The Zlin Cub-S will be on display at Oshkosh AirVenture later this month offering its “best in category power-to-weight ratio” and entering the U.S. LSA market with first deliveries scheduled for November. The Cub-S is powered by a 180-hp Titan Stroker IO-340 engine that delivers a power-to-weight ratio of 7.33 lbs/hp at maximum takeoff weight. The power translates into an 81-foot takeoff roll, fully loaded. SportAirUSA is the acting distributor of the aircraft, which come equipped for bush flying.
Cruise for the aircraft falls roughly in line with most LSAs — 112 mph at 75-percent power dragging 31-inch Alaskan Bushwheels. The Cub-S also offers a 505-pound payload. It’s being marketed as a fun, safe, easy-to-fly, robust airplane that also “performs brilliantly in difficult, remote operations,” according to Bill Canino of SportAirUSA. The Titan Stroker 340 engine is an ASTM certified product available through ECI.aero. The company’s cylinders are well-reviewed by AVweb’s sister publication Aviation Consumer magazine. The Cub-S airframe was designed with feedback and experience from extreme bush flying activities, but the ergonomics and control system follow closely with that of the PA18 Super Cub. SportAirUSA says they’ll be selling the aircraft for a starting price below $125,000.
