CubCrafters Launches Carbon Cub ULT with Innovative Turbine Powerplant
It's no secret here at Plane + Pilot that we aren't necessarily in the business of breaking aviation news. This magazine and its corresponding website is built around general aviation adventures—where to go, what to do, and who to see by way of your airplane. So if you're looking for every headline that hits the GA news cycle, you're probably in the wrong place. That said, when there's news that genuinely impacts the general aviation adventure community, you can bet I'm going to cover it. A few weeks ago, I got an insider tip that CubCrafters was preparing to unveil its latest project—the Carbon Cub ULT , powered by TurboTech's new TP-R90 regenerative turboprop. To say I was giddy when I first heard the news would be an understatement. But instead of simply rewriting the news release to chase clicks when the embargo lifted July 6, I decided I wanted to see the airplane with my own eyes before publishing the same story everyone else in aviation media was going to write. While I couldn't say for certain that I'd get the opportunity, I had a pretty good feeling I'd see the ULT during an exclusive CubCrafters content creator event near Bonanza, Oregon, this past weekend. So I decided to roll the dice. After arriving at the ranch in an orange FX-3 (with no one other than Luke Czepiela of Red Bull Air Race fame in the back seat), I immediately tracked down Jackie Burch to ask if we'd be getting a chance to see the new Cub in person. Burch couldn't confirm or deny anything, but there were a few people around who definitely knew the answer. Their reactions were enough for me to take my gamble as one that I would most certainly be winning. The following morning, I was standing near the hangar on a phone call when I suddenly heard an unmistakable whistle overhead. I knew experimental aircraft builders Mike and Mark Patey were expected at the event, so I assumed it was the sound of their Pilatus PC-12. But as I quickly repositioned myself for a better view of the runway, I quickly spotted the turbine powered ULT and a matching UL coming in for landing. CubCrafters vice president Brad Damm touched down the ULT in a perfect three-point attitude, giving everyone their first real look, and listen, to the airplane. Admittedly, when I first heard about the company's project a few weeks earlier, I wondered whether the proportions would work. I pictured an overly stretched nose and a cowling that looked forced simply to accommodate a turbine engine. But as Damm taxied in front of us, those concerns were put to rest. The airplane looked like it was seamlessly born for a turbine-powered backcountry mission. Despite the entirely new TurboTech powerplant, the airplane is unmistakably a CubCrafters product. The ULT shares the same airframe as the Carbon Cub UL, the manufacturer's Rotax 916 iS-powered light sport, which has only been in the marketplace since 2023. With an 860-pound empty weight, gross weight of 1,320, and useful load of around 460, the ULT fits well within the parameters for sport pilots under the FAA's new MOSAIC regulations. "We're doing everything so that it can be ASTM certified as a light sport," said Damm. Perhaps the icing on the cake? Despite being turbine powered, the TurboTech-equipped ULT requires neither a type rating nor a special endorsement. Pilots can simply climb in and enjoy its 120 mph cruise speed while burning just 9 gph. "All the money, time, and effort we invested to take weight out to make the UL transfers right over to this airplane," said Damm. "There's a few differences in the fuel system for the jet-A, but it has the same tanks in the wings. It has a really similar center of gravity, and I actually like the center of gravity a little bit better in [the ULT]. In the three years since the UL's debut, Damm and the CubCrafters team have been working diligently behind the scenes to dream up a platform that could offer turbine reliability, worldwide fuel alternatives, and a significant TBO (3,000 hours to be exact). But it all started with a little convincing from the TurboTech team at AERO Friedrichshafen three years ago. "I had flown turbine-powered Cubs years ago," said Damm. "But those were burning 30 to 40 gallons an hour down low, and you can't make an airplane out of that." After sitting down with the TurboTech team and drilling into the details, including questions about operating a turbine-powered, fabric-covered airplane from dry grass strips, Damm came away impressed. He took what he had learned back to the CubCrafters' engineering team, and got to work. Three years later, one week since its announcement, the ULT has received 12 deposits at a base price of $690,000. "To be honest my favorite part of this airplane is the cool factor. It's fun. It's exciting, and it's generated a lot of interest and a lot of controversy, but it's been a good opportunity for us to educate."