Rotax 916iS On the Way for 2025 Manufacture, Test Rides Available

CubCrafters' latest and greatest in the Carbon Cub UL lineup made a splash last year with a turbocharged 916 iS engine, but it's not quite into production just yet - CubCrafters says they want to gauge demand for the little fire breather first.

Officially, the Carbon Cub UL and Rotax 916 iS now in its 'market survey development phase', meaning it's just about to head into the oven, but the recipe isn't inked just yet. CubCrafters VP Brad Damm wants to see everyone chip in with their two cents to see how they feel about the prospective aircraft. So far, everything that's been shown off paints a very attractive portrait of a lightweight, capable, eager little bird, boasting an empty weight "well below 900 lbs", and an impressively efficient 160 horsepower. All the math checks out, all the parts selected and options list populated, but CubCrafters is keeping its ear to the ground. With plans to begin full production in 2025, there's still some time left to weigh in on the prospective aircraft. Demo rides abound, and CubCrafters is eager to hear from prospective customers.

Patrick Horgan, President and CEO of CubCrafters explained his company's position: “We believe that core to the success of CubCrafters is that we listen to our customers to assure that we develop the aircraft that they want to fly. The original Carbon Cub was first introduced 15 years ago, and at the time it redefined expectations of what backcountry performance should be. It was a tall order to make an aircraft like the Carbon Cub lighter, stronger, and even more capable than it was before, but we’ve done that with the UL version. Even being a full-sized aircraft, it is light enough that it legitimately has the capability to carry 2 people, fuel, and baggage at LSA weights of under 600 KG (1320 lbs). In the EAB category, it can have more useful load than its own empty weight.”

Doubly interesting about the new engine combination was that the “Partnering with Red Bull, we were able to show what an extremely light and powerful version of the Carbon Cub could accomplish when the UL technology demonstrator aircraft landed on the Burj Al Arab hotel helipad in Dubai,” says Brad Damm, company Vice President. “A month later we announced a consumer version of the UL aircraft would be forthcoming, and now in 2024 we’re exactly on schedule to have demonstration aircraft available for the public to fly.”

FMI: www.cubcrafters.com