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PA-14 History/Fact and interesting points

N5126H

Registered User
Anchorage, Alaska
Some folks have very little knowledge of the
PA-14, and this is understandable when one realizes that
there were only 236 made. Manufactured in the years of
1947 and 1948 the Piper company was trying to keep
pace with the other manufactures who had four place
aircraft. The 14 has a four place, two in front, two in
back type configuration. The model was replace by the
PA-16 (Clipper) which was cheaper to construct.
The 14, known as the Family Cruiser, first appeared
with a 110hp lyc and a two speed wooden prop, which
explains why some still have a manifold gage in the panel
today. It had a small tail like a PA-12 (Super Cruiser),
but had flaps, no header tanks, and is 5 inches wider
at the firewall. The 14 shared almost all other
parts with the 12 including the landing gear and with
the exception of the flaps, the wing. A search
on the wings website shows that there are 106
registered in the US and 76 are in the state of Alaska. Most
14?s are highly modified, with larger engines (150-180
lyc), PA-18 tails, extended wings, 18 landing gear,
left hand doors etc?The 14 generally weights
in around 1200 to 1240 lbs and has a gross of 1850.
Because it is much larger inside than an 18 you cannot
fill it up with bricks and expect it to fly. It will
however perform just under a 18. The old boy that I got
mine (5126H) from was a long time Alaska hunting guide
(myalaska.com). He operated several 18s as well. (the 14 was his
family machine) He stated after owning this 14 for 35
years that "the only difference was 50 feet". The 14
looks fatter than a 12 and unless you spend a great
deal of time looking at them you cannot tell the
difference at a distance. However, most 14?s have a N number that ends in H and a great deal of them started with the number 5.
There are exceptions of course.The 14 will fly
faster than a 18 or even a 12 due to the body being more
even in width. However when you put on a climb prop,
18 gear and large tires, it does slow it
down.The 14 has a removable rear seat with baggage and a
"hat rack" behind the rear seat. I have modified 5126H
to have an upper extended baggage (4 feet), X brace, sky light,
removable hat rack and rear brace. 5126H also has extended wings and
droop tips, PA-18 3" extended gear and 31" radial Bushwheels. These Bushwheels are a tubeless tire and much larger and wider. It is also equiped with edo 2000 and federal 2500 AWB. In
addition 5126H has a lyc 150 spinning a 82-44 prop (Borer
prop). Garmin GNC 250XL, Electric A.H., shoulder harness, 4 place
intercom, strobes, Cleveland double puck brakes, wagaero
tanks and Dodge site gages, sky light, Baby Bush Wheel Tail tire with
heavy springs, and a light weight starter, remote oil cooler w/ flapper. and light weight alt. Weighing in at 1218 lbsI hope you found this interesting and informative. The
information is that of the author and you get what you pay
for, which in this case was nothing.
 
5126H is one of the nicest looking PA-14s that I've ever seen. Those of you who have seen the video "This is My Alaska" have seen this plane, albeit in an earlier paint job. Leroy Shebal flew many of his clients all over Alaska in it. If that bird could only talk, what stories she could tell!!
 
Thanks for the information. You just answered a bunch of the questions I was going to ask, sooner or later!

Drew
 
Mr. 5126H, thanks for the info.

I've got some to add.

Peter Bower's Cub book has a slightly different number for the amount of -14's built.

Peter also wrote that one of the reasons for the short production run is that Piper had purchased the Stinson line and the -14 was a competitor for the 108 series, so they quit the -14. What a shame, except that these old fuselages have a lot of corrosion in 'em now and if there were as many around as there are -12's, they'd all be corroded just the same. On the other hand, maybe someone would be building new PMA'ed fuses.

The experimental Smith Cub company guys are building replica PA-14 fuselages, according to their website.

Anyway, welcome to the site, 5126H. You were sitting with one wing low the other night before the wind. Did you come out OK?? I hope so.
 
As I understand it, Piper had totally underestimated the cost to build the Family cruiser and was not making expected bucks, hence the Clipper, small, less parts, no flaps, faster, etc....Piper was committed to the four place market so the Stenson thing sounds less plausible to me. What is the Serial # of the 14 built in 49? I also have seen a couple of build numbers, however nothing over 240 total and none after 1948.
 
Roger Peperell's book says they built 236 and 2 prototypes it also says there were 1949 models.... 33 of them. I stand corrected...
 
Hi all, Newbee here (but I have been lurking for awhile) I've read that the Wag-aero Sportsman 2+2 is a pa-14 replica. How close to the original do they get? Some posts on other threads talk about upgrading their planes to -18 gear and tails. Does the 2+2 have these improvements and others? They claim a 2200# gross vs 1850# for the pa-14. Also, can two,ehem, wide shouldered people fit up front? Great site! Thanks, Wally
 
Two wide-shouldered's can fit if one guy doesn't mind hugging the other. BUT, the thing will be nose-heavy.

When I go out with just me and one other, I set the other in the back. The other has LOTS of leg room sitting in the back with the right front seat out and me flying from the left. It's a good set-up for photographing out of the swing-up seaplane door. Also, rolling out of that door for land and shoot hunting of coyotes works well. The CG is better that way, also, than 2 up front in my experience.

5126H, I believe Peter Bower's book states 239 -14's were produced. Bowers was probably the worlds foremost aircraft types historian, but he coulda been wrong. Anyway, great idea for a thread, and I hope we get some other guys piping up.

DAVE
 
The Wag 2+2's I've seen have balanced 18 style elevators (and a J-3 rudder - how weird is that?). But really, since it's experimetal you can make it as close or different from a PA-14 as you want.

Dave, why sit on the left in a 14? Why not sit on the right (especially if you have the seaplane door for the GIB to take pictures/potshots from) with stick in the right hand, throttle and flap handle on the left. I would think that would feel a lot more natural and Cub-like.

We had a 14 on EDO 2000's here at BRD that was sold last year to Steve Saint. He recovered and painted it yellow, making it look just like his dad Nate's airplane for an upcoming movie on his life and death at Palm Beach with five other missionaries in Ecuador (MAF airplane). It even has the same N-number after the lady who currently had it gave it to him (she had read the book 2 weeks before he called her). Steve kept the O-320, balanced elevators, Clevelands and seaplane door mods. (looks like 18 gear as well although it does have the old style fairings to the fuse)

http://www.supercub.org/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=supercubs&id=cgl

http://www.supercub.org/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=supercubs&id=cgo

Brad
 
Brad, Brakes are on the left side only in my -14.

Also, I own a PA-11 and fly several different -18's now and then, so I'm used to what the stick in the right hand, throttle in the left feels like, but have absolutely ZERO problem hopping from the -14 (stick in left hand) to the -11/18, etc. As far as "natural feeling", it just make no difference at all to me.

I watched Leroy Shebal's film "This is My Alaska" a few evenings ago. GET THIS FILM, if you haven't yet. Great hunting and fishing shots, tons of flying, all wrapped up in a "Wild Kingdom"-like 1960's feel. Get this classic.

DAVE
 
I've flown my 2+2 almost 900 hours with the stick in my left hand and the throttle in my right hand, you get comfortable either way after a wlile. I also did a favor for a friend once and took a 5'9" 320lb guy for his first airplane ride and he sat up front with me. He had his seat all the way back and I had mine foward. It was a little tight but he enjoyed the ride. The plane flew just fine with all that weight up front.

Tim
 
I fly my 14 in just about every configuration, 8:50?s/ 31?s/ 2500 straight skis/ 2500 AWB/ 2000 Edos. I too remove the right front seat at times, mostly when I am on floats because I hardly ever carry more than three people then/ it is faster to get out the seaplane door. I like small friends to hunt and fish with. My fat friends don?t get to go with me often. My right seat slides so in the back position the front seat passengers shoulders do not met. One of the nice things about a 14 is you can have your buddy sit beside ya, and the back is all open with the rear seat/hat rack and cross bar removed. There must be at least three times the room a cub has with extended baggage . Most times a cub ?bulks up before it ?grosses? up. You don?t have this problem with a 14. I agree a 14 is nose heavy, even with a remote oil cooler, and everything else light weight. That is why if you are going to do anything very serious with a 14 you always put your buddy in the back seat. The aircraft also flies faster and lands shorter loaded aft. With the extra room (over an 18 type seating or even a 12 for that matter) you carry things in totes and coolers (they serve as camp seats) I can easily fit my copilot, four 48 qt coolers, 3, 5 gallon cans of gas, tent, sleeping bags, packs, guns, etc?? Not that a 18 could not, just you would have to leave the totes and coolers home and get an external load permit.

Leroy Shebal owned 5126H for 35 years. He kept it in a hanger at his place in North pole where the humidity is very low. In the early 70?s he had the tubing pumped full of hot cosmoline and tumbled. He never operated the plane on floats. The tubing is perfect. When I got it, it had to be one of the cleanest and stockest 14?s left. The plane had 3100TT It is even cleaner today, but in my opinion better equipped.

I always fly from the left (stick in left/ throttle in right). I too only have brakes on the left.

I do know of a 14 for sale if someone is interested.
 
Nice to see the MAF logo in the back of the photo's. I'm sure I'm not the only one on this site that contributes to this very worthy group.
If you are not familiar with Mission Aviation Fellowship you might consider looking into them.

Bill
 
Interesting info on the PA-14. Does anyone know if N5121H is still alive? I believe that was the 14 my dad flew when we lived in Tanana in the late 1950's. As I recall is had a 135 in it at that time. He sold it in 1963(?) and always regretted it.
 
I'm not sure I like the avatar "when pigs fly". Especially when we're talking about -14's, here. :-?

Also, I think the "when pigs fly" day has come. Believe it or not, a friend of mine found part of a porkchop with the "t-bone" and some of the meat still attached in the wing of a Beaver (DHC-2) today. He was loading the wing onto a trailer to go to the paint shop and found this porkchop in the pitot mast area of the leading edge........believe it or not.
 
Big AK said:
I'm not sure I like the avatar "when pigs fly". Especially when we're talking about -14's, here. :-?



That Avatar was given to me by our fearless leader, Mr. Steve...
 
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