The design is based on the 1949 vintage Piper PA-18 Super Cub.[2]
The CC18-180 Top Cub was designed to comply with the FAR 23 certification rules. It features a strut-braced high-wing, an enclosed cockpit with two-seats-in-tandem accessed by doors, fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.[1]
The aircraft is made from welded 4130 steel tubing, with its flying surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric. Its 35.41NaN1 span wing has an area of 178square feet and mounts flaps. Standard engines available are the 1800NaN0 Lycoming O-360-C4P or O-360-C1G and the 1800NaN0 Superior O-360-A3A2 four-stroke powerplants.[1] [3]
The aircraft can be flown on wheels, tundra tires, skis or amphibious floats. Belly pods are available to increase cargo and fuel capacity.[1]
The design was initially type certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration on 16 December 2004.[3] The aircraft was certified by Transport Canada on 23 July 2008[4] and achieved Australian certification in August 2008.[5]
In July 2015 CubCrafters sold the type certificate for the CC18 to the Liaoning Cub Aircraft Corporation of China. Cub Crafters then licensed the design back so they could produce the aircraft for the non-Chinese market. The type certificate was transferred to a holding company, Topcub Aircraft, Inc, on August 13, 2015. The Liaoning Cub Aircraft Corporation plans to produce the design in China for flight training, aerial photography, mapping, agriculture and personal use.[3] [6] [7]
Reviewer Marino Boric described the design in a 2015 review saying, "the Top Cub is an ideal choice for any adventure-seeking pilot."[1]
By February 2017, 74 examples had been registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration and three with Transport Canada.[8] [9]