Culver PQ-14 Cadet explained

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

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

• 44-21895 – PQ-14B airworthy at the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California.^[2]
• 44-68334 – PQ-14B on display at the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.^{[3] [4]}
• 44-68462 – PQ-14B in storage at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.^[5]
• 45-59043 – TD2C-1 airworthy with Russ Cronk of Big Bear, California.^[6]
• 120035 – TD2C-1 in storage at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility of the National Air and Space Museum in Suitland, Maryland.^[7]
• N-917 – PQ-14B airworthy at the Airpower Museum in Blakesburg, Iowa.^[8]
• PQ-14 under restoration at the Aviation Unmanned Vehicle Museum in Caddo Mills, Texas.^[9]
• PQ-14B airworthy with Robert F. Holwey of Colorado Springs, Colorado.^[10]

References

Bibliography

• Anderson. C. E. "Bud". Caught by the Wing-tip. . December 1981 – March 1982. 17 . 74–80 . 0143-5450.
• Mondey, David. American Aircraft of World War II (Hamlyn Concise Guide). London: Bounty Books, 2006. .
• Mormillo, Frank B. "Defenceless Warrior: Culver's PQ-14 Drone." Air Enthusiast Issue 93, May/June 2001.

External links

• Culver PQ-14/Q-14/TD2C
• Culver PQ-14B – National Museum of the United States Air Force

Notes and References

1. Mormillo 2001, p. 7.
2. Web site: Airframe Dossier - Culver PQ-14B, s/n 44-21895 USAAF, c/n N-839, c/r N15HM . Aerial Visuals . 13 October 2020.
3. Web site: 1944 Culver PQ-14B - N999ML . EAA . 13 October 2020.
4. Web site: Airframe Dossier - Culver Q-14B, s/n 44-68334 USAF, c/r N999ML . Aerial Visuals . 13 October 2020.
5. Web site: Culver PQ-14B . National Museum of the United States Air Force . 13 October 2020 . 20 April 2015.
6. Web site: FAA REGISTRY [N2775] ]. Federal Aviation Administration . U.S. Department of Transportation . 13 October 2020 . 17 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201017153538/https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N2775 . dead .
7. Web site: Culver TD2C-1 . National Air and Space Museum . Smithsonian Institution . 4 September 2019 . 4 September 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190904020846/https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/culver-td2c-1 . dead .
8. Web site: Culver PQ-14B . Antique Airfield . 18 October 2020 . 19 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220419143831/http://www.antiqueairfield.com/apm/collection/CulverPQ14.html . dead .
9. Web site: BGM-34B ATTACK & MULTI-MISSION RPV . AUVM . 12 October 2020 . 27 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201027171616/https://auvm.net/drone-exhibits . dead .
10. Web site: Airframe Dossier - Culver PQ-14B, c/r N5526A . Aerial Visuals . 13 October 2020.