If the Super Cub had continued to be produced all these years by a company that was committed to the product not only for nostalgia and a few sales but also for the value and quality of the airplane itself, it might have turned out like today's Husky.
The Husky was created by Frank Christensen of Christen Eagle fame in the mid-1980s to fill the void left by the abandoned Super Cub. While resembling the PA-18 in just about every respect, his airplane was all new, Christensen insisted. And it was, in the sense that it was designed with all new parts and slightly different design approaches. It was, however, still a tube-and-rag, tandem-seating taildragger with a 180 hp Lycoming engine. It even featured an airfoil, USA 35B, that's very similar to those on the original Cubbie clan.
Customers looking to escape the Teterboros of the world for the Sawtooth Range or northern Maine quickly figured out the Husky was picking up where the Super Cub left off. It flew well and was a rugged performer that could haul a prodigious load and, while not Mooney fast, could still get down the road a lot faster than a GMC truck navigating the steep grades and switchbacks of the mountain roads below.
With the company under new ownership as Aviat Aircraft for many years now, the mission has remained the same: to continuously improve the model to keep it a state-of-the-art personal plane despite its 75-plus-year-old spiritual legacy.
One of the things Husky pilots enjoy is the improved visibility over the original — a feature Christensen also put in his Pitts-inspired Christen Eagle aerobatic biplane. The Husky handles nicely too, with a better roll rate than the Super Cub has, more harmonized control forces with less adverse yaw, and an attention to detail that keeps Husky customers coming back.
The standard Husky comes with the 180 hp Lycoming O-360 four-cylinder engine; an optional 200 hp model is available. While the already light and powerful Husky might not need more get-up-and-go, the slightly larger engine, the IO-360, features smoother operation with angled valves and better fuel flow design; fuel injection means no carb heat.
Performance is nothing short of spectacular. The Husky needs just a few hundred feet to get up and down again, and with big tires installed — a popular option at the Aviat factory in Wyoming — the plane is seemingly immune to good size rocks and small size ditches. Gravel bars on low flowing rivers and streams are popular landing sites, though sometimes pilots cheat by touching down on the surface of the water before hitting the beach to tack on a few extra feet to the available landing distance. OK, they do it even when distance isn't really an issue.
Another popular Husky pursuit is float flying, something I've got more than a few hours doing myself. The Husky makes a great floatplane, thanks to a high power-to-weight ratio, the high wing and the visibility of the general design — unlike in planes configured with two-across seating, like Cessna 180s or de Havilland Beavers, the pilot in a Husky (or Super Cub) can see out one side of the plane as easily as the other. I did most of my seaplane training in a Husky, complete with 180 hp engine, amphibious floats and a modern electrical system. It was a dream.
One of the most loyal Husky customer types is a guy who already has a fast and sophisticated airplane or two (or more) and who wants to fly an airplane that adds to the experience of flight by taking so much of it away. Take away the control towers, the radio chatter, the flight plans, paved runways, taxiway signs and landing fees, and just fly. There's something about flying a gnarly taildragger off a hard-packed dirt strip, the dust rising up as the mains hit and the smell of creosote in the air wafting though the cockpit, through the open side windows, as you flop down, a three-pointer, bang. Heck, even if you bounce it a little the Husky won't really care. After all, it's what it was made for. —Robert Goyer
According: flyingmag.com
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