CubCrafters now offers Builder Assist!

[John Whitish]

Carbon Cub FX.jpg

As long as we have offered an aircraft kit, customers have asked us for a builder assist program. We've recognized that many want to play a bigger role in the construction of their airplane, but taking a Carbon Cub kit home is an awfully big commitment for some of us. However, the reasons for owning an E-AB Carbon Cub are compelling: certify up to 1,865 lbs., night and/or IFR operation, builder maintenance and the ability to modify the aircraft.

Setting up a builder assist program is a big commitment, too. Readers who have paid a visit here in Yakima know that we don't have a bunch of extra space, and curriculum and staffing are critical: the program must be professional and "tight"... each scheduled process must proceed on-time and without a hiccup.

Jim Richmond has been chewing on this as long as I can remember, and at our Management Meeting last year he told us about his idea: Assist builders in the fabrication of the parts, then CubCrafters will use the builder's parts to assemble the airplane!

The Carbon Cub FX (Factory eXperimental) Builder Assist program was born.

"Carbon Cub FX turns the familiar ‘builder assist’ convention upside down”, Jim says. “Instead of assisting your assembly of parts from a kit, CubCrafters’ technicians facilitate your fabrication of the parts themselves! Using our modern facilities and equipment, we will guide you through the fabrication process in an astonishingly short time. Then, CubCrafters will use your parts to assemble a factory-perfect Carbon Cub, complete with all the options that you choose!”

FX builders will spend five 8-hour days at CubCrafters' Headquarters, accompanied by our concierge, constructing and assembling their steel, aluminum and composite aircraft components. CubCrafters will then use the customer-built components to assemble a nearly-complete Carbon Cub FX. Later, the builder returns to put the finishing touches on the aircraft:
- One day for final assembly and preparation for airworthiness inspection
- One day for airworthiness inspection, certification and a minimum of two test flights by CubCrafters test pilots

The buyer receives a one-year aircraft warranty (unprecedented for E-AB aircraft).

For FX, builders use exactly the same facilities and equipment that CubCrafters uses to produce our EX-2 kit and all of our ready-to-fly aircraft. On the good side, that means the FX builder enjoys the same precision, speed, clockwork efficiency and quality assurance that our Production Team has been honing for years. On the not-so-good side, those same facilities and equipment are devoted entirely to the builder during his/her session, and not to CubCrafters' "normal" production. So some of those precious "Production Positions" on our manufacturing schedule will be filled with builder assist aircraft each year.

We've hosted three FX builders so far and each has given the program an enthusiastic thumbs-up! All have commented on a heightened appreciation for the quality of our parts and processes, and that has resulted in an even greater love for the Carbon Cub itself.

If you are curious about Carbon Cub FX Builder Assist, or if you are one of those who has been prodding us along, call your Certified Sales Center for more info or to schedule your FX build.

[Rich]

I am doing the program now and it is a blast! This is my 3rd new Carbon Cub and I can't believe how much of the aircraft is actually made in-house by such wonderful and skilled craftsman. Heck, they even machine make bushings; something I thought they bought from a hardware wholesaler. It is an honor and privilege to meet the men and women who hand-craft this GREAT airplane. I highly recommend this program and aircraft!