AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2019 - 61

YOU COULD WIN this Super
Cub on floats this summer. The
entry period ends May 31. Facing
page: AOPA Sweepstakes Super Cub
project manager Alyssa J. Cobb debuts
the airplane at Sun 'n Fun 2018; unique
tail art turns the lovable Piper Cub icon
into a bear prowling the backcountry;
seats feel like those in a luxury car, and
airbag seatbelts increase safety.

Meanwhile, I was in a rut. I hadn't earned a new certificate or rating since my CFI in 2011, and I was content
to fly my Cessna 170B within a two-hour radius of home base.
We both got a new lease on our aviation lives when AOPA
hatched its idea for an over-the-top sweepstakes airplane giveaway-a modernized Super Cub that would come with tundra
tires, amphibious floats, and hydraulic skis. The completely
transformed Super Cub is ready to jumpstart the lucky winner's
aviation adventurers-it could be yours this summer.
In the hands of Roger and Darin Meggers, the father-son
craftsmen of Baker Air Service in Baker, Montana, the Piper
PA-18 would become not only an airworthy Super Cub, but a true
work of art. Roger had purchased the Super Cub from a mechanic
a few years after it had been wrecked in 1997, and it sat in his hangar until they started the sweepstakes project in 2017.
Roger has restored more than 40 Super Cubs, and he and his
son had previously earned top awards at EAA AirVenture and
Sentimental Journey for restoring Super Cub number 1 to original condition. The two refurbished the Sweepstakes Super Cub
to fit like a custom-made glove; it's impeccably rigged and balanced, and as sleek and shiny as a composite aircraft. No detail
was overlooked. After more than 2,000 hours of restoration, the
Super Cub flew perfectly on its first test flight April 6, 2018, a
bone-chilling 18-degree Fahrenheit day in eastern Montana.
PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING MODS

With more than 30 supplemental type certificated modifications, this PA-18 blends the best of the classic Super Cub with
top performance-enhancing upgrades.
The Super Cub rolled out of the Piper factory in 1954 with
a 135-horsepower engine, but now features a Lycoming O-320
160-horsepower engine with an electronic ignition system from

Electroair. The
extra horsepower
increases the Super
Cub's performance on
land and water, and gives it
more hauling power to accommodate the heavier loads it can carry,
thanks to Wipaire's gross weight increase
to 2,000 pounds. The electronic ignition system
keeps the Super Cub starting and running smoothly at all altitudes with just the push of a button (I love the keyless start).
To further enhance performance, we turned to companies
that specialize in modifications of the popular legacy airplane.
With sturdier and in some cases lighter replacement airframe
parts from Univair and F. Atlee Dodge, the airplane came in about
150 pounds heavier than original. CubCrafters, long known as a
manufacturer of high-performance Super Cub variants, provided
several modifications to increase the sweepstakes airplane's
safety margin, including a vortex generator kit with tail strake to
improve controllability at slow speeds and reduce stall speeds in
the aircraft (when properly rigged and loaded).
The Super Cub also has excellent range-it might be able
to stay aloft longer than you! Dakota Cub Aircraft's two 24-gallon fuel tanks carry 46 gallons of usable fuel. At an average fuel
burn of about 8.5 gallons per hour, that's just under five hours of
flight time with day-VFR reserves.
MODERN COCKPIT

With a glass panel, carbon-fiber interior, and luxury leather
seats, this isn't a typical Cub cockpit.
The panel features the touch-screen Garmin aera 660, two
G5 electronic flight instruments, the GTR 225 com radio, and
www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 61

http://www.aopa.org/pilot

AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2019