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In late 2004, I was approached by Tim Elliott and Darin Hart regarding their prospective launch and remake of a Piper Cub. Development of a prototype had been underway for some time. The two were associated with a local EAA chapter, both pilots and business owners.

The construction of a new airplane was being handled by Hart, who at the time ran a custom shop involved primarily with production of interiors and components for corporate and head-of-state aircraft. An A&P, Hart had previously rebuilt a 1946 Piper Cub that received numerous awards including Best in Class at the Oshkosh fly-in in 1991. Elliot flew a family-owned 1939 Piper J3 Cub as well as a cabin-class twin-engine aircraft for business. Both contributed a wealth of vision to the new company that was soon to launch.

With plans in place, and an added measure of panache, the Legend Cub debuted at Sun ‘n Fun Fly-in, April 2005. The startup’s “vintage exhibition,” as it were, drew large crowds, and earned the new company an eagerly welcomed backlog of new aircraft production orders.

In June of that year, American Legend Aircraft Company announced the successful first flight of its Legend FloatCub. KSLR, home to Legend, is situated on a lake. With Hart residing on another nearby lake, adding floats to the airplane seemed an automatic next move.

Anticipating the company’s return to Florida in 2006, the first Legend FloatCub was transported to and debuted at Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base—a world renown facility for pilots seeking a seaplane rating and their #1 training aircraft are vintage Piper Cubs on floats. There it made a splash, confirming the universal love for the Cub and the ubiquity of its use on both land and sea.

When Piper produced the Cub, they tested numerous engines among many available at the time, eventually concluding that Continental Motors offered long-term stability both for aviation in general and Piper itself. The durability of Continental engines has proven, even today, their lasting relevance. Moreover, the sounds they produce are beyond compare. Four gently humming cylinders speak the sound of a “small airplane” while, in much the same way, the Cub’s bright yellow paint stirs emotion for flight.

Regulatory approval of the new Legend Cub came via the FAA’s newly authorized S-LSA designation. A set of consensus standards, published by ASTM, offered American Legend a streamlined means of obtaining airworthiness approval for their production of aircraft.

The new light-sport aircraft initiative set out to do a number of things, among them, reduce barriers to entry for both planes and pilots. The concept forged its appeal early on among an aging generation of pilots. Legend’s first customer was a prime example of this new trend. The third delivery of a Legend Cub was also significant as it was the first “glass panel” Cub sporting the newly introduced Dynon EFIS-D100.

For most sky gazers, upon first sight of a small airplane aloft, the delightful Cub comes to mind. Yellow Cubs with their complementary lightning bolt stripe and black “eyebrow” cylinder baffles are perhaps the most famous. However, when Legend decided to offer a closed cowl version of its Cub, what came to mind for its paint scheme was the Cub Special. The new closed cowl Legend Cub featured an elegant blue base on the belly and aft fuselage including the vertical fin. This aircraft was unveiled as the Legend Cub Special and it too was an immediate success.

Dynon was the maverick new company in experimental avionics in 2006. They offered many stunning new products which pilots were eager to get their hands on. The FlightDEK-D180 combination EFIS and engine monitor became standard equipment on the high-end Legend Cub Special. Niceties of the EFIS included the display of fuel flow and carburetor inlet temperature, up to 16 engine gauges. This signaled the beginning of numerous future options to come available on the beloved, newly built new Legend Cub.

SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS, DECEMBER 11, 2020 – American Legend Aircraft Company announced today the addition of two awards from the 2020 Central Florida Classic of the National STOL Competition Series. Challengers from American Legend placed second and fourth in the STOL event final held in Lakeland, Florida, on December 5th.

The National STOL series is an aviation event/activity—sport, one might say—that continues to grow enthusiastically. STOL competitions are where pilots compete on two primary skills related to backcountry flying, Short Take Offs and Landings. The activity dates back to the early 1980s, when Alaskan pilots were offered prizes for displaying their prowess at off-airport departures and arrivals. Similar events have become frequent at fly-ins around the lower 48 states, drawing crowds and building camaraderie among pilots at every skill level.

Pilots from American Legend performed at the Central Florida Classic, in the Experimental class, with their factory demonstrator Mother Of All Cubs, a.k.a. MOAC. The aircraft is an AL18 Legend Cub and a big brother to the Legend Cub S-LSA that first came to Florida in 2005. MOAC boasts a Titan engine beneath its closed pressure cowling. It also features leading edge slats, half-span wing flaps, and 36-inch tundra tires splayed out on a Shock Monster undercarriage from TK1 Racing. In the hands of two well-prepared pilots, MOAC showed once again to be a strong competitor.

The duo of American Legend challengers included John Wisdom who finished with a score of 284 feet and took 2nd place. John’s takeoff distance was recorded as 126 feet and his landing at 158 feet. Luke Spoor scored 336 feet total and took 4th place. Luke’s takeoff distance was 152 feet, and 184 feet in landing. Among pilots of the Legend Cub, these benchmark distances, while remarkable, are routinely achievable given the right wind and field conditions. Published specifications for the company’s Classic Legend Cub boast 210 feet in takeoff ground roll and 210 feet in landing distance. Final standings of the Central Florida Classic can be seen here.

The two Legend competitors flew the same aircraft, albeit in separate heats. (Note: The live streaming announcers were at least initially confused about whom was flying). Luke is the stepson of American Legend Aircraft Company owner Darin Hart. An accomplished youth who has mastered the Legend Cub platform, Luke has enjoyed easy access to the company’s aircraft. He soloed at the age of 16 and received his pilot license at 17. Luke has been flying for 10 years. John is a factory demo pilot and CFI who spends much of his time demonstrating the Legend lineup. John is graciously known as the company’s Chief Fun Instructor.

Darin commented on the Florida Classic, “The guys at nationalstol.com did a great job hosting this event. We enjoyed sponsoring and being a part of the competition. It was an exciting weekend for me watching my son compete and do so well up against many great pilots. Luke added, “This was my first time competing in a STOL competition. I was excited when I qualified, and even more excited to learn I came in fourth place.”

The 2020 Central Florida Classic of the National STOL Competition Series was streamed live, and can be watched via replay.

Since their introduction of the Legend Cub, American Legend Aircraft Company has held strong among light aircraft manufacturers. MOAC, designed for personal and backcountry use, is a global phenomenon with standout features, including: Up to 208 horsepower, optimized wing and tail surfaces, Shock Monster TK1 front suspension, aft fuselage storage and turtle deck, seating for up to three, extended rear windows and skylight, doors on both sides, advanced avionics, and much more.

For further information on the Legend Cub, contact American Legend Aircraft Company at 1810 Piper Lane, Sulphur Springs, Texas 75482; call 903-885-7000, or log on to www.legend.aero. Follow us on facebook.com/LegendAircraft and instagram.com/legendcub.

– Legend Cub –

SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS, JULY 7, 2020 – American Legend Aircraft Company announced today its MOAC, a.k.a. the Mother Of All Cubs, a backcountry edition of the Legend Cub. While rooted in the legendary Super Cub, MOAC is a thorough remake and all new construction from the expert hands of American Legend. MOAC incorporates numerous performance enhancing features and is purposely built for the backcountry operations.

Since the wildly successful introduction and debut of the Legend Cub in 2005, successive models have continuously evolved and innovated. At first, the Legend Cub was all about modernity and weight savings. American Legend added strength while lightening the airframe and components. Options to improve pilot situational awareness and comfort followed in the cabin and cockpit. Today’s evolutions of the Legend Cub are again numerous. These include envelope expanding modifications with higher horsepower engines and adapting the airframe for access to remote terrain. Now, MOAC is the most exciting way to fly low, and slow, while driving performance to the extreme.

Horsepower on the Legend Cub has more than doubled with MOAC and current availability of Titan engines from Continental. Up to 208 horsepower (187–195 continuous) results in remarkable takeoff and landing performance on its already strengthened airframe. A Cato fixed pitch, Whirlwind ground adjustable, and Hartzell constant speed are among the many propeller options.

Flaps comprise 20- and 40-degree full-span from wing root to aileron. Leading edge slats and aerodynamic square wing tips with optimized wing tip vortices also contribute to MOAC’s remarkable performance. MOAC can take off in its own length and behind all that thrust are balanced ailerons, highly effective with a light touch on the control stick. The tail surfaces on MOAC are sized to appropriately balance the aircraft’s higher power-weight ratio. “To appreciate these improvements alone, the aircraft must be flown, as simply watching in amazement does not complete the sensation,” stated John Wisdom, CFI and Legend demo pilot.

Perhaps the most critical component for backcountry pilots is landing gear performance. If you don’t remember the days of taxiing and landing on bungee gear and steel springs, your derrière and jarred teeth certainly do. The pinnacle of modern landing gear comes from TK1 Racing with its Shock Monster front suspension. Shock Monster is a nitrogen charged air/oil shock assembly. Designed for the harshest of bush flying zones, the oil dampened system eats up all the landing aircraft’s stored energy on compression. A dual shock setup delivers the security of redundancy, unbelievable cushioning and, best of all, zero bounce back. Shock travel of 4.50 inches equates to about 12–14 inches at the wheel. Combined with the Legend Cub’s custom extended cabane vee, the Shock Monster system summons the use of oversized tundra tires and high performance brakes. MOAC with Shock Monster nearly ensures pinpoint landings with a minimum of rollout.

Longer aircraft legs invariably mean a pilot wants to carry more stuff. MOAC features a turtle deck opening that gives access to extended aft fuselage storage. Cargo doors and a folding rear seat allow storage in the mid-fuselage area for unbelievable carrying capacity. A turtle deck hatch improves accessibility even more, offering two levels of storage and accommodation for longer items, such as a stretcher. The Legend Cub fuselage also allows for L-21 style extended rear windows and a skylight offering near 360-degree viewing.

Extra performance on MOAC also comes from 40-gallons-usable fuel tanks. The extra fuel capacity allows for longer roundtrip flights without a fuel stop, such as into and out of remote areas where fuel is not available. Since its introduction, only the Legend Cub offers doors on both sides of the fuselage for simplified ingress/egress and a full-open cockpit feel.

The cockpit on the Legend Cub has always been more extravagant than one would expect on a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants Cub, and MOAC is no exception. Most are equipped with Garmin G3X/G5 glass panels and iPad or handheld panel mounts. LED lighting and Lithium-ion batteries have become standard. Engine monitoring brings great awareness to what’s happening up front and an autopilot does the same outside giving the pilot more time to scan displays of traffic, terrain and weather. For today’s tablet, smartphone and other device equipped pilots and passengers, USB power ports and panel-powered headset jacks are available at all seats.

“After years of lessons learned, including an 80-year Piper history, we build our Cubs to alleviate potential problems,” stated Darin Hart, president of American Legend. “This includes fit-and-finish, engine performance, and control systems. Doors and trim fit to perfection, and we often use common PMA-standard parts for easy serviceability. Our engine choices provide hours of reliability and proven service. Placement of physical controls are optimized to ensure freedom of motion from stop to stop without annoying interference issues so often present in other designs,” Hart concluded.

MOAC can be certified to a gross weight up to 2,000 lbs. As much as 180 lbs of that weight can be placed in the third seat of MOAC as passenger or cargo. Three occupants makes MOAC three times as fun.

American Legend Aircraft Company continues to be one of the most successful manufacturers of aircraft for personal and backcountry use. The Legend Cub is sensibly modern, competitively priced, and built-to-last by a company renown for its exceptional product support. MOAC is the incomparable Cub, a Legend to the extreme.

For further information on the Legend Cub, contact American Legend Aircraft Company at 1810 Piper Lane, Sulphur Springs, Texas 75482; call 903-885-7000, or log on to www.legend.aero. Follow us on facebook.com/LegendAircraft and instagram.com/legendcub.

– Legend Cub –

All photos courtesy of Jim Wilson photography.

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Cubs on Mars… the Martin JRM Mars long-range transport spreads its wings at 200 feet while a diminutive Cub fills the breadth of a conventional T-hangar’s 40’ width with its 35’ wingspan. Two atop the Martin Mars with USAAC roundels, the bright yellow Cubs reveal the enormity of this great airship. A silver painted J3 wearing Royal AF roundels was known as Flitfire. First flight of the Martin Mars: 1942, retired 1956. First flight of the J3 Cub: 1938, still flying! . Photos courtesy of National Air and Space Museum.

A post shared by Alamo Liaison Squadron (@lbirdscannonfield) on Jul 5, 2020 at 2:35pm PDT

The first annual Kokomo Bi-Plane Fly-In was held June 26–27, 2020 at Glendale Airport in Indiana. Kokomo airport ID is 8i3, with a lower case “i” for two good reasons. First, so as to not confuse it with the numeral one, but also to highlight the diminutive aspect of the aircrafts featured at this gathering.

Hosted and organized by Michelle and Ron Beachy, the Kokomo fly-in was held at their home-base airport. Both members of the Baby Great Lakes Biplane Group, the couple flies their very own Baby Great Lakes, a scaled version of its Great Lakes namesake. The 2T-1A Sport Trainer was a biplane produced in the early years of the Great Depression era. Its greatness endures in a big way, here on a smaller scale.

This familiar looking aircraft was manufactured by Great Lakes Aircraft Company from 1929–1933. The American company by which it was conceived produced civilian biplanes, float planes, plus biplane torpedo bombers and dive bombers under contract to the U.S. Navy. Roughly 240 of the Great Lakes Sport Trainer were built.

Chris Hiatt of San Antonio, Texas was one of the fly-in’s enthusiastic participants. He traded in a passion for Aeroncas, at least temporarily, for a chance to hone his skills at biplane aeronautics. Chris was flying an Aeronca Chief at the time the Baby Lakes came along. The new arrival fit neatly into the hanger beneath the Chief. As more of his time and focus centered on the more diminutive aircraft, the Chief got sold. The Baby Lakes served to amp up his quest for adrenaline.

The aircraft has many known names, including Baby Lakes, Oldfield Baby Lakes, Baby Great Lakes, Super Baby Lakes, Super Baby Great Lakes, and Buddy Baby Lakes. There exist a small collection of these babies in the U.S. and a tight group of enthusiasts who share their knowledge of them.

Once Chris learned about the fly-in, he was set on tweaking and updating his copy, N822CH. Every last minute was spent readying the aircraft to be trailered 1,200 miles northeast to Kokomo, a feat presumed far less tiring than traveling in a bumpy open-air cockpit solo and luggageless.

Prior to attending, N822CH received new cowlings and had its wings recovered. Chris has also managed to install a starter and new bungies while giving the Baby a thorough pampering. 

Origins of the Baby Lakes are attributed to Barney Oldfield Aircraft Company, named for designer Barney Oldfield. Best summarized as “a scaled-down Sport Trainer,” the airplane uses steel frame tubing and spruce wing spars. It was intended as a one-off construction. Due to popularity of the model, however, plans were produced on-demand and this led to marketing the homebuilt aircraft. Copies began to multiply.

While designed for the Continental A-65 and Volkswagen air-cooled aero boxer engines, Hiatt’s build performs like a rocket with its upgraded Lycoming O-290G 145-hp launcher. It easily proved to be the fastest of the current crop of Baby Great Lakes, thus a world speed record was claimed last month, “130 mph in cruise in a Super Baby Great Lakes.” Chris admits that it wasn’t a real competition and therefore “top speed” was not determined. He was just so far out in front of the others, he surmised, that it must be a record.

Chris commented, “Another record was set on Friday the 26th of June 2020… the largest gathering of our beloved tiny Baby Great Lakes biplane.” Months of planning drew Ron and Michelle Beachy and their Baby Great Lakes example, plus Chris with his Super Baby Great Lakes. Shad Bell of Centerburg, Ohio dodged storms to attend in his Baby Great Lakes. Final attendee of the record-setting foursome was Corben Meyer who flew in from Timber House Airport near Lafayette, Indiana, a brief 40 miles west with his 65 hp Baby Lakes.

“Each of the planes are unique in several different ways, with none of them sharing the same landing gear setup. Although the wind blew a constant 20-plus mph,” stated Chris, “Shad Bell demonstrated the aerobatic ability these tiny biplanes in the hands of a skilled pilot.”

As was intimated, the Baby Great Lakes are a take-off of the Great Depression era Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 Sport Trainer. These military aircraft, the full scale versions, were originally powered by 85 and 90 hp American Cirrus engines, and later powered by 140 hp Lycoming O-320 and 180 hp IO-360 engines. Other full size copies were plans-built. Production of the concept has stopped and started for nearly a century. But the design would feign oblivion and gain notoriety as a WACO Classic which are built new today, hence reinforcing the greatness and familiarity of the Great Lakes airplane lineage.

	Specifications	(~2/3 Scale)
	Great Lakes Sport Trainer	Oldfield Baby Great Lakes
Model no.	2T-1A-2	n/a
Crew	2	1
Length	20 ft 4 in	13 ft 6 in
Wingspan	26 ft 8 in	16 ft 8 in
Height	7 ft 4 in	4 ft 6 in
Wing area	187.6 sq ft	88 sq ft
Airfoil	M12	M6
Empty wieght	1,230 lb	480 lb
Max. takeoff weight	1,800 lb	850 lb
Maximum speed @ sea level	115 knots (132 mph)	117 knots (135 mph)
Cruise speed	102 knots (118 mph)	96 knots (110 mph)
Stall speed	50 knots	43 knots
Rate of climb	1,400 ft/min	2,000 ft/min

Kokomo-Glendale Airport (8i3) is home to EAA Chapter 235, chapters.eaa.org/eaa235.

This article was published in General Aviation News, August 20, 2020.

This article also appeared in In Flight USA magazine, August 2020.

This article also appeared in Sport Aviation magazine, September 2020.