The Culver Cadet is an American two-seat light
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
aircraft, also as a radio-controlled
drone
Drone most commonly refers to:
* Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg
* Unmanned aerial vehicle
* Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft
* Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone
Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to:
...
, produced by the
Culver Aircraft Company
The Culver Aircraft Company was an American aircraft manufacturer of light aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s.
History
The Dart Manufacturing Corporation was founded in Columbus, Ohio, by Monocoupe dealer Knight K. Culver and Al Mooney to purchase ...
.
Design and development
The aircraft designer
Al Mooney developed an improved version of the
Culver Dart, to provide improved performance with a smaller
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...
. Originally designated the Culver Model L, the
prototype first flew on 2 December 1939. The aircraft was named the Culver Cadet. Although similar to the previous Dart, the Cadet had a semi-
monocoque
Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell".
First used for boats, ...
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
instead of welded-steel-tube, and a retractable
tailwheel undercarriage. The first variant (the Cadet LCA) was powered by a 75 hp (56 kW)
Continental A75-8 four-cylinder horizontally-opposed piston engine.
The 1941 version was designated the Cadet LFA, introducing a number of refinements and more equipment, and was fitted with a 90 hp (67 kW) Franklin engine. Production was brought to an end after the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
entered
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
in December 1941, but the Cadet had found export orders, including to
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, and had a new military role.
The Cadet was one of six models that Al Mooney designed during his eight years at Culver. He would leave to found
Mooney Aircraft
Mooney is a family name, which is probably predominantly derived from the Irish Ó Maonaigh, pronounced Om-weeneey. It can also be spelled Moony, Moonie, Mainey, Mauney, Meaney and Meeney depending on the dialectic pronunciation that was anglic ...
.
Operational history
In 1940, the Cadet LCA was selected by the
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
as being suitable for use as a radio-controlled target. The first aircraft was designated the Culver A-8 (later the XPQ-8) and was based on the Cadet LFA, but had fixed tricycle landing gear. After successful tests, a production order for 200 was placed, and designated the PQ-8. Later, another 200 were ordered with a more powerful engine as the PQ-8A. In late 1941, the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
acquired a PQ-8A for evaluation, and then ordered 200 in 1941 as the TDC-2. An enlarged and improved version was later built as the
Culver PQ-14.
Several Cadets, with both military and civilian origins, are still (2012) airworthy in the United States, and some are preserved in airworthy condition by museums.
Variants

;Cadet LCA:Initial production version powered by a 75 hp (56 kW)
Continental A75-8.
;Cadet LFA:Improved variant with an 80 hp (60 kW)
Franklin 4AC-176-F3
The Franklin O-175 (company designation 4AC-176) was an American air-cooled aircraft engine of the 1940s. The engine was of Flat-four engine, horizontally-opposed four-cylinder and Engine displacement, displaced . The power output was nominall ...
,
Franklin 4AC-176-D2, or
Franklin 4AC-176-D3
The Franklin O-175 (company designation 4AC-176) was an American air-cooled aircraft engine of the 1940s. The engine was of Flat-four engine, horizontally-opposed four-cylinder and Engine displacement, displaced . The power output was nominall ...
engine, and a full electrical system and engine starter.
;Cadet LFA-90:Limited edition variant with a 90 hp (67 kW)
Franklin 4AC-199-E3 engine.
;LAR (Army A-8):Initial designation of military radio-controlled drone version, later redesignated PQ-8.
;LAR-90 (Army PQ-8):Initial production military drone version, 200 built.
;PQ-8A:PQ-8 powered by a 125 hp (93 kW)
Lycoming O-290 Lycoming may refer to the following, most of which are at least partly in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States:
Geography
* Lycoming, New York, a hamlet
* Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
* Lycoming Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
* ...
engine, redesignated Q-8A in 1948, 200 built.
;Q-8A:PQ-8A redesignated in 1948.

;TDC-1:One PQ-8 for evaluation by the United States Navy.
;TDC-2:Production version of the PQ-8A for the Navy, 200 built.
;Helton Lark 95: Development of Cadet by Helton Aircraft Corporation of
Mesa, Arizona
Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by Tempe on the west, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community ...
. Powered by
Continental C90
The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in³ (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admini ...
-16F engine. FAA type approved in September 1966. 15 Lark 95s delivered in 1966.
[Taylor 1967, pp. 273–274.] Helton reported as out of business in 1971.
;Helton Lark 95A: Modified Lark 96, with longer fuselage and revised tail surfaces.
;Aero Systems Cadet STF
:Plans-built "optimized" Cadet design, offered by
Aero Systems of
La Mesa, California
La Mesa () is a city in San Diego County, located east of Downtown San Diego in Southern California. The population was 61,121 at the 2020 census, up from 57,065 at the 2010 census. Its civic motto is "the Jewel of the Hills."
History
La Me ...
, United States in 2010. The plans call for a wood and steel structure, with a
Continental O-200
The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in³ (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admini ...
powerplant, producing a cruise speed of .
[Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011–12'', page 90. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X]
Operators
;
*
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
*
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
Surviving aircraft
* On display at the Historical Aircraft Squadron Museum in
Carroll, Ohio
Carroll is a village in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The population was 524 at the 2010 census.
History
Carroll was laid out in 1829 at the junction of two canals. The village was named after Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737– ...
. It is on loan from the
Ohio Historical Society
Ohio History Connection, formerly The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and Ohio Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885. Headquartered at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio History Connec ...
, who acquired it from the Ohio History of Flight Museum in 2000.
* 133 – LCA on display at the
Chico Air Museum in
Chico, California
Chico ( ; Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 census, reflecting an increase from 86,1 ...
.
* 236 – LCA on display at the
Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum
The Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum (WAAAM) is located in Hood River, Oregon, United States, adjacent to the Ken Jernstedt Memorial Airport. WAAAM is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization committed to the preservation of, and educati ...
in
Hood River, Oregon
The city of Hood River is the seat of Hood River County, Oregon, United States. It is a port on the Columbia River, and is named for the nearby Hood River. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 8,313. It is the only city in Oregon whe ...
.
* 269 – LFA on display at the Golden Age Air Museum in
Bethel, Pennsylvania.
* 274 – LFA on display at the
Champaign Aviation Museum in
Urbana, Ohio
Urbana is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Ohio, United States, west of Columbus. Urbana was laid out in 1805, and for a time in 1812 was the headquarters of the Northwestern army during the War of 1812. It is the burial place ...
.
* 330 – LFA-90 on display at the
Vintage Flying Museum in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...
.
* 380 – LCA on display at the
Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum
The Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum, located at Creve Coeur Airport in Maryland Heights, Missouri, United States, is dedicated to restoring and preserving historical aircraft. The airplanes in the collection are all fabric-covered, and most ...
in
Maryland Heights, Missouri
Maryland Heights is a second-ring north suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census. The city was incorporated in 1985. Edwin L. Dirck was appointed the city's first ma ...
.
* 443 – LCA on display at the Airpower Museum in
Ottumwa, Iowa
Ottumwa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,529 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. Located in the state's southeastern section, the city is split into northern and southern halves ...
.
Specifications (Cadet LFA)
See also
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
* ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985)''. London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.
* 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.
* Simpson, R.W. ''Airlife's General Aviation''. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publications. 1991. .
* Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1967–68''. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1968.
* Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1971–72''. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1971. .
External links
Culver A-8/PQ-8/TDC Cadet– Aviation Enthusiast Corner
High resolution panoramic image of a Culver Cadetwww.culvercadet.com
{{USN target drones
Cadet
A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...
Target drones of the United States
1930s United States civil utility aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
1930s United States military utility aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1939