SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS, JANUARY 3, 2022 – American Legend Aircraft Company announced today the availability of newly manufactured amphibious and straight floats for its Super Legend. The new float designs are manufactured by PK Floats, “Maker of the World’s Finest Seaplane Floats,” and can be fitted to high performance Titan-powered Legend Cubs.
Dick Parsons, a retired airline pilot, recently fitted his Super Legend with the first new set of “amphibs” from PK Floats. Parsons’ aircraft also happens to be the first 180-horsepower model built by Legend, in 2015. Highly confident in the Legend Cub lineup since its inception, Parsons’ first Legend aircraft was a Cub Special (AL11), a 100-hp Continental O-200 powered 2006 model. He later owned the first J3-style Legend Cub (AL3) on aluminum Baumann amphibious floats. Parsons was also the first to operate a 115-hp Lycoming powered Super Legend on LF1500A carbon fiber floats manufactured by Legend.
Parson’s current Super Legend now features a Titan O-340 engine, a stroked Lycoming O-320. The aircraft is kept at a private strip near his home along the coast of Maine. To the north are the town of Greenville, famous for its international seaplane fly-in, and the factory of PK Floats in Lincoln.
Parsons says his turf/gravel strip is built on a hill and stays dry while most other fields nearby remain boggy during rains. According to Parsons the amphibious Super Legend really performs really well there. He spoke highly of his new amphibs, model PK 2050A, likening them to the classic Edo 2000 floats which date back to 1925. The Edo lineage remains in place at PK, as the company “adopted a similar manufacturing process when the patent expired in 1954,” according Levi Guimond, VP of Operations at PK Floats.
Assisting with the installation of Parsons’ amphibs was Dan Dufault of Super Cubs North, also located in Maine. Dan is an experienced aircraft builder whose logbook includes recent Valdez STOL contest winners. He assisted with mounting and rigging of the new floats at the PK factory, then took the amphibious Super Legend to Greenville to test its performance. In a takeoff competition held at the 2021 Greenville International Seaplane Fly-in, Dan and the PK 2050A equipped Super Legend “won by a lot,” according to Parsons, securing the first place prize.
Commenting on his new PK Floats, Parsons said, “They are beautifully built. They work very well on my grass/gravel strip.” Noting their unique design, he added, “The whole nose gear is different than what was done before on the Baumann floats. For retraction, the PKs have an electric-hydraulic pump built-in. Four up, and four down lights are visible on the dash. Only electrical wires run to the floats from the cockpit.” This system makes them easy to operate, simplifies rigging, and contributes to reduced weight.
Currently, the Legend Cub factory has two additional sets PK Floats being installed and another on order for 2022 delivery. The first set of PK 2050 straight floats for a Legend Cub was delivered in April 2021 to the Audibert family in Louisiana.
About PK Floats
PK Floats of Lincoln, Maine, has a tradition of building tough, reliable and dependable seaplane floats. The company has been doing so since 1954. Whether for commercial operations, rough-water conditions, or flying at gross weight, PK Floats are built to last. Working one-on-one with customers, ensuring their satisfaction, has led the company’s success.
The PK 2050 model, available in a straight or amphibious configuration, was created specifically for experimental (i.e. higher gross weight) Super Cubs and particularly those with 180-plus hp engines found in many Cubs today. Having produced floats for certified Cessna 185, Husky, and PA-18-150 aircraft, going into production for a 2,000-lb gross weight Legend Cub was an easy transition for PK Floats, as these popular backcountry aircraft are generally lighter to begin with.
While tires may be considered an easy undercarriage to replace or upsize, mounting a set of floats demands the specificity of appropriately sized pontoons based on aircraft power and weight. Finding the sweet spot for a particular Legend Cub is precisely what PK Floats achieved with its PK 2050 model. LF 1500 floats from Legend, a kevlar / carbon fiber version, are available for O-200 and O-233 powered Legend Cubs.
About Legend
The Legend Cub is a thoroughly modern recreational aircraft manufactured from tubular steel and covered in durable fabric. The Legend Cub is renown for incorporating contemporary features and construction methods. Building a Cub for operation on floats was always in the sights for the company. The first Legend Cub was manufactured and introduced in early 2005, and first flight of a Legend Cub on floats, the Legend FloatCub, took place in May of the same year.
In 2006, the Legend FloatCub was based at Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base during Sun ’n Fun Splash-In where it won best Float Fabric Seaplane. Development of an amphibious edition was also under consideration, and a short time later a 1,430-lb gross weight model with retractable gear was offered by Legend. At the 2009 Greenville International Seaplane Fly-in, a Legend Cub on amphibs won Cutest Darn Aircraft, and in 2010 won Best Take-Off.
American Legend Aircraft Company continues to be one of the most successful manufacturers of personal aircraft, and is renown for its exceptional product support. The Legend Cub is sensibly modern, a pleasure to fly, and built to last.
For further information on the Legend Cub, contact American Legend Aircraft Company at 1810 Piper Lane, Sulphur Springs, Texas 75482; call 903-885-7000, or log on to www.legend.aero. Follow us on facebook.com/LegendAircraft and instagram.com/legendcub.
– Legend Cub –
Watch this recently released Legend FloatCub video https://youtu.be/rbH9H1hL4qs