Backcountry & STOL Financing · CubCrafters Carbon Cub, XCub & NXCub
CubCrafters builds the most capable backcountry aircraft in production — and finances unlike any other experimental in the market. The Carbon Cub, XCub, and NXCub qualify for standard certified-aircraft terms: 20-year amortization, 15% down, no rate penalty. FLYING Finance structures CubCrafters loans with the lenders who know these aircraft by name.
The lineup
"15 years of refinement, field experience, evolution built in from the start." — Patrick Horgan, President. Financing at completion. Contact us early.
The original Carbon Cub. Every CubCrafters model meets MOSAIC stall speed requirements — the entire fleet is now Sport Pilot eligible (Oct 2025).
CubCrafters' first certified aircraft (2004). The Super Cub lineage, refined. Active pre-owned market with strong resale values.
Pre-owned FX-3s move quickly — the market is liquid and the demand is real. Come prepared with full documentation and a condition inspection.
Standard terms (20-year amortization, no rate adder) apply to Carbon Cub, XCub, and NXCub models on qualifying transactions over $100,000. All terms subject to credit profile, aircraft condition, and lender review. MOSAIC Sport Pilot eligibility effective October 2025.
Why CubCrafters finances differently
Most experimental aircraft come with two automatic financing penalties: a rate premium of 100 basis points above the certified baseline, and a maximum amortization cap of 15 years. For a $350,000 loan, the 15-year cap alone adds more than $700 per month compared to a 20-year term. CubCrafters — along with a short list of other proven manufacturers — earned an explicit exception in lender underwriting guidelines. The Carbon Cub, XCub, and NXCub are treated as standard collateral.
CubCrafters Carbon Cub (all variants), XCub, and NXCub qualify for the same underwriting tier as FAA-certified aircraft: base rate with no experimental adder, up to 240-month (20-year) amortization, and 85% LTV with 15% down. This is the same term structure as a Cirrus SR22 or a new Cessna 172 — on an aircraft that can land on a gravel bar.
On a $350,000 loan: standard EAB terms at 7.59% over 15 years = approximately $3,260/mo. CubCrafters standard terms at 6.59% over 20 years = approximately $2,610/mo. That's a $650 monthly difference — $7,800 per year — on the same aircraft purchase.
Market depth & lender confidence
YouTube and Instagram made backcountry flying visible. What they revealed is a market that was already there: HNW owner-pilots — corporate professionals, physicians, business owners — who already have a cross-country piston or a turboprop for transportation and want a serious backcountry machine as a second aircraft. When a pre-owned FX-3 or XCub hits the market, it sells in days. CubCrafters' 87 deliveries in 2024 at $38 million billed reflects that demand — and lenders have noticed.
Standard terms apply — no experimental penalty. 15% down, 6.59% base rate, 20-year amortization, approved credit. Actuals depend on aircraft condition, documentation, and borrower profile.
CubCrafters · Founded 1980
Jim Richmond founded CubCrafters in 1980 after spending time in Alaska and watching Piper Super Cubs work for a living in conditions no airplane had any business surviving. He was an engineer and an A&P mechanic, and he kept asking the same question: what would this aircraft be if you built it today, with modern materials and contemporary manufacturing? The answer took 40 years to fully answer, but the direction was clear from the first day.
CubCrafters started rebuilding Super Cubs in Yakima, Washington. By 1997, demand pushed them to expand onto McAllister Field Airport (YKM). In 2004, their first certified aircraft, the Top Cub, landed — a 180-hp reimagining of the Super Cub with real useful load and a proper fuel tank. The aviation community's response was immediate.
The Carbon Cub followed, built around a purpose-designed CubCrafters engine and an obsessive attention to weight. The FX-3 and EX-3 brought a constant-speed Hartzell Trailblazer prop and 186 hp to the platform. In 2016, the XCub — full Part 23 certification, glass panel, autopilot, 215 hp option — redefined what a Cub could be. The NXCub opened that capability to pilots without a tailwheel endorsement.
Jim Richmond passed away in November 2021. President and CEO Patrick Horgan, who had led engineering and product development since 2018, continues Richmond's stated intention: "to continue to build airplanes, to continue to innovate, and to continue to grow for many generations to come." At AirVenture 2025, CubCrafters delivered the XCub and NXCub as E-AB kits for the first time — the flagship, finally available to builders.
How it works
Part 23 certified aircraft finance like any other certified piston. Current logbooks, condition inspection within 12 months, FAA registration, insurance binder, and purchase agreement. Most XCub and NXCub transactions close in 2–3 weeks. The certified designation means no experimental caveats — straightforward underwriting, standard terms.
The FX-3 is factory-built through CubCrafters' experimental builder assist program. Completed FX-3s finance identically to the certified aircraft — standard terms, no penalty. Documentation includes the builder log, sub-kit invoices, DAR sign-off, condition inspection, and registration. Strong build documentation materially improves both rate and term.
Kit-built versions of the Carbon Cub and XCub finance at completion — when the aircraft is registered and airworthy. The same standard terms apply on qualifying CubCrafters E-AB builds. Keep every Van's invoice and kit receipt; lenders treat fully documented builds differently from incomplete records. Contact us before you start — the financing structure is easier to plan from the beginning.
The pre-owned CubCrafters market moves fast. If you're buying a used FX-3, XCub, or Top Cub, come prepared: complete logbooks, current condition inspection, all original builder documentation, and a purchase agreement. The aircraft sell before the financing is done if you're not ready. We can complete a pre-approval in two business days on a soft pull — have that done before you make an offer.
Common questions
Lenders extend certified-equivalent terms based on resale liquidity, build consistency, and manufacturer stability. CubCrafters has a 45-year track record, builds aircraft across Part 23, LSA, and EAB categories simultaneously, and has produced ~1,500 aircraft. The resale market is active and well-priced. Lenders who specialize in aviation have written enough CubCrafters transactions to treat them as standard collateral — not experimental unknowns. That's the exemption in plain terms.
Standard terms apply primarily to the Carbon Cub (FX-3, EX-3), XCub, and NXCub on transactions over $100,000. The Top Cub is Part 23 certified and finances under standard certified terms. Older Carbon Cub SS models may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis depending on year, documentation, and loan size. We'll assess your specific aircraft before you apply.
Aircraft financing requires a flyable, registered asset as collateral — financing becomes available once the build is complete and airworthy. For builders, the right move is to get a pre-approval before you start so the financing is planned and ready when you're done. Kit purchases and mid-build loans are not something we currently offer.
MOSAIC (effective October 2025) expanded Sport Pilot privileges to include any aircraft meeting the new VS1 stall speed standard of 59 knots or less. Every CubCrafters model meets this threshold — the entire fleet is now Sport Pilot eligible. This expands the buyer pool for CubCrafters aircraft, which over time strengthens resale values and lender confidence. On the financing side, MOSAIC doesn't change the underlying terms — CubCrafters already had the best available terms before the rule.
Standard terms — including the 20-year amortization and no rate adder — apply on qualifying CubCrafters transactions over $100,000. Below that threshold, standard experimental terms apply. Given that most FX-3, XCub, and NXCub transactions are well above $300,000, this threshold rarely comes into play.
Most banks categorize any experimental aircraft the same way regardless of manufacturer — and apply the same penalties to an XCub as they would to a first-time builder's project. The lenders in our network have CubCrafters-specific familiarity: they know the FX-3 builder assist program, they know XCub resale values, and they know when the exemption applies. That knowledge translates directly into better terms. See our kitplane and EAB financing overview for the full experimental underwriting picture.
Amelia · FLYING Finance AI specialist
"The CubCrafters exception is one of the most important things a backcountry buyer can know. Ask me about the terms, the difference between certified and builder assist, how the XCub kit financing works, or what a payment looks like on any model in the lineup."
From the FLYING Finance ecosystem
FLYING Finance is part of Firecrown Media — the same company that publishes FLYING Magazine, KITPLANES, and Plane & Pilot. The guides below are FLYING Finance editorial resources, independent of any lender.
From the community · updated quarterly
KITPLANES and FLYING Magazine are Firecrown publications — independent editorial, same company. These are articles worth reading if you're researching a CubCrafters purchase.
KITPLANES and FLYING are Firecrown Media publications. Editorial is independent of FLYING Finance. Links open in a new tab.
