Spotted For Sale: 100HP Clip Wing CUBy Homebuilt - Wish I Could!
Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 06:41PM 
A beautiful Clip Wing CUBy homebuilt spotted for sale on Barnstormers.com
(click the pic to see the listing)
It's true, my heart rate might increase more than yours at the sight of this gorgeous looking Clip Wing CUBy, but c'mon, what could be more fun than sweet 100 hp taildragger that can fly all day with the door open and costs less than half of a Cessna Skycatcher? Yeah I know, the Skycatcher would be new, and this is a used homebuilt. Whatever. This thing is awesome! If I had some bucks in the bank or a credit score that wasn't in a flat spin, I'd be hopping in the car right now to go check this little gem out. Ultimately, in my opinion, it's the clipped wings that really make this airplane special... more on that in a minute.
If you check out the listing for this airplane you'll see it called a 'Cubby', but to be accurate it's really a CUBy, by Wag-Aero. It's pretty interesting that Dick Wagner was on the cutting edge way back in 1975 when he introduced the homebuilt Cub clone that he named CUBy. There's quite a bit of story that goes with all the CUBy development, and hopefully one of these days I'll research it up and post the details. But for now it's good to note that while the Cub clone frenzy has been booming in the last dozen years or so, it really had its beginning with Dick Wagner and the CUBy back in the 70's.
But the real story here to me, is in this next picture!
Me in 1980 (age 19) with the 1941 Clip Wing Cub that was my best friend ever!
The picture above shows why my heart rate elevates when I think Clip Wing Cub, CUBy or even Cubby. For a couple years in my late teens I had this 90 hp Clip Wing Cub to play with. It's still my favorite airplane. Ever. It was a no radios, no starter, fly it from the backseat with the door and window open (and take a friend along) piece of aviatory perfection! And the best part? The significantly shortened wings compared to a standard Cub.
Those shortened wings (40-1/2" removed from the root end of each wing) not only made it look like a cute little puppy, but it made for more responsive roll rate, much better ride in rough air (especially nice on final approach and touchdown) and if you wanna come down, all you gotta do is pull the power! As it turns out, I've never even been in a stock Cub. The only Cub I've ever flown is this little clip wing, but man did I ever do a lot of flying in that little cutie. However, I have watched enough full span Cubs to know that the short wings make it a much better airplane for the way I want to fly. This Clip Wing Cub article by Budd Davisson confirms the comparo between the two wing configurations.
You might notice the silver rudder in the pic above. About a week before Oshkosh 1980 I went for a short flight on my home airport and then parked in front of the main hanger, right in front of a section of split rail fence. It was a perfect day, but then a little gust of wind came along and gently rolled the airplane backward into the fence. Oh no! Not now, Oshkosh is almost here. Well, no worries, I was a recently licensed 'airframe' mechanic, so I tore the fabric off and rebuilt the entire rudder just a few days before Oshkosh! I didn't have time to paint it yellow, so it went to OSH looking just like it does in the picture : )
This Cub was a pre-war 1941 model and as it turned out it was getting a little tired. We'd only had it a couple years and it was obvious it wasn't really in the best of condition. That's why I never flew it aerobatically. But it sure did its share of dogfights, buzzing, balloon busting and one-wheel landings! However, in 1981 we found some issues that indicated it needed some deeper love. So, it was sold off and that's when the Breezy entered my life! The Breezy was awesome to be sure, but right now, I'm aching pretty bad for that ole Cub.
However, I've got a full set of plans for what is now technically called the Wag-Aero Sport Trainer. If I remember right, the CUBy name was dropped years back when Piper was uptight about a name so close to the original. I guess that wouldn't be much of an issue these days as it seems everybody has a Cub of some sort to sell. The best part about my plans are that I have the supplemental drawings for the clip wing - duh! One of these days... me and the Clip Wing Cub experience are gonna be reunited!
Reader Comments (3)
Very nice post! Would you happen to know where your 1941 clip wing was manufactured. I just recently learned that some of the old J-3s were made in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Also, I would love to have a telephone conversation with you to discuss your CUBy plans for I have some very specific questions as to what they detail.
Keep it up, Martt!
~J~
John- I don't know where that 1941 Cub I used to fly was actually manufactured... that's an interesting question. I'll have to try to do some research on that some day.
And I'd be happy to chat with you about CUBy ideas. I have several simple mods in mind that I think would make the airplane perform a little better and look even better than the Clip Wing Cub I used to fly.
Well when the sun comes out we will have that conversation soon. Thanks Martt!
~J~