The Piper Super Cub serves as a significant inspiration for a variety of modern aircraft, including both experimental kit-built models and certified designs.
Featured aircraft such as the Backcountry Super Cub, American Champion Scout, Glasair Sportsman, and Maule MX-7 180B offer diverse capabilities, from exceptional slow-speed/backcountry performance to high cruise speeds and versatile configurations.
The article compares these contemporary aircraft based on their certification category, typical pricing (historical from 2015), seating, weight, payload, and specific performance metrics, highlighting their unique strengths and build considerations.
The Piper Super Cub was a popular inspiration for aircraft both certified and kit-built. Check out these modern look-alikes and how they compare to the classic. [Historical pricing included in this update from 2015 and preserved for the record.]
Backcountry Super CubProject Cost: $105,000 Certification Category: Experimental Typical Seating: 2, tandem Empty Weight: 1,230 pounds Max Weight: 2,200 pounds Useful Load: 970 pounds Full Fuel Payload: 682 pounds Takeoff Ground Roll: 400 feet Landing Ground Roll: 220 feet Minimum Speed: 30 mph Looking to build a Super Cub clone? Consider the Backcountry Super Cub; kits start at under $60,000, with a bare-bones completed plane with a used Lycoming 180 hp O-360 possible around $100,000. This clone is a remarkable slow-speed performer, and with big tires, it can land just about anywhere. Takeoff distance is usually the limiting factor. Backcountry estimates a 1,200-hour build time, so factor that in carefully.American Champion ScoutTypical Price: $234,900 Certification Category: Part 23 Typical Seating: 2, tandem Empty Weight: 1,400 pounds Max Weight: 2,150 pounds Useful Load: 940 pounds Full Fuel Payload: 330 pounds* Takeoff Ground Roll: 417 feet Landing Ground Roll: 423 feet Minimum Speed: 46 mph Not a Super Cub clone at all, the 180 hp Lycoming O-360-powered Scout is a distant offspring of the iconic tube-and-rag Aeronca 7AC Champ. Don’t mistake it for its full-aero Decathlon stablemate; the Scout is a normal category plane. It has a decent cruise speed, 130 mph, and great range thanks to a 72-gallon fuel capacity. Few missions are flown with full tanks; with partial fuel, the Scout hauls an impressive load, one not reflected in its full-fuel payload number.*Glasair SportsmanBase Project Cost: $189,950 Certification Category: Experimental Typical Seating: 2+2 Empty Weight: 1,350 pounds Max Weight: 2,350 pounds Useful Load: 1,000 pounds Full Fuel Payload: 700 pounds Takeoff Ground Roll: N/A Landing Ground Roll: N/A Minimum Speed: 46 mph Like any Experimental plane, you’ll need to build the Sportsman yourself, though Glasair, with its “Two Weeks to Taxi” program, makes that process easier. The Sportsman has merely good (by Super standards) runway performance, but it’s fast, with a cruising speed of around 165 mph, without big tires, that is, behind the Lycoming XO-360. The Sportsman is convertible, from taildragger to floats or tricycle gear — we’ll keep the nose-gear thing a secret for you.Maule MX-7 180BTypical Price: $225,000 Certification Category: Part 23 Typical Seating: 4 Empty Weight: 1,495 pounds Max Weight: 2,500 pounds Useful Load: 1,005 pounds Full Fuel Payload: 495 pounds Takeoff Ground Roll: 300 feet Landing Ground Roll: 700 feet Minimum Speed: 41 mph The Maule MX-7 180B is a classic-construction welded frame and fabric taildragger. At nearly 140 mph the MX-7 with the 180 hp Lycoming (most come with the 235 hp Lyc, however) is faster than most of the competition. It’s also got the best cargo door, a veritable elk-size portal. You can get the MX-7 with spring steel gear or oleo struts. As a taildragger with big wheels, the airplane is popular in the backcountry.Explore more taildragger options in the full feature “Clash of Cubs: Three Modern Takes on Classic.” (Photo by Ryan Nathanson)
