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Photo by David
Sakrison
Mark Erickson shows off the new type certificate for his Dakota
Cub Super 18. The airplane is designed to meet the extreme demands
of backcountry flying. |
July 31, 2009 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin
- Mark Erickson, designer and builder of the Dakota Cub Super 18, says the
aircraft was “born of necessity”—the need for a versatile,
efficient, and above all rugged backcountry bush plane.
Piper’s PA-18 Super Cub has long been a
favorite of bush pilots. Erickson took the basic design of the PA- 18 and
modified it specifically to meet the extreme demands of backcountry flight
operations.
The FAA issued the type certificate (TC) for
the Super 18 last week and presented it to Erickson at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh.
Erickson hopes to begin production of the
Super 18 in late fall 2009 and deliveries next spring. Erickson’s
company, Dakota Cub Aircraft LLC, makes parts for PA-18s and a lot of his
customers are bush pilots flying in Alaska, Canada, and the western United
States. His conversations with those pilots helped guide the Super 18’s
design.
Its fuselage is four inches wider than a PA-18’s,
for added comfort and capacity. It is powered by a Lycoming O-360-C4P 180-
hp engine and can handle engines up to 210 horsepower (IO-390).
A much stronger and three-inch taller landing
gear and heavy-duty shock struts give the Super 18 better ground
clearance, especially for ski operations. The landing gear will accept
skis, floats, or bush tires up to 31 inches in diameter.
Its gross weight of 2,300 pounds is 550 pounds
greater than the Super Cub. Erickson improved on other components, as
well, giving the Super 18 flaps that are 40 percent larger than a PA-18’s
and leading edge slots to improve slow-speed performance.
The rear lift struts are beefed up to handle
heavy snow and wind loads on the ground.
The prototype and type certificate have been
six years in the making. Erickson partnered with Airframes Alaska to
develop and manufacture the Super 18, and they will build a new factory to
produce it.
With the TC in hand, Dakota Cub Aircraft has
begun accepting orders for the Super 18, which will sell for “around
$160,000” Erickson said.
The Dakota Cub Super 18—N2300S— is parked
in Row 319 of the Homebuilt Camping area. To find it, go to Forum Pavilion
5, and head due west.
For more information contact Dakota Cub
Aircraft LLC at 605-757-6688 or visit www.dakotacub.com.
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