modern materials and technology.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 40. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X The CC18-180 Top Cub was granted a type certificate (TC) by Transport Canada on 23 July 2008 and achieved Australian certification in August that year. In July 2015 the company announced that it had sold the TC for the CC18 to the Liaoning Cub Aircraft Corporation of China. Cub Crafters licences the TC back to continue to produce the aircraft for the non-Chinese market. The Liaoning Cub Aircraft Corporation plans to produce the design for flight training, aerial photography, mapping, agriculture and personal use. Cub Crafters also produces a

light-sport aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a fairly new category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictio ...

, the CC11-100 Sport Cub, based on the original Piper J-3 Cub's appearance. The Carbon Cub replaces many aluminium parts with carbon fiber to lighten the empty weight and allow for additional

payload Payload is the object or the entity which is being carried by an aircraft or launch vehicle. Sometimes payload also refers to the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of ...

. The company also has a service and overhaul facility for PA-18 Super Cubs and other Cub derivative designs. In June 2016 the company introduced a new type certified design, the XCub, which had been secretly developed over six years. In July 2022 the company announced that it intended to raise investment capital by selling preferred shares for US$5, with a minimum purchase of US$400, aimed at customers and aviation enthusiasts. The offer will be under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Regulation A, which exempts normal registration requirements imposed in a traditional initial public offering (IPO). AVweb noted it as "surely a first for a small aircraft company". In November 2022, the company earned a Securities and Exchange Commission “qualification” to make the US$50 million dollar public IPO. In December 2022, the company acquired Summit Aircraft Skis of Sandpoint, Idaho, a manufacturer of aircraft skis.

Jim Richmond

The founder of Cub Crafters, Jim Richmond, died on November 21, 2021, aged 67. He was born in

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

, on December 2, 1953, and grew up in Easton, Washington.

Aircraft

* CC19-180 XCub * CC18-180 Top Cub * CC11-100 Sport Cub * Carbon Cub FX * CC11-160 Carbon Cub SS * Carbon Cub EX * NX Cub (nosewheel equipped)

References

{{Cub Crafters aircraft Aircraft manufacturers of the United States Companies based in Yakima, Washington 1980 establishments in Washington (state)