Culver
Al Mooney’s little Cadet monoplane was a hard sell to private pilots, so Culver turned it into a radio-controlled target and built thousands for Army and Navy gunners to shoot down.
Culver: the company and the aircraft that made its name
A dealer and a designer
Knight K. Culver, a Monocoupe dealer, and designer Al Mooney set up the Dart Manufacturing Corporation in Columbus, Ohio, to buy the rights to Mooney’s Monosport from the defunct Lambert Aircraft. Renamed Culver Aircraft in 1939, it flew Mooney’s Cadet on 2 December 1939: a sleek two-seat low-wing monoplane with a semi-monocoque fuselage and retractable undercarriage that could cruise on a 75 hp engine.
Planes built to be shot down
After moving to Wichita, the company was taken over in 1941 by Walter Beech and Charles Yankey. The Army Air Corps had already picked the Cadet as a radio-controlled target, and that became Culver’s war. The PQ-8 and Navy TDC-2 were built 200 at a time, and the bigger PQ-14 followed in thousands — well over 3,000 target drones in all, designed to be flown off without a pilot and shot to pieces by trainee gunners.
Simpli-Fly and bankruptcy
Peace was harder. The 1946 Model V had a patented Simpli-Fly system that automated parts of flying; pilots disliked it and it sold poorly. Culver went bankrupt soon after the war, the Mooney brothers left to found Mooney Aircraft, and the Coleman Company bought the plant. Superior Aircraft revived the Model V as the Satellite in 1956.
Culver in numbers
The company
- In short
- Founded 1939
- Grew out of Dart Manufacturing, Columbus, Ohio
- Moved to Wichita; taken over by Walter Beech and Charles Yankey in 1941
- Bankrupt after the war
Production
- Best known for
- Cadet, PQ-14
- Dart and Cadet light aircraft
- More than 3,000 PQ-8 and PQ-14 target drones
- Model V with Simpli-Fly control
Today
- Now
- Defunct
- Al Mooney went on to found Mooney Aircraft
- Several Cadets still airworthy
The numbers
- Target drones built
- more than 3,000
- Cadets built (incl. drones)
- 600+
- Model V built
- 90
Every notable Culver aircraft
| Aircraft | Role | First flight | Built | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Culver Dart G | Two-seat light aircraft | 1938 | 50 | Retired | |
| Culver Cadet LCA / LFA | Two-seat light aircraft | 2 December 1939 | Retired | Exported to Uruguay; several still fly | |
| Culver PQ-8 / PQ-8A | Radio-controlled target drone | 1941 | 400 | Retired | |
| Culver TDC-2 | Navy target drone | 1941 | 200 | Retired | |
| Culver PQ-14 / TD2C | Radio-controlled target drone | 1942 | 2,043–2,500 | Retired | 2,043 per type article; about 2,500 per company article |
| Culver Model V | Light aircraft | 1946 | 90 | Retired | Simpli-Fly control; revived as the Superior Satellite |
Where Culver built, who led it, what it achieved
Factories
- Wichita works · Wichita, Kansas — Bought by the Coleman Company after bankruptcy
People
- Al Mooney · co-founder, designer — Designed six models at Culver, then founded Mooney Aircraft
- Knight K. Culver · co-founder
- Walter Beech · owner from 1941
Culver, year by year
Dart G in production at Dart Manufacturing
Renamed Culver Aircraft Company
Cadet first flight
Army selects the Cadet as a radio-controlled target
Walter Beech and Charles Yankey take over
PQ-14 drone enters production
Model V introduced; bankruptcy follows
Superior Aircraft buys Culver assets
Everything people ask about Culver
What was the Culver Cadet?
What was the Culver PQ-14?
Is Culver related to Mooney?
When did Culver close?
Around Culver
Every fact, checked
Verified 2026-10-03.