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News & Media XCub gets more horsepower

XCub gets more horsepower

July 10, 2019 By Dave Hirschman

CubCrafters is giving its XCub something every backcountry pilot craves: more horsepower.

CubCrafters introduced an all-new high-performance firewall-forward engine and propeller package for its flagship Part 23 certified CC-19 XCub Aircraft. Photo courtesy of CubCrafters.
CubCrafters introduced an all-new high-performance firewall-forward engine and propeller package for its flagship Part 23 certified CC-19 XCub Aircraft. Photo courtesy of CubCrafters.

Together with Lycoming and Hartzell, CubCrafters is offering the “CC393i” firewall-forward package: a 215-horsepower, fuel injected, four-cylinder Lycoming engine with a three-blade, composite, constant-speed Hartzell prop. The package is exclusive to the XCub and replaces its original 180-hp engine, adding about 10 pounds to the empty weight of the aircraft.

The company didn’t release price or detailed performance information, but Brad Damm, CubCrafters vice president of sales and marketing, said “takeoff and climb are impressive, even by CubCrafters’ high standards.”

The FAA-certified XCub was introduced in 2016, and it set new performance marks for backcountry airplanes in terms of speed, range, and the use of durable, lightweight materials.

The new engine/prop combination features some of the improvements that were pioneered in experimental, kitbuilt versions of the Carbon Cub EX–3 and FX–3 models.

The XCub was the first standard-category airplane approved by the FAA to use non-technical standard order (non-TSO) avionics for primary flight instrumentation, specifically the Garmin G3X, in 2017.

Dave Hirschman
Dave Hirschman
AOPA Pilot Editor at Large
AOPA Pilot Editor at Large Dave Hirschman joined AOPA in 2008. He has an airline transport pilot certificate and instrument and multiengine flight instructor certificates. Dave flies vintage, historical, and Experimental airplanes and specializes in tailwheel and aerobatic instruction.
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