|
The Dart Manufacturing
Corporation was founded in
Columbus, Ohio, by Monocoupe
dealer Knight K. Culver and
Al Mooney to purchase the
rights to the
Mooney-designed Monosport G
from the defunct Lambert
Aircraft Corporation.
The company was renamed to
The Culver Aircraft Company
in 1939. In December 1939,
Culver produced the Culver
Model L, later renaming it
to the Culver Cadet.
Production was supervised by
Al's brother, Art Mooney.
Having moved from Columbus
to Wichita, Kansas, after
producing 50 aircraft, two
retractable-gear models, the
LFA and LCA, were
introduced, and in 1941 the
company was taken over by
Walter Beech (founder of
Beechcraft) and Charles
Yankey.
The company switched to
subcontract work during
World War II. Culver
produced a radio-controlled
pilotless aircraft based on
the LFA for use as target
drones. Over 3000 PQ-8/TDC
and PQ-14/TD2C gunnery
target drones were produced
for the USAAF and USN.
In 1945, Culver developed
the Model V. The V, also
known as the M-17, featured
a patented flight control
system, known as
Simpli-Fly Control,
which automated a number of
flight functions;
the system was looked down
upon by pilots, and the
Model V was not considered a
success.
The Model V was developed
into the XPQ-15 drone, but
did not win production
orders; not very long after
the end of World War II,
Culver Aircraft entered
bankruptcy, the Mooney
brothers departing to form
the Mooney Aircraft Company
and the manufacturing plant
was purchased by the Coleman
Company.
In 1956, the Superior
Aircraft Company was
established, purchasing the
assets of the Culver
Aircraft Company,
and put the Model V back
into production as the
Superior Satellite.
|
%20(8X4).jpg)
%20(8X4).jpg)
%20(8X4).jpg)