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."