Piper PA-14 Family Cruiser

I have the fondest memories of our classic "family of four" taking off in my dad's PA-14 back in the late '50's. I'm guessing that is the correct model number. All these years I thought it was a Super Cub, but as they are only 2 seaters I was beginning to doubt my memory until I finally came across the rare PA-14 designated as a family 4 seater. I remember my dad yelling out the side window to the fellow throwing the prop, "Clear!" The smell of the gas, the interior smell and my infant little brother tossing his cookies......those were the days! My dad's biggest thrill in life was a three point landing on the numbers. Would love to hear of any projects for sale.

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My father owned a plane like this in early /middle 50s. Just had an argument with a former B-52 pilot who said that they didn't make 4 seaters. My father was a former B-17 pilot. Many happy memories for a young boy who is now retired Air Force, although I was a missiler not a pilot.

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10 /10 /1956 Garfield Hansen crashed his PA-14 Family Cruiser into the Yukon River during white out conditions. The plane, my Uncle, and one of his passengers, Vince Olin were never found. The other passenger, Robert Swenson was found the following summer 150 miles down river near Galena. Hansen was a personal pilot to Dr. Jean Persons, Medical Officer in Charge at the Tanana Native Hospital.

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Frank,
I currently own 5125H, the plane that you flew for Cal Worthington. (Also have the banner towing hook, but never used it.) I've had a lot of fun with it.

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Dad had a Family Cruiser in the early 50's. Think he paid around $2500 for it and sold it for the same price about 3 years later. One day we wanted to see how high we could go and 12,000 feet is about right. Mom finally decided to ride with dad, so me and my sister, 12 and 9 sat in back and mom held my infant sister on her lap as we took off from the short Rosalia airport, with a drop off cliff at the end of the runway. It was hot that August day and the plane was a little sluggish. Mom insisted we all go together as she didn't want to leave any orphans behind. We still kid about that. Stalls were difficult in that it wanted to just hang on and never drop off. Dad would let me fly it, but his hands were at the ready. We went up to Geiger Field (now Spokane international airport) to meet a cousin flying in on a Stratocruiser and as we came in for a landing, dad had me look out the window to see if the wheels were on the ground....his smoothest landing ever, but the next week we went into a strip we built on the farm, hit some rocks and bounced our way in. The Pacer came along after the Family Cruiser with a 5' shorter wing and a little more demanding to fly. Always enjoyed flying with my dad who had learned to fly a few years earlier in the CAP.

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Probably the finest a "four place" Super Cub in existence. #N4276H sports an 0360 engine less than 75 hours since major, with a MP composite constant speed prop, Alaskan 10x26 inch shoes, seaplane doors R&L, only PA-14 that has a FAA field approval for the 2100 Wipline Amphib Floats which is included, all Atlee Dodge's STCs, 30.5 gals in each wing, header tank, VGs, PA-18 balanced tail feathers, PA-18 battery placement, safety cables, fly IFR and to many other modes to mention. For sale.... cell #(901) 262-3124 Pics available..$250,000 Based AWM.. West Memphis, Arkansas

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Probably the finest a "four place" Super Cub in existence. #N4276H sports an 0360 engine less than 75 hours since major, with a MP composite constant speed prop, Alaskan 10x26 inch shoes, seaplane doors R&L, only PA-14 that has a FAA field approval for the 2100 Wipline Amphib Floats which is included, all Atlee Dodge's STCs, 30.5 gals in each wing, header tank, VGs, PA-18 balanced tail feathers, PA-18 battery placement, safety cables, fly IFR and to many other modes to mention. For sale.... cell #(901) 262-3124 Pics available..$250,000 Based AWM.. West Memphis, Arkansas

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I own on of 4 1947 PA-14's left. I've owned it for about 15yrs. and have flown it extensively in the Alaska bush. It is one the the best trade off aircraft ever built. Won't quite perform with a Cub, but has much more interior room. I've carried two adults and 5 caribou with all our camping gear, and was able to acheive good performance in about 900ft. Most people can't believe what this plane will really do.

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The Piper PA-14 was the airplane that Nate Saint flew for MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship). The remains of the plane can be seen at the MAF HQ at the Nampa, ID airport.

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Hello! I've just discovered your website and I love it! I think this was the plane Nate Saint flew for operation Auca, for the MAF(Missonary Aviation Fellowship). Thanks for the great website! Keep up the good work!

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I have had the privilege to fly more than once is this model of plane here in Colorado as my best friends own one. Really awesome plane and very rare model. The plane attracted all kinds of attention at Greeley airport as most people are unfamiliar with this model.

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I had the privilage of flying the PA-14 for Cal Worthington Dodge in Southern California in the 60's. He used it for towing banners and for freeway traffic reporting so he got double duty out of the airplane and the pilot as you would do both on the same trip. A job to dream for as was knowing Cal. The aircraft had a Continental 150 HP engine with a fixed pitch prop.

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I had the privilage of flying the PA-14 for Cal Worthington Dodge in Southern California in the 60's. He used it for towing banners and for freeway traffic reporting so he got double duty out of the airplane and the pilot as you would do both on the same trip. A job to dream for as was knowing Cal. The aircraft had a Continental 150 HP engine with a fixed pitch prop.

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David Blanton developed a stepdown drive to use a Ford V-6 engine on a PA-22 airframe by extending the fuselage and wings to approximate the PA-14, while qualifying as an experimental aircraft. He did this in part because all the available Family Cruisers had been bought up and taken to Alaska where the were highly popular as bush planes. This occured, unfortunately for the rest of us, about 10 years too late to stimulate new interest in production, from what we can tell.

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