From the early 1950s, the Piper PA-18 Super Cub became one of America’s most trusted backcountry airplanes—dependable, honest, and built for the rugged outdoors. Decades of hard use also exposed its limits: cabin comfort and entry, real load-hauling ability, airframe strength, and the need for better STOL performance.

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Backcountry Super Cubs was founded to fix those shortcomings.

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After buying Ontario-based Smith Aviation in 2006, the company moved to Wyoming and briefly operated as Turbine Cubs of Wyoming. In 2008 it partnered with Wayne Mackey of Miles City, Montana, to build his STOL Quest SQ-2. Wayne’s design added articulating leading-edge slats and an extended-chord wing that transformed low-speed handling. Instead of stalling like a conventional airplane, it settles into a stable, nose-high descent with excellent control and strong spin resistance. Larger doors, better visibility, more cabin room, and a stronger airframe completed the next-generation Cub. In 2009, the company became Backcountry Super Cubs, focused on building airplanes that let pilots reach the backcountry comfortably and safely.

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Further refinements followed. In 2017, owner Bruce Reed introduced the Super Cub Rev II with a larger cabin, improved visibility, a third-seat option, and much stronger shock-absorbing gear. Wayne Mackey then added a new wing with large, deep-chord, double-slotted flaps. Together those advances created the current flagship: the Super Cub Rev 3.

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The Rev 3 is not a clone. It is a refined evolution of the PA-18 and SQ-2, built by experienced backcountry pilots for the way people actually fly. The cabin is wider and taller, the door is larger, legroom and visibility are better, and load capacity is significantly increased—including room for an optional third seat or a sleeping platform. The airframe is strengthened where it matters most, and Pilatus Porter-style gear plus a robust tailwheel handle the roughest strips. Articulating slats and massive double-slotted flaps deliver helicopter-like approach speeds, while a powerful Lycoming engine provides confident short-field takeoffs even at useful loads. This is best-in-class STOL for real work—carrying gear, fuel, and people—not a stripped-down competition airplane.

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Proven in competition: The Boss

That real-world capability is on full display in The Boss—a Backcountry Super Cub that has dominated the National STOL Series Wilderness class. Flying as N24BC, The Boss has collected multiple event wins, numerous podiums, and the 2025 Wilderness Class season championship. Pilots including Jared Garretson, Brandon Corn, and Kyle Bushman have put the airplane at the front of the field in some of the most competitive short-field events in the country. Its record underscores what the Rev 3 delivers when the airplane is asked to perform under pressure: short takeoffs and landings with substantial useful load, outstanding low-speed control, and the structural strength to handle competition and backcountry flying alike.

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Our mission

We build Super Cubs the way experienced backcountry pilots want them—stronger, more comfortable, more capable, and safer. Whether you are flying challenging off-airport strips, flying recreational STOL, or simply want the confidence of a thoroughly modernized classic, the Backcountry Super Cub Rev 3 is the airplane that delivers.