Mite of the Month, March 2001

Jim Lacy can be seen standing by his camouflaged Mite, N396A*. Beside him on the left is his friend George Harris with George's rare red Mooney PQ-14, one of three currently flying. This photo was taken at the EAA 731 fly-in at Hickory, NC in October, 1999 at which Jim gave a presentation on the Mooney Mite.

MofM396Aand PQ14.jpg (62984 bytes)The PQ-14 was designed to be a radio-controlled (unmanned) aerial target drone for the US military by Al Mooney while he was still working at Culver Aircraft.

You can see the PQ-14 has Culver Cadet-style elliptical wings and lacks several features of the later Mooney design, the most obvious being the distinctive tail profile (the vertical leading edge), but also the trailing link undercarriage and the Simpli-fly trim system. As a matter of fact, it has no flaps at all.

George tells us that his PQ-14 has IFR instruments, electrically operated gear, and an Aeromatic prop.

PQ-14 (1940) M-18L (1949)
Powerplant: one 150-hp Franklin O-300-11
flat-six piston engine		 one 65-hp Lycoming O-145-B2
flat-four piston engine
Performance: maximum speed 180 mph;
cruise speed 140 mph		 maximum speed 143 mph
cruise speed 109 mph
Weight: maximum take-off 1,820 lb maximum take-off 780 lb
Range: 594 miles 250 miles
Ceiling: 17,000 feet 19,000 feet
Dimensions: span 30 ft 0 in; length 19 ft 6 in;
height 7 ft 11 in.		 span 26 ft 10 in; length 17 ft 8 in;
height 6 ft 3 in.