We Fly: CubCrafters NXCub

Kitbuilt airplane offers performance and adventure at your fingertips.

Rick Durden

Monday, June 30, 2025 at 07:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A nosewheel bushplane like the ClubCrafters NXCub safely opens the door to backcountry flying for more pilots. [Credit: Jon Bliss]

Key Takeaways:

The CubCrafters NXCub highly impressed reviewers with its exceptional STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) performance, robust backcountry capabilities, and delightful handling, proving accessible and enjoyable for pilots of all skill levels.
Its innovative and robust nosewheel design sets it apart as a bushplane, offering superior short-field takeoff and landing, enhanced ground handling on rough terrain, and improved safety compared to traditional tailwheel aircraft.
Equipped with a 215 hp Lycoming engine and modern Garmin G3X Touch avionics, the NXCub boasts a high useful load for extended backcountry adventures, though careful weight and balance management is essential for optimal loading.

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It was too good to pass up. CubCrafters offered to bring FLYING the first of the kitbuilt NXCubs to north Idaho and turn us loose with it for two weeks to fly into the backcountry—introducing pilots of all experience and skill levels to the airplane. They told us to get it muddy and grass stained. We did.

The adventure began with a checkout with CubCrafters pilot David Blake, along with orientation around its STOL capabilities. Over the next two weeks we made one long cross-country, several short ones, and had some 19 pilots of all skill and experience levels fly it.