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The Bellanca 14-13 Cruisair Senior and its successors were a family of light aircraft that were manufactured in 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 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
by
AviaBellanca Aircraft after
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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. They were a follow-up to the prewar
Bellanca 14-7
The Bellanca 14-7 Junior and its successors were a family of light aircraft manufactured in the United States by Bellanca Aircraft Corporation shortly before World War II.Palmer 2001, p. 51. They were followed post-war by the Bellanca 14-13 and ...
and its derivatives.
Design and development
The 14-13 retained the Bellanca 14-7's basic design, but featured a redesigned fuselage structure which included an enlarged cabin, a
horizontally opposed
A flat engine is a piston engine where the cylinders are located on either side of a central crankshaft. Flat engines are also known as horizontally opposed engines, however this is distinct from the less common opposed-piston engine design, wh ...
Franklin 6A4-335-B3 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 gen ...
in place of the earlier models' various 70 hp to 120 hp engines, and an oval vertical endplate on each
horizontal stabiliser
A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplan ...
. This latter feature gained the type the affectionate nickname "cardboard Constellation", because the arrangement was similar to the contemporary
Lockheed Constellation
The Lockheed Constellation ("Connie") is a propeller-driven, four-engined airliner built by Lockheed Corporation starting in 1943. The Constellation series was the first pressurized-cabin civil airliner series to go into widespread use. Its press ...
airliner.
[ ''1978 Aircraft Directory'' 1977, p. 20.]
Taking its numbering convention from the Bellanca tradition of identifying the series from the wing area in square feet, dropping the final digit, while the second number was the aircraft's horsepower, again dropping the final digit, the 14-13 had been planned to be powered by the 130 hp (97 kW) Franklin 6AC-298-F3 horizontal piston engine. For unknown reasons, the designation was never updated to 14-15 when a 150 hp engine was actually used. The Bellanca 14-13 wing was constructed of wood, while the
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 ...
and tail were welded steel-tube framework with a fabric covering.
Eventually the 150 hp Franklin could be upgraded to 165 hp with the FAA Type Certificate stating “Installation eligible only when original basic Franklin 6A4-150-B3 engine installation components utilized ..”. The 165 hp required the use of either the Koppers Aeromatic or Sensenich Skyblade propellers.
The 14-13 was introduced in 1946; in its improved 14-13-3 version the aircraft remained in production until 1949.
Model 14-19
A higher-performance design revision was granted FAA approval as the 14-19 Cruisemaster on September 26, 1949.
["Specification 1A3." ''Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Aircraft''.] The new model featured structural upgrades, a Lycoming O435-A engine, an increased gross weight of , hydraulically operated landing gear and flaps, and a deluxe interior. 99 of these airplanes were produced between 1949 and 1951. Externally, a near-look-alike to the earlier models, this version was distinguished by its larger, oval-shaped endplates.
[Bellanca Champion Club Literature.] All production ceased in 1956 as Bellanca wound up its operations.
Model 14-19-2
The 14-19 design was revived by
Northern Aircraft and granted FAA approval on January 7, 1957 as the 14-19-2 Cruisemaster. The new model featured a
Continental O-470K engine, an increased gross weight of 2,700 pounds,
an updated instrument panel as well as new paint and upholstery schemes.
[1957 Bellanca 14-19-2 Owners Manual.] A total of 104 of these aircraft were produced between 1957 and 1958.
The company was renamed
Downer Aircraft in 1959.
Inter-Air acquired the production rights in 1962 and was renamed as the
Bellanca Sales Company, a subsidiary of
Miller Flying Service
A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalent ...
.
Further development of the design by Inter-Air resulted in the modernized
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
series introduced in 1962.
[Palmer 2001, p. 51.]
Operational history
Designed and produced in the post-World War II era, the Bellanca 14-13 Cruisair Senior was aimed at a general aviation market. Pilot/owners were offered a combination of performance, low engine power and a modest price. Its performance and structural strength also made it attractive for utility work, but in many ways the Bellanca design was an anachronism, relying on a
conventional landing gear
Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...
configuration and wood-and-fabric construction that harkened back to an earlier age. Postwar economics along with a glut of surplus military aircraft precluded heavy sales although about 600 were produced.
The 14-13-2 was one of the aircraft tested by August Raspet and George Lambros of the Aerospace Department of Mississippi State College. With its propeller removed and towed behind a 450 hp Stearman, the performance of the 14-13-2 was carefully studied and reported in technical publication ''Research Reviews'', April 1954 as "Flight Research on a Personal Type Airplane". Raspet and Lambros found the 14-13-2’s maximum speed to be 149 mph and its cruise speed at 75% power to be 131 mph.
In 1952, Canadian native Dr. Joshua Haldeman and his wife Winifred flew their 14-13-2 from Pretoria, South Africa to Oslo, Norway and back. In 1954, the Haldemans flew their 14-13-2 from South Africa to Australia and back. Over many years, the Haldemans also explored the Kalahari Desert with the 14-13-2. The Haldemans are Elon Musk's maternal grandparents.
Despite its introduction into a period where private aircraft sales were stagnant, the aircraft remained popular through all of its incarnations and today is considered a classic cabin monoplane and is much in demand.
The last 14-13-3 recorded in the Smithsonian archives is serial number 1648.
Variants
;Cruisair Senior 14-13
:Initial model introduced in 1946.
Serial numbers 1060 through 1385.
;Cruisair Senior 14-13-2
:Improved model introduced in 1947. Featured a longer-span elevator and stabilizer with smaller end-plates, revised wood construction and revised elevator stops among others.
Serial numbers 1386 through 1583.
;Cruisair Senior 14-13-3
:Improved model introduced in 1948. Featured dual landing lights in left wing leading edge, revised oleo struts and nut cracker, revised instrument panel and an external baggage door among others. Serial numbers 1584 and up. Remained in production until 1956
;Cruisair Station Wagon 14-13W
:First described in the 1948 Cruisair sales brochure. Featured
plywood
Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...
-lined cabin, removable rear seats and extra door on the left side of the cabin among others. Serial numbers 1584 and up.
;Cruisemaster 14-19
: version introduced in 1949.
Serial numbers 2000 and 2002 through 4000.
;Cruisemaster 14-19-2
: version introduced in 1957.
Serial numbers 4001 through 4105.
;260 A 14-19-3
:
tricycle gear
Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...
version introduced in 1959.
Serial numbers 4106 through 4228.
;260 B 14-19-3A
:Last version built by Downer Aircraft priced at $19,500 in 1962 - Powered by a 260 hp (194 kW)
Continental IO-470
The Continental O-470 engine is a family of carbureted and fuel-injected six-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled aircraft engines that was developed especially for use in light aircraft by Continental Motors. Engines designated "IO" ...
-F engine.
[''Flying Magazine,'' November 1962, p. 24.] Serial numbers 4229 through 4342.
;Downer 260C Model 14-19-3C
:Version built by
Inter-Air with revised empennage and 260 hp (194 kW) Continental IO-470-F engine
Specifications (14-13 Cruisair Senior)
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Davisson, Budd. "We Fly the Cardboard Constellation." ''Air Progress Vintage Buyer's Guide'', 1989.
* Mondey, David. ''The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Aircraft''. Secaucus, New Jersey: Chartwell Books Inc, 1978. .
* Palmer, Trisha, ed. "Bellanca Viking Series". ''Encyclopedia of the World's Commercial and Private Aircraft''. New York: Crescent Books, 2001. .
* "Plane and Pilot." ''1978 Aircraft Directory''. Santa Monica, California: Werner & Werner Corp, 1977. .
* Taylor, Michael J. H. ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation''. London: Studio Editions, 1989, p. 150.
* ''World Aircraft Information Files''. London: Bright Star Publishing, File 890, Sheet 24.
External links
aerofiles.com
{{Bellanca
1940s United States civil utility aircraft
14-13
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1945