Culver PQ-14B 'Cadet' | Planes of Fame Air Museum

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Culver PQ-14B 'Cadet'

HISTORY

During World War II, both the Allied and Axis air forces experimented with radio-controlled aircraft. Germany created a successful radio-controlled bomb used primarily against Allied shipping. The Allies launched an unsuccessful attempt to destroy Germany's submarine pens in France using B-17 loaded with TNT. The Culver PQ-14 represented a practical utilization of radio technology to control a target drone.
In August 1940 the US Army Air Corps began a project to develop radio-controlled target aircraft for training anti-aircraft gunners. Although the target would be flown unmanned, provisions were made for a pilot so that the tiny aircraft could easily be ferried to and from target ranges. This also made check flights easier as a pilot could, with stick and rudder, verify that construction and operation of the target drone was within normal limits.
The Culver PQ-14 and TDC-2 were produced for the U.S. Army and Navy, respectively, during WWII. Based on the company's Model LFA Cadet civilian sport plane, the PQ-14 was made primarily of wood with stressed plywood covering the fuselage, wings and some tail components. The PQ-14 included improvements such as a larger 150-hp Franklin engine and retractable landing gear, making it capable of speeds up to 185 mph.