| PQ-14 | |
|---|---|
 Culver PQ-14B at Langley, 1945 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Target drone |
| Manufacturer | Culver Aircraft Company |
| Designer | |
| Primary users | U.S. Army Air Corps |
| Number built | 2,043 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1942 |
| Retired | 1950 |
| Developed from | Culver PQ-8 |
TheCulver PQ-14 Cadet is a modified version of theCulver LFA Cadet used as a target drone.
In 1940, the U.S. Army Air Corps drew up a requirement for a radio-controlled target drone for training anti-aircraft artillery gunners. The first aircraft in a series oftarget drones was a modification of the Culver LFA Cadet which eventually led to the PQ-14 series used throughoutWorld War II and beyond.
Culver proposed a modification of its civilian Model LFA Cadet which the Army purchased as thePQ-8. The success of the PQ-8 led to the development of the "NRD"; a single PQ-8 was converted to the new configuration and tested by the USAAF as theXPQ-14. Larger and faster than the PQ-8, the PQ-14 also had retractable landing gear and fuselage, wings and tail components made of wood with stressed plywood skin.
This prototype was followed byYPQ-14A service test aircraft and 1,348PQ-14A production models. Of the latter, 1,198 were transferred to the US Navy, which designated them asTD2C-1 with the decidedly unattractive nameTurkey.
TheYPQ-14B was a slightly heavier variant; a total of 25 were produced before production shifted to thePQ-14B. A total of 594 PQ-14Bs served as target drones for the USAAF. A singlePQ-14B was converted to use an O-300-9 engine and designatedXPQ-14C. AfterWorld War II, the Culver company developed theXPQ-15 from their Model V light aircraft. After only four were delivered the company went bankrupt in 1946.
The XPQ-14 was first flown in 1942 and began to be received in training units shortly after. The aircraft was flown unmanned, controlled by radio, but was flown by a pilot for ferry flights, using a rudimentary control panel installed for that purpose and using their parachutes as a seat. Docile and easy to fly, the aircraft was finished in a bright red target color scheme although operationally, a silver or red finish was applied. Without a pilot they were flown from a "mother ship" aircraft. The typical mother ship was aBeech C-45. Despite their short lifespan, the aircraft performed well and the Franklin engine was considered "trouble-free".[1] Most of the Culver target aircraft were "blasted out of the sky" by Army anti-aircraft gunners but a dozen or more survived and were surplused after 1950. Flown as a recreational aircraft, their new owners found that the aircraft had a sprightly performance.
Data fromMormillo.[11]
General characteristics
Performance
Related development
