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The Culver PQ-14 Cadet is a modified version of the Culver 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 of target drones was a modification of the Culver LFA Cadet which eventually led to the PQ-14 series used throughout World War II and beyond.

Design and development

Culver proposed a modification of its civilian Model LFA Cadet which the Army purchased as the PQ-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 the XPQ-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 by YPQ-14A service test aircraft and 1,348 PQ-14A production models. Of the latter, 1,198 were transferred to the US Navy, which designated them as TD2C-1 with the decidedly unattractive name Turkey.

The YPQ-14B was a slightly heavier variant; a total of 25 were produced before production shifted to the PQ-14B. A total of 594 PQ-14Bs served as target drones for the USAAF. A single PQ-14B was converted to use an O-300-9 engine and designated XPQ-14C. After World War II, the Culver company developed the XPQ-15 from their Model V light aircraft. After only four were delivered the company went bankrupt in 1946.

Operational history

A U.S. Navy TD2C-1 in flight, circa 1945.

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 a Beech 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.

Surviving aircraft

A PQ-14 under restoration at the Aviation Unmanned Vehicle Museum

Specifications (Culver PQ-14A)

3-view line drawing of the Culver PQ-14
3-view line drawing of the Culver PQ-14

Data from Mormillo.[11]

General characteristics

  • Crew: One
  • Length: 19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
  • Wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
  • Height: 8 ft 4.5 in (2.55 m)
  • Gross weight: 1,830 lb (830 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Franklin 6ACT-298-35 6-cyl. air-cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine , 150 hp (97 kW)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 185 mph (300 km/h, 161 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 150 mph (241 km/h, 130 kn)
  • Range: 512 mi (823 km, 445 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 17,000 ft (5,184 m)

See also

Related development

References

Notes

  1. ^ Mormillo 2001, p. 7.
  2. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Culver PQ-14B, s/n 44-21895 USAAF, c/n N-839, c/r N15HM". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  3. ^ "1944 Culver PQ-14B - N999ML". EAA. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Culver Q-14B, s/n 44-68334 USAF, c/r N999ML". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Culver PQ-14B". National Museum of the United States Air Force. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  6. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N2775]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Culver TD2C-1". National Air and Space Museum. Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Culver PQ-14B". Antique Airfield. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  9. ^ "BGM-34B ATTACK & MULTI-MISSION RPV". AUVM. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Culver PQ-14B, c/r N5526A". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  11. ^ Mormillo 2001, p. 6.

Bibliography

  • Anderson, C. E. "Bud" (December 1981 – March 1982). "Caught by the Wing-tip". Air Enthusiast. No. 17. pp. 74–80. ISSN 0143-5450.
  • Mondey, David. American Aircraft of World War II (Hamlyn Concise Guide). London: Bounty Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7537-1461-4.
  • Mormillo, Frank B. "Defenceless Warrior: Culver's PQ-14 Drone." Air Enthusiast Issue 93, May/June 2001. ISSN 0143-5450

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