CubCrafters Unveils Carbon Cub ULT, a Turbine-Powered Backcountry Plane

CubCrafters is fitting a French regenerative turboprop to its Carbon Cub airframe, promising Jet-A simplicity, FADEC control and sport-pilot access for a first among U.S.-built turbine planes.

CubCrafters has introduced the Carbon Cub ULT, a turbine-powered version of its lightweight backcountry aircraft that pairs the Carbon Cub UL platform with a French TurboTech regenerative turboprop engine.

The company announced the aircraft July 7, unveiling what it describes as the first U.S.-manufactured turboprop aircraft eligible to be flown by sport pilots under the Federal Aviation Administration’s new Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification, or MOSAIC, regulations.

The FAA published its MOSAIC final rule July 24, 2025. Provisions covering pilot training, certification and privileges took effect Oct. 22, 2025, and the FAA’s fact sheet says airworthiness certification and certain operating-limitation changes are scheduled to take effect July 24, 2026. The rule permits sport pilots to fly aircraft with any powerplant type except turbojet power, allows manual controllable-pitch propellers and removes the previous weight and airspeed limits tied to sport pilot certification.

“This landmark rule aims to increase the availability of safe, modern, and affordable aircraft for recreational aviation, flight training, and certain aerial work,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s announcement of the rule.

“This new rule will promote better designs, safer materials, and upgraded technology in the recreational aviation sector,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. The Transportation Department says MOSAIC removes the previous weight limit and covers aircraft with higher speeds, more seats, retractable landing gear, new propulsion types and modern avionics.

The ULT name builds on the Carbon Cub UL designation, adding a “T” for turbine, according to CubCrafters. The aircraft is powered by the TurboTech TP-R90 regenerative turbine engine, which CubCrafters lists in its specifications as the TP-R90/R150.

CubCrafters says the engine’s full-authority digital engine control, or FADEC, system eliminates traditional fuel and propeller management, automatically handling fuel flow, ignition, engine temperatures and propeller operation. Starting the aircraft requires turning on the master switch and pressing a start button, with FADEC managing the start sequence.

“The Carbon Cub ULT represents some of the most advanced engineering work ever undertaken at CubCrafters,” said Patrick Horgan, the company’s president and CEO. “Bringing together regenerative turbine technology, full FADEC controls, lightweight composite construction, and our proven STOL capability into a practical backcountry aircraft demanded an incredible amount of focused innovation and refinement from our team. The result is an aircraft that combines the excitement and refinement of turbine power with the simplicity and accessibility that have always defined the Carbon Cub.”

Damien Fauvet, CEO of TurboTech, said his company is “extremely proud to be working with CubCrafters as our launch partner in the United States.”

“CubCrafters has an exceptional reputation for innovation and engineering excellence in backcountry aviation, and the Carbon Cub ULT is an ideal platform to demonstrate the capabilities of the TP-R90 engine,” Fauvet said. “Together, we believe we are introducing a new generation of efficient, practical, turbine-powered recreational aircraft.”

Brad Damm, CubCrafters’ vice president, said the aircraft “demonstrates what’s possible when cutting-edge turbine technology is paired with one of the most proven and capable lightweight backcountry aircraft platforms in the world.”

“The first thing pilots notice is how effortless the airplane feels,” Damm said. “You push and hold the start button for a few seconds and the aircraft is ready to go fly. The FADEC handles the details, the turbine is incredibly smooth and quiet, and the aircraft retains the lightweight performance and responsiveness that pilots love about the Carbon Cub. It’s one of those airplanes that makes you look for excuses to go flying.”

CubCrafters lists the two-seat Carbon Cub ULT with a 34-foot, 3-inch wingspan, a 23-foot, 3-inch length, an 8-foot, 4-inch height and 179 square feet of wing area. The cabin measures 30 inches wide and 52 inches tall at the pilot’s position. The company lists an estimated empty weight of 880 pounds, a gross weight of 1,865 pounds and an estimated useful load of 985 pounds, with a 44-gallon fuel capacity running on Jet A or diesel.

CubCrafters’ aircraft comparison page lists an estimated cruise speed of more than 130 mph, a 32-mph stall speed, a 50-foot takeoff distance and a 90-foot landing distance, along with an estimated 5.2-hour endurance and 682-mile range. CubCrafters says the performance figures assume optimal conditions and that actual numbers will vary. The comparison page also lists 160 horsepower described as “turbine + electric boost,” a variable-pitch propeller, a FADEC-controlled igniter, G-Series+ flight controls and titanium 3X3 landing gear. The Carbon Cub ULT’s base price is listed as to be determined; CubCrafters lists its Carbon Cub SS/UL starting at $254,900 to $293,900 depending on configuration.

FLYING Magazine reported that Damm cited jet fuel’s growing availability as a design consideration. “There are also plenty of places here in the U.S. where jet-A is considerably easier to find than 100L,” Damm told the magazine. “Looking further ahead, the industry is also preparing for the planned transition away from leaded 100LL by the end of the decade, making jet-A an increasingly attractive long-term fuel for many operators.”

“The simplicity is probably what impresses people the most,” Damm told FLYING Magazine. “There’s no mixture, no carb heat, no concerns about shock cooling, and engine management is dramatically simplified. Start it, set the power you want, and go fly.”

CubCrafters, founded in 1980 by Jim Richmond, says the aircraft is undergoing active flight testing at the company’s headquarters in Yakima. A CubCrafters photo caption shows Vice President Brad Damm flying the Carbon Cub ULT over the pine-covered foothills of Washington’s Cascade Mountains during that testing.

TurboTech, founded in 2017 by veterans of the commercial turbofan-engine industry and led by Fauvet, describes its regenerative turbine design as recovering heat from the engine’s exhaust through a heat exchanger and reinjecting it into the combustion chamber to reduce fuel burn. Safran Corporate Ventures and GO Capital invested in TurboTech in April 2018.

CubCrafters places the Carbon Cub ULT within a broader lineup that includes the Carbon Cub SS/UL, EX, FX, XCub and NXCub. The company lists the ULT’s certification as Light Sport and Factory Builder Assist, an experimental amateur-built category. CubCrafters is accepting customer deposits for ULT production positions, with initial customer deliveries expected in 2027.

The Carbon Cub ULT is scheduled for its first public showing at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, set for July 20-26 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where CubCrafters will display the aircraft at booths 272-274.