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The Piper PA-14 Family Cruiser is an 
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
-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 tailwheelundercarriage
Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include:
*The landing gear of an aircraft.
*The ch ...
layout features were retained. The PA-14 prototype made its first flight from the company's Lock Haven Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
factory on 21 March 1947.Peperell p. 61
Production and operations
A second PA-14 was completed on 6 February 1948 and the first customer deliveries were made later that year. 238 examples were completed,Simpson pp. 230–231 most being sold to private owner pilots in the United States, but overseas sales included several toFrance
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. 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
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...
, from which it later successfully emerged. 126 examples remained registered in the United States in April 2011, of which 81 were based in Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
and 13 aircraft were registered in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
Specifications
See also
References
* Peperell, Roger, ''Piper Aircraft and their forerunners'', Air-Britain (Publishers) Ltd, 1987, * Simpson, Rod, ''General Aviation Handbook'', Midland Publishing, 2005,External links
{{Piper Cub Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft 1940s United States civil utility aircraft Family Cruiser Aircraft first flown in 1947