Piper PA-14 Family Cruiser
| PA-14 Family Cruiser | |
|---|---|
 | |
| French-registered PA-14 Family Cruiser at Sherburn-in-Elmet Airfield, Yorkshire in 1950 | |
| Role | Single-engined cabin monoplane |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Piper Aircraft |
| First flight | 21 March 1947 |
| Produced | 1947–1949 |
| Number built | 238 |
| Developed from | Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser |
The Piper PA-14 Family Cruiser is an American-built small touring aircraft of the late 1940s.
Design and development
Piper Aircraft had built the PA-12 Super Cruiser three-seat touring aircraft between early 1946 and March 1948. In 1947, the PA-12 design was adapted to a four-seat layout by widening the cabin by five inches at the instrument panel and adding slotted flaps. The original high-wing and fixed tailwheel undercarriage layout features were retained. The PA-14 prototype made its first flight from the company's Lock Haven Pennsylvania factory on 21 March 1947.[1]
Production and operations
A second PA-14 was completed on 6 February 1948 and the first customer deliveries were made later that year.[1] 238 examples were completed,[2] most being sold to private owner pilots in the United States, but overseas sales included several to France. The aircraft was launched at a time of serious financial difficulty for the company, and indeed, soon after the release of the Family Cruiser, Piper was placed in receivership, from which it later successfully emerged. 126 examples remained registered in the United States in April 2011, of which 81 were based in Alaska and 13 aircraft were registered in Canada.
Specifications (PA-14)
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 3 passengers
- Length: 23ft 2in (7.06m)
- Wingspan: 35ft 9in (10.82m)
- Height: 6ft 5in (1.96m)
- Wing area: 179.33ft (16.66m)
- Empty weight: 1,020 lb (463 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 1,850 lb (839 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-235-C1 air-cooled flat four, 115 hp (86 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 107 knots (198 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 96 knots (178 km/h)
- Stall speed: 40 knots (74 km/h)
- Range: 364 nm (674 km)
- Service ceiling: 12,500 ft (3,800 m)
- Rate of climb: 600 ft/min (180 m/s)
- Wing loading: 10.32 lb/ft² (50.36 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 16.09 lb.hp (9.87 kg/kW)
See also
- Related development
- Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser
- Piper PA-15 Vagabond
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
References
- Peperell, Roger, Piper Aircraft and their forerunners, Air-Britain (Publishers) Ltd, 1987, ISBN 0-85130-149-5
- Simpson, Rod, General Aviation Handbook, Midland Publishing, 2005, ISBN 1-85780-222-5
External links
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