So i'm itching to get some tail wheel time, some aerobatics time, and some back country time. I'm also missing the low, slow and fun flying that Larry showed me

What's the difference between the Husky and the Super Cub. The Super cubs seem to bring more money?

Is it worth it purchasing a back country land anywhere airplane or is it just better to get a Decathlon so that you are able to do basic aerobatic maneuvers?

I'm going tail wheel, point me in the right direction (no pun intended)

Speaking from a position of some ignorance (ie I have never flown a Decathlon or Husky) but ........................I just LOVED my Super Cub time! What a fun little aeroplane to fly.

I learned my tailwheel mo-jo in an Aeronca Champ.

It definitely was slow.

And fun.

I'd suggest, while the Husky is a variation of the Cub theme, there is quite a difference in how those two birds fly…I would strongly recommend that you try out both, side by side and see what feels better to you…

If however you also consider from time to time some very mild and enjoyable acro, while at the same time retaining still pretty decent backcountry qualities..

a Citabria Explorer ( the one with the flaps) may be just the right ticket..wonderful bird…reliable..and fun...

for pure back to basics..( well it is not that basic anymore), alas without acro cert, not to forget the latest addition to the sweet grass airfield fleet…..


http://xcub.com

Back country and aerobatics are at the opposite ends of the spectrum with the airplanes you are talking about. In my opinion, it is really hard to beat the Super Cub with a 180hp conversion for off airport operations. The big fat wing, especially if equipped with VGs is a great performer. As mentioned, a Husky is an modern version of the Super Cub and will do most of what a modified Super Cub will do, almost as well. Neither are acro airplanes.

THe Decathalon and Super Decathalon have a semi semetrical airfoil and short wing. Great for acro and can be configured with inverted oil. However, most of the basic aerobatic maneuvers will not require it.

If you want an airplane that will do both, you will want to look at a Citabria 7GCBC model which has flaps. It will do off airport operations fine, just not as well as a Husky or Super Cub, and it will do basic aerobatics Ok. The advantage of this plane is that you will need to work at precision to do the acro since it is not powerful and doesn't have a good acro wing like the Decathalon. This will teach you the precision that you might not get with a better acro airplane. If you look for a Citabria, get one that has been upgraded to the American Champion metal wings. It gives you the useful load increase that makes the airplane pretty useful. Also you can put 8.5 tires on it which helps with off airport operations.

I learned to fly in a 150hp Citabria 7GCAA without any flaps. Acro was fun with heavy controls. Decathlon's are better in that regard.

My grandfather's narrow, hilly 1600' grass strip was a piece of cake to operate out of. I tried to keep the plane in the first 800' or so which was flat, which was also easy to do. slipping it hard for landings was all I ever needed for flaps.


If you are flying into actual remote/rough areas and want to dip your toes into the world of bush flying: Get a Super Cub. They are popular for a reason. I've heard (potential OWT) that the Husky's are heavier and not the same as a Super Cub. You'll have to test drive both with a skilled pilot to know the real differences between those two. I also think that the "acro" is severely limited in these guys? Maybe only Spins and Lazy 8's??Anyone smarter than me know for sure?

If you bush flying is the local grass strip and enjoying a pancake breakfast, get whatever you want. They'll all be easy to enjoy.

If you are wanting to get into light Sunday aerobatics, I recommend focusing your efforts at the Citabria/Decathlon lineup.

Depending on your desired maneuvers, a "7" series Citabria up thru the "8" series Decathlon may be within your sights: 7GCAA (Carb'd, No Flaps) , 7GCBC (With Flaps), 7KCAB (No Flaps, Fuel Injected, Inverted Fuel/Oil) or the Super Decathlon 8KCAB (Symmetrical wing, no flaps, inverted fuel/oil)

On the husky, I did not care for the trim bungee that made it more difficult to hold the stick back. A little thing but there it is.

We just had the big super cub fly in at Johnson creek. There were a lot of x-Cubs.

I'm a huge fan of the citabria/decathlon/scout. My dad had many as I was growing up. Don't be scared of the wood spars. They are just fine and ride smoother. The 7GCBC will cover essentially what you're looking for.

X-Cubs, or other CubCrafters models? The X-Cub was just released a couple of weeks ago and my impression was that they'd just started full production. I'd be surprised if there were enough in owners' hands to have a lot at any one fly-in.

There are going to be a LOT of opinions on this subject but I think this is a great idea for you!!

I like sitting next to my copilot/passenger/wife and don't enjoy tandem airplanes. Try it out in your 2 door car sometime. Stick your wife in the back and go drive around; it's no fun, and the tandem plane isn't much different. Cubs get extremely boring after about 30 minutes, even the fancy modern Cubs.

In Florida, the Searey is probably the perfect airplane for you except not aerobatic. The visibility is helicopter like. If you want speed, acro, and taildragger, and RV-7 is probably perfect! Open invitation to visit Grassroots. We can fly a Fancy Cub, Searey, Champ, RV-7 and Bucker Biplane in rapid succession and it might allow you to make an informed decision. If you land that Pilatus on 3,500 feet of grass, you will be my hero too.

Perhaps you are correct. There were 3 x cubs at Sulphur Creek where we had breakfast...... out of perhaps 15 or 20 planes. They would land and we'd say "What's that?"..... X-Cub. Of course, if you just launched, you'd have a large percentage of your fleet at the huge Super Cub event.

If you get a chance to go through the factory at Yakima, do it. Impressive to see how they build the Cubs there.

What's your height/weight?

6'4", 190lbs



.........athletic with brown eyes, likes long strolls on the beach