Amphibious J3-Style Aircraft Qualifies As An LSA

Some days, high and fast and get-there-now is necessary, and a good way to fly. And some days, low and slow and land-on-the-water just can't be beat. If you trend towards the latter, American Legend Aircraft Company let us know Wednesday about the first customer delivery of a Legend AmphibCub-an amphibious float-equipped Legend Cub certified as a light-sport aircraft. The AmphibCub was completed and delivered to a customer in South Florida where the aircraft presently resides.

Taking delivery of the first Legend AmphibCub was Dick Parsons. A retired commercial airline pilot, husband, father, friend, adventurer, purveyor of fine living, part-time snow-bird and nature-lover, dog rescuer, and a long-time Legend Cub fan, Dick is a travelled man. He has flown over 700 hours in the Legend Cub, a considerable sum in three years, and a fraction of the number of hours he has logged in heavies on transcontinental routes. Until recently, Dick made all of his landings exclusively on tires and dry land. As a new owner of the first Legend AmphibCub, Dick now enjoys water landings. With the other 71-percent of Earth's surface being water, this affords countless new opportunities.

The new AmphibCub by American Legend is based on a J3-style version of the Legend Cub. It is configured with amphibious aluminum floats from supplier Baumann Floats of New Richmond, Wisconsin. The Amphibious Legend FloatCub is a certified light-sport aircraft that meets the category's seaplane requirements with a simple, repositionable landing gear. The aircraft lists at $159,000.

Parson says one of his favorite spots to visit is the Florida Keys. The two play well together, sea life and seaplane, and Dick and his AmphibCub. With water as a mode of transportation here, the Keys feature more runways than all the major hub airports combined, and a comparatively scant amount of traffic. Dick also enjoys flying further up the Gulf Coast where he has access to private lakes and a delightful salt dome island. Another favorite spot Dick frequents in his Cub is the far northeasterly state of Maine. Here he enjoys flying the mountains and seashores. "You can't get there from here," an often used phrase among Mainers, is not something Dick pays much heed to. In his Legend AmphibCub, Dick can always fly there from here… land or sea.

Darin Hart, owner of American Legend Aircraft Company and designer of the Legend AmphibCub, stated, "The new amphibious Legend Cub is a special configuration and we've worked hard to ensure it fulfills sport pilot needs. The AmphibCub comes with Baumann BF 1500A amphibious floats, Garmin avionics, vortex generators, position/strobe lighting, and a lightweight finish system." Hart continued, "Much of the emphasis was on meeting weight requirements. Empty weight is 998 lbs.; this gives you a 432 pound useful load. American Legend is proud to be the market leader, again, by putting its certified light-sport aircraft on amphibious floats. The Legend AmphibCub opens up a new world of flying with both ground and water landing options."

FMI: www.legend.aero