David Green’s transcontinental journey marks another extraordinary milestone for CubCrafters’ Carbon Cub UL
David Green’s Carbon Cub UL “Dusty,” N456DG, arrives at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during its nearly 17,000 NM journey from the United States to Australia. Photo Credit: Toru Yajima
YAKIMA, Washington — [August 20, 2026] — CubCrafters today announced the successful completion of an extraordinary international journey by Australian pilot and aircraft owner David Green, who flew his new Carbon Cub UL from the CubCrafters factory in Yakima, Washington, to his home in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.
Rather than disassembling his new aircraft and shipping it home, Green chose a considerably more adventurous delivery method: flying it there himself.
Green’s Carbon Cub UL—nicknamed “Dusty”—departed Yakima on July 22 and began an epic 30-day journey across continents and oceans. One of his first stops was EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin, where Dusty joined the world’s largest gathering of aviation enthusiasts before continuing east toward the Atlantic. The flight included long overwater legs, rapidly changing weather, international border crossings, fuel planning, permits, customs, and the logistical challenges of keeping both pilot and aircraft moving across multiple countries.
By the time Green arrived in Port Macquarie on August 20, he had logged approximately 16,800 nautical miles and nearly 144 hours of flight time.
The journey is believed to represent an unofficial world record for a flight of this type by a Cub-style backcountry aircraft and adds another remarkable achievement to the growing list of accomplishments for the Carbon Cub UL.
“Flying Dusty home from Yakima to Australia has been a heck of an adventure,” Green said after arriving in Port Macquarie. “Nearly 17,000 nautical miles across oceans, continents, and some incredibly remote parts of the world, and the Carbon Cub just kept going. The airplane performed beautifully, and I trusted it every step of the way.”
A Backcountry Aircraft That Goes the Distance
For CubCrafters, that trust is one of the most important aspects of Green’s accomplishment.
While very few Carbon Cub owners will ever undertake a journey as ambitious as his, the qualities that make such a flight possible are the same ones that matter every day in backcountry aviation: reliability, durability, efficiency, and confidence in the aircraft.
“We focus on reliability and safety, and as a result, this is the kind of adventure the Carbon Cub is capable of,” said Brad Damm, Vice President of CubCrafters. “David could have put the airplane in a container and shipped it to Australia. Instead, he pointed the nose toward home and flew it more than halfway around the world.”
Backcountry flying routinely takes pilots far from large airports, maintenance facilities, and other support. Whether crossing an ocean or heading into a remote mountain strip, pilots need an aircraft they can trust.
“Very few people are ever going to take their backcountry airplane on an adventure like David’s,” Damm continued. “But whether you’re crossing an ocean or heading into a remote strip, you need to trust your airplane to go the distance. That’s what we build at CubCrafters—aircraft you can have confidence in when the pavement, the airports, and the roads are far behind you.”
The Carbon Cub UL combines CubCrafters’ proven backcountry airframe with modern lightweight construction and the turbocharged, electronically controlled Rotax 916 iS, providing strong high-altitude performance, excellent fuel efficiency, and system redundancy for operations far from conventional support.
From 37,609 Feet to Australia
Green’s journey is the latest in a series of extraordinary flights demonstrating the breadth of the Carbon Cub UL’s capabilities.
On October 28, 2025, a Carbon Cub UL piloted by Jon Kotwicki climbed to a verified altitude of 37,609 feet over the California coast, establishing an unofficial world altitude record for Cub-type aircraft. The flight surpassed the previous 30,203-foot benchmark established by pioneering aviator Caro Bayley in a Piper PA-18 Super Cub in 1951.
→ Read more about the historic high-altitude flight
In July 2026, another Carbon Cub UL, N21UL, demonstrated a very different kind of capability, completing the first transatlantic flight by a Carbon Cub UL. The aircraft traveled approximately 6,900 nautical miles from Idaho to Poland and accumulated 94.5 flight hours while crossing the United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and Europe.
→ Read more about the historic transatlantic flight
Now Green and Dusty have taken the Carbon Cub UL even farther, flying approximately 16,800 nautical miles from Washington State to Australia.
“Last year we took a Carbon Cub UL above 37,000 feet. This summer another one crossed the North Atlantic to Poland. Now David has flown one from our factory in Yakima all the way home to Australia,” Damm said. “Yet this is still an airplane that can land on a short grass strip or a gravel bar. That combination of performance, efficiency, reliability, and versatility is what makes the Carbon Cub UL such a remarkable aircraft.”
The Carbon Cub UL is first and foremost a backcountry aircraft, designed for exceptional short takeoff and landing performance, low-speed handling, useful load, efficiency, and access to places conventional aircraft cannot easily reach. Green’s journey demonstrates just how far those capabilities can extend.
“Records are fun, but ultimately these flights aren’t really about records,” Damm said. “They demonstrate what the airplane is capable of. Most owners aren’t going to fly at 37,000 feet or halfway around the world. But when they point their airplane toward somewhere remote, they can know they’re flying an aircraft engineered and built to go the distance.”
Aviation enthusiasts have been following Green and Dusty throughout the journey on social media under: @dustycubul
About the Carbon Cub UL
The Carbon Cub UL combines advanced lightweight construction, modern avionics, the turbocharged Rotax 916 iS engine, and the exceptional short-field performance for which Carbon Cub aircraft are known, delivering outstanding efficiency, reliability, versatility, and capability wherever pilots venture.
Designed and manufactured in Yakima, Washington, the Carbon Cub UL combines modern technology and efficiency with the rugged versatility, reliability, and performance that have defined CubCrafters aircraft for more than four decades.
About CubCrafters
Founded in 1980 by Jim Richmond, CubCrafters has its roots in classic grassroots aviation history while delivering modern, innovative aircraft. We design and manufacture Experimental, LSA, and Certified aircraft known for exceptional backcountry performance and are at the forefront of the expanded opportunities created by the FAA’s new MOSAIC framework. Our Carbon Cub family redefines the flying experience with advanced materials, powerful engines, and modern design. The flagship XCub expands backcountry capability with greater speed, range, and payload than others in its class. We modernize classic aircraft designs with cutting-edge engineering, lighter composites, upgraded avionics, and improved safety—combining tradition with top-tier performance. Our newest UL-class aircraft brings next-generation engine and airframe technology to the field, minimizing environmental impact without sacrificing capability. The key to our success is delivering unmatched value in personal adventure aviation.
For more information about CubCrafters, visit our website at: www.cubcrafters.com
DAVID GREEN’S YAKIMA–AUSTRALIA FLIGHT AT A GLANCE
Aircraft Model: Carbon Cub UL “Dusty”
Pilot Name: David Green
Departure: Yakima Air Terminal (KYKM), Yakima, Washington
Departure Date: July 22, 2026
Destination: Port Macquarie (YPMQ), New South Wales, Australia
Arrival Date: August 20, 2026
Elapsed Journey: 30 days
Flight Legs: 22 substantive travel legs
Total Recorded Flight Time: 143 hours, 40 minutes
Estimated Total Distance Flown: 16,800 nautical miles (19,300 statute miles / 31,100 km)
Countries/Territories Visited: 16
Longest Flight Leg by Time: 12 hours, 13 minutes — Goose Bay, Canada to Reykjavik, Iceland
Route: Washington → Wisconsin → Michigan → New York → Maine → Canada → Iceland → Scotland → Guernsey → Italy → Greece → Egypt → Saudi Arabia → United Arab Emirates → India → Bangladesh → Thailand → Malaysia → Indonesia → Australia
Notable Stops: Oshkosh, Goose Bay, Reykjavik, Wick, Guernsey, Bergamo, Rivanazzano, Heraklion, Cairo, Ath Thumamah, Abu Dhabi, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Chittagong, Mae Sot, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Surabaya, Broome, and Birdsville.
Final Leg: Birdsville → Port Macquarie — 7 hours, 9 minutes
These are great milestones for the UL! Here’s one many of us are also interested in… when will it be available as E-AB (not factory assist)?