In March 2003 I went out to Jackson Hole for a bit of skiing, with a side trip to Afton for the purpose of meeting Stu Horn and flying a Husky. Afton municipal has a field elevation of 6,200 feet, which goes far to explain why the Husky has a 180 hp engine (compared to 65 hp for a typical J-3 Cub and 95-150 hp for the Super Cub). It also has semi-Fowler flaps, vortex generators, a constant-speed propeller, and a more modern airfoil than those on the Cubs. As a result, the Husky can jump off a high-altitude runway with as much panache as a Super Cub at sea level. I really didn't notice any altitude effect, even though the tarmac was higher than I'd ever flown in Zero Six Hotel, the doughty J-3 that I rent from Hampton airport in New Hampshire. I was especially awed that, when I was in the pattern at Afton, I was higher than the summit of Mount Washington, the tallest peak in the northeastern United States. At such moments, I am always reminded of the Piper Cub quip: "The warranty runs out at 6,000 feet!"
Curiously, the Husky's cockpit actually seems a bit cramped. I found it harder to enter than the Cub, with less elbow room once I was inside. This is the downside of the Husky's advances in the fit-and-finish department. With a five-hour cruising range, it needs a more comfortable seat than the Cub's, and it does, with lots of conformable foam under my butt, behind my back, and even wrapping a bit around my shoulders, sports-car style. I appreciate the comfort, but it does take room. The joystick has a really-truly pistol grip--another nice touch, but one that is bulkier than the plain-vanilla plastic grip on Zero Six Hotel. (Interesting, the push-to-talk switch is located on the throttle knob, not on the control stick.)
The plane is soloed from the front seat, which appears to have been raised a bit for the sake of forward visibility. This adds to the difficulty of flying from the rear seat. Not only are some of the controls missing (all you get are a throttle, joystick, rudder pedals, and toe brakes) but the instruments are pretty much concealed by the shoulders of the guy in front. In the J-3 I can see what I need by bobbing my head around, but I felt behind the curve in the Husky.
The aileron control seemed a bit heavy--the plane didn't snap into a bank, the way Zero Six Hotel does. I expect to do more flying in a Husky in a few weeks, and I'll have something more intelligent to say about its flying characteristics after that. All I can say at this point is that it has far better performance at 6,200 feet than the J-3 Cub does at sea level--probably even better than a Super Cub's sea-level performance. Here are the factory figure for the A-1B:
Top speed: 145 mph
Cruise at 55% power: 130 mph
Fuel consumption at 55%: 7.7 gal/hr
Range at 55%: 800 miles
Stall speed with flaps, power on: 43 mph
Landing speed: 58 mph
Takeoff distance with flaps: 200 ft
Landing distance with flaps: 350 ft
Slow-flight performance is better in the earlier and somewhat lighter A-1A, which stalls at 33 mph with power and flaps, and lands at 48 mph. An Aviat spokesman attributed the differences to the 110-pound increase in gross weight and more forward center of gravity in the A-1B. The flaps, by the way, are a mechanical lever arm, much like the Super Cub.
As I expected, flying from the front seat was a whole lot easier. The constant-speed prop was more formidable in prospect than in actuality. The tight fit I'd noticed in the A-1B at Afton proved to be no problem at all for a front-seat driver, especially once I got used to climbing in and out. The bungee-cord trim system and the 31-inch tundra tires also didn't live up to their advance billing: I scarcely noticed they were any different from what I'd flown elsewhere.
The subtle control movements on a Piper Cub just don't get respect from the Husky: you do indeed have to be more forceful. The flaps are much more powerful than the Super Cub's. The plane is heavier; it's bigger, despite the fact that the wingspan is about the same; and it lacks the cute-as-a-bug appearance of the J-3 and even the PA-18 Cubs. Overall, I judge the Husky to be an airplane that you'd respect and even like, but one that doesn't inspire the sort of love that goes with the Piper designs.
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