AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2019 - 66

FX-3S CAN BE IFR-equipped and legal for IFR in the Experimental category,

and the Garmin G3X is the most popular PFD/MFD. A glass panel may seem
out of place in the backcountry, but weather, wind, and terrain information
can be extremely useful when flying among mountains.

in Yakima to take part in the construction process, and a brother who worked as
a professional pilot in Alaska came along
and coached him through the transcontinental ferry flight home.
"We seldom got higher than 1,500
feet above the ground all the way from
the state of Washington to Maryland-
and that's a great way to see the country,"
Gochenaur said.
Even though he envisioned flying
the FX-3 purely for fun and adventure,
Gochenaur said it makes an astonishingly
good commuter. He keeps it on a grass strip
at a farm in rural Maryland and flies it to an
office in Northern Virginia as well as construction sites throughout the region.
"This airplane wasn't supposed to be
about practicality-but it's been surprisingly helpful for just getting around this
area," he said.
"The real reason I got it was to go on
hunting trips, fly to Alaska, and just get out
there," he said. "It looks pristine now-but
I can assure you there's going to be plenty
of mud and dirt in its future."
AOPA
EMAIL dave.hirschman@aopa.org

are held to the same performance and
flight-test standards.
The Experimental-category EX-3
and FX-3 also benefit from the XCub program because they have adopted many
of the same materials and components.
The stick grips, iPad mounts, and even
the ailerons on the XCub are identical to
those on EX-3s and FX-3s.
Logistical considerations also limit
the builder-assist program to no more
than two visiting owners/builders per
week-and the program is so popular
that there's a mounting backlog. An FX-3
buyer today, for example, would have
to wait about one full year for a building slot, and it would take roughly 14
months to finish the process. Gochenaur
made the construction of his FX-3 and
flying it from the Northwest to the MidAtlantic a family affair. A nephew who's
also an aerospace engineer joined him
66 | AOPA PILOT November 2019

Giving customers what they want
CubCrafters produces two-seat, fabric covered, short takeoff and landing
airplanes made for backcountry flying, and they come in four models. The
Carbon Cub is a Light Sport aircraft made at the factory. The FX-3 is a faster,
structurally beefed-up version of that airplane with options such as a more
powerful engine and constant-speed prop-and it's made by individual builders with factory assistance. The EX-3 is an identical airframe that's shipped as
a kit to builders who complete the entire project on their own without factory
assistance. And the XCub is an FAA-certified, Part 23-compliant aircraft that's
only made at the factory.
"We offer a full line of products so we can give our customers what they
want," Horgan said. "No one airplane covers all the bases. We want to make
sure we've got the airplane that fits their mission."
For those seeking pure STOL performance, the Carbon Cub is often best
because of its extreme light weight. The EX-3/FX-3 with a constant-speed
prop is faster and has a greater payload, more range, and IFR capability. The
XCub is the most refined and best mannered with pushrod controls and the
most speed and creature comforts.
New XCubs typically carry a retail price of about $375,000, FX-3s are
about $325,000, and Carbon Cubs are about $275,000 depending on
options.
-DH

AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2019

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