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RV "Super Cub"

Jpm757

Well Known Member
Some of us have been waiting anxiously for a Van's high wing bush plane. I was hoping that it would be my next project, but I don't see anything on the horizon. I am looking seriously at the Javron Super Cub as an alternative, but would gladly wait for a Van's rendition if I knew for sure it was at least on the drawing board. Anybody out there think this will happen in the not to distant future?
 
“Anybody out there think this will happen in the not to distant future?”

Well.....that depends on your age, and what you consider “not to distant”.... If I recall correctly, the prototype RV-14 debuted at Airventure 2012 (looking at my logbook, I flew it shortly after that in Oregon, so I think that’s right). You can figure out a way to search for when the first customer completed airplane flew, and that will give you some idea of the lead time from prototype to product.

I have zero knowledge of whether or not Van’s has anything in work, but if they did, and they announced it for Christmas, well....now you have a timeframe. The next question is “how old are you, and how long do you expect to be flying?”

These and other important considerations when looking for a kit plane will be covered in a talk I’m giving during EAA’s (virtual) Homebuilder’s Week in late January!

Paul
 
SNIP...

The next question is “how old are you, and how long do you expect to be flying?”

Paul

Paul - a little harsh.

A better question for us seasoned builders would be “these are 30 to 50 year planes, who will get it after you are done flying?”.

My son and son-in-law are both Navy pilots so for me at least, this is question is already answered.

Carl
 
First customer RV-14 flight

You can figure out a way to search for when the first customer completed airplane flew, and that will give you some idea of the lead time from prototype to product.

We were just looking at this the other day, I believe the first customer flight was in early 2016. So roughly 3.5 years after the aircraft's debut.

Hard to believe the RV-14 has been around that long actually, it still seems "new"!
 
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https://vashonaircraft.com/ranger-r7-specs.php

Pretty close, but nothing compares to a real PA-18 Super Cub.

George

If it were a taildragger I'd seriously consider buying it, but not as it is currently.
Plus there aren't enough out there to know how safe and reliable it really is. Now if they told me that if that front wheel ever falls off during off airport operations it would all be covered by a factory insurance, then that would be a game changer.
 
Some of us have been waiting anxiously for a Van's high wing bush plane. I was hoping that it would be my next project, but I don't see anything on the horizon. I am looking seriously at the Javron Super Cub as an alternative, but would gladly wait for a Van's rendition if I knew for sure it was at least on the drawing board. Anybody out there think this will happen in the not to distant future?

That Javron Cub looks very nice but I don't have the abilities to build so I have to buy one already built. I'll wait for you to build yours, use it a while, then want to move on to your next build :D
 
Some of us have been waiting anxiously for a Van's high wing bush plane. I was hoping that it would be my next project, but I don't see anything on the horizon. I am looking seriously at the Javron Super Cub as an alternative, but would gladly wait for a Van's rendition if I knew for sure it was at least on the drawing board. Anybody out there think this will happen in the not to distant future?

I personally doubt Vans will ever put out a high wing bush plane but I have been wrong before, just ask my wife. Adding another model type, especially one that is not in the family of current product type, will greatly stretch their manufacturing, inventory, and support staff abilities. Vans is very good at not just willy-nilly adding new models, unlike many of the other “Kit” companies that are searching/exploring for their market niche. Vans already has theirs. Vans will definitely do lots of home work to insure success.

If they did start another product line I think it may come at the expense of dropping one or two of their current models just to help them with the logistics.

Maybe the logistics can be overcome with still using parts from current models. Maybe a -9 or -10 wing with -8 tails on a new fuselage that uses -7 FWF. But my idea of a proper Super Cub is wing and fuselage are fabric covered and I don’t believe Van would ever branch into fabric.

I hope the Vans employees enjoy reading these threads as I always love reading article’s theorizing what my company/industry is working on in our new product development.
 
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The various Bearhawk models are fabric fuselage and aluminum wing.

Aluminum and aluminum would be different......
 
I have a hangar neighbor with an Oshkosh workmanship awarded Javron cub with XO-370 (200hp) and Catto prop. It is an amazing airplane. Great flyer with phenomenal performance. Full G3X Touch with autopilot and all the options. It smokes my 200hp constant-speed prop Husky in the climb. No so much in the cruise (prop differences). On take off I can hold the stick back in my belly and firewall it and it jumps off the ground (at 6,000' density altitude). This Javron is also faster than any Super Cub I have flown with the same control harmony that has endeared the type from the 1940's through today. He's got it up for sale so I am trying to get a few more flights in it before it's gone.
 
".... I am looking seriously at the Javron Super Cub as an alternative, but would gladly wait for a Van's rendition if I knew for sure it was at least on the drawing board. ...."

Another data point listing right-now-demand for a 'RV Super Cub'. CC models were the second largest pie slice in this 12/9/2020 article which had a section on what was completed in 2019. Jump straight to the pie chart.

(Re: completions in 2019).

“As one would expect, Van’s Aircraft led the way: 199 of the new aircraft were RVs. The RV-7 took the lead, with 51 examples. Second place was a surprise—in more ways than one.
 CubCrafters...

...it’s interesting when you consider that the Carbon Cub kit costs about twice that of a quickbuild RV-7."


Demand?

Yup.

Who would build an RV Super Cub?

I would.​
 
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I'm build a Carbon Cub now and the kit is just amazing. They aren't kidding when they say "everything" is included in the kit, they even send you storage bins with all the hardware pre-organized with easy re-order QR codes.
 
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